[57] The Platinum Edition of The Lion King featured changes made to the film during its IMAX re-release, including re-drawn crocodiles in the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence as well as other alterations. Set … He then encounters Rafiki, who tells him that Mufasa's spirit lives on in Simba. Chicago Tribune 26 (1994). "[96], The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 93% with an average score of 8.40/10, based on 130 reviews. [178] The following month, it was reported that Beyoncé was Favreau's top choice to voice Nala, but she had not accepted the role yet due to a pregnancy. [193], In June 2020, Parkwood Entertainment and Disney announced that a film titled Black Is King would be released on July 31, 2020 on Disney+. The show's financial success led to adaptations all over the world. The film centers around Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male lion who was raised in a pride of Scar's followers, the Outsiders. The filmmakers have said that the story of The Lion King was inspired by the lives of Joseph and Moses, from the Bible, and William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Scar refuses to help Mufasa, instead sending him falling to his death. Allers, Minkoff, Chapman, and Hahn then rewrote the story across two weeks of meetings with directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, who had just finished Beauty and the Beast. The pack includes Simba, … The Insane Way Jon Favreau Directed 'The Lion King' on a Virtual Reality Set 'The Lion King' Is Not a Live-Action Movie, But Will Likely Compete as One at 2020 Oscars Related. [174][176] However, it was reported in early 2017 that the latter film was put on hold in order for Favreau to instead focus mainly on The Lion King. [90] It held off very well on its second weekend, again earning first place at the box office with a 27 percent decline to $21.9 million. [14] The script also had its title changed from King of the Jungle to The Lion King, as the setting was not the jungle but the savannah. [31], The Lion King original motion picture soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on April 27, 1994. Disney's The Lion King fans will love playing out favorite scenes from the movie and displaying their figures for all to see. [32] It is the only soundtrack for an animated film to be certified Diamond (10× platinum) by the Recording Industry Association of America. He orders the hyenas to kill the cub, but Simba escapes. Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Mike Mayo. Audiences have been hit with three 3D re-releases in the year since, meaning the novelty value has definitely worn off. What is the importance of being treated humanely and why such treatment is important for human conduct? Ages 3+ ? "[151], Takayuki Matsutani, the president of Tezuka Productions which created Kimba the White Lion, said in 1994 that "[q]uite a few staff of our company saw a preview of 'The Lion King', discussed this subject and came to the conclusion that you cannot avoid having these similarities as long as you use animals as characters and try to draw images out of them". Scar begs for mercy and attempts to blame his crimes on the hyenas; Simba spares his life but orders him to leave the Pride Lands forever. ", "In the Realm of Marketing, 'The Lion King' Rules", "Inkosi Ubhubesi / The Lion King Zulu Voice Cast", "Disney's Moana to make World Premiere in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at Ko Olina's World Oceans Day, June 10", "Opening to The Lion King 1995 VHS [True HQ]", "The Lion King: Platinum Edition DVD Review (Page 2) which shows the differences between the film presented on the DVD and the original theatrical cut", "Audiences to Experience Disney's "The Lion King" Like Never Before", "Exclusive: Lion King 3D Blu-ray Details", "John[sic] Favreau Shares First Look at Live-Action LION KING at D23 Expo", "The Lion King - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest", "Frozen becomes highest-grossing Disney animated film of all time", "Weekend Report: 'Lion King' Regains Box Office Crown", "Top Grossing G Rated at Box Office Mojo", "Disney to Put 'Lion King' Into Early Hibernation", "The Lion King (1994) - Domestic Total Adj. [27] Five specially trained animators and technicians spent more than two years creating the two-and-a-half-minute stampede. Mark Mancina did the musical arrangements and new orchestral tracks. [37], The wide release followed on June 24, 1994, in 2,550 screens. In other words, to get a real sense of nature and to feel as if they were there. [133] The songs "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" were also nominated. Though upset with Simba, Mufasa forgives him and explains that the great kings of the past watch over them from the night sky, from which he will one day watch over Simba. Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, covets the throne and plots to get rid of Mufasa and Simba so that he may become king. Foster, David. By christophersmith. Thomas M. Disch wrote a film treatment, and Woolverton developed the first scripts, while George Scribner was signed on as director, being later joined by Allers. [57] The VHS releases have sold a total of 32 million units in North America,[58] and grossed $520 million in sales revenue. [179] In April 2017, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen joined the film as Timon and Pumbaa, respectively. Don Hahn explained that eight years after The Lion King got its original release, "there was a whole new generation of kids who haven't really seen it, particularly on the big screen." Development of The Lion King began in 1988 during a meeting between Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and Peter Schneider while promoting Oliver & Company in Europe. What are the four features of bacteria that enable them to survive in a wide variety of habitats? [80], When it opened wide, The Lion King grossed $40.9 million – which at the time was the fourth biggest opening weekend ever and the highest sum for a Disney film  – to top the weekend box office. The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The first was sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, released in 1998 on VHS. [4] Lyricist Tim Rice worked closely with the writing team, flying to California at least once a month because his songs needed to work in the narrative continuity. He informs Mufasa of Simba's peril, knowing that the king will rush to save his son. Current Price $33.95 $ 33. The set of “The Lion King” was essentially a virtual reality world that put Favreau and his crew on location. During the conversation, the topic of a story set in Africa came up, and Katzenberg immediately jumped at the idea. Simba grows up with his two new friends and other animals in their oasis, living a carefree life under the motto "hakuna matata" ("no worries" in Swahili). Pricing, promotions and availability may vary by location … [134] The Lion King also won Annie Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Achievement in Voice Acting (for Jeremy Irons), and Best Individual Achievement for Story Contribution in the Field of Animation. "Stereotypes & Racism in Children's Movies." Lion King Contemporary Disney Sets (1968-Now), Lion King Disney Plush Toys (1968-Now), Lion King 2017 Contemporary Disney Sets (1968-Now), Lion King Disney Theme Park Sets (1968-Now), Lion King Kovu In Disney Plush Toys (1968-Now), Lion King Disneyana, Lion King … [82] Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 74 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run,[83] equivalent to $812.1 million adjusted for inflation in 2018. [192] It was released on July 19, 2019. [194] Directed, written and executive produced by Beyoncé, Black Is King is described as reimagining "the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns". [156][152] Ladd stated there was at least one animator remembered by his colleagues as being an avid Kimba fan and being quite vociferous about Disney's conduct during production. [67] The film sold 3.83 million Blu-ray units in total, leading to a $101.14 million income. [180] Two months later, John Oliver was cast as Zazu. [175] Favreau originally planned to shoot it back-to-back with the sequel to The Jungle Book. Recreate favorite movie scenes or … [198] Timon and Pumbaa also appeared in Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games, a 1995 PC game collection of puzzle games by 7th Level, later ported to the SNES by Tiertex. The film is purposely a generalized African setting. The animation leads for the main characters included Mark Henn on young Simba, Ruben A. Aquino on adult Simba, Andreas Deja on Scar, Aaron Blaise on young Nala, Anthony DeRosa on adult Nala, and Tony Fucile on Mufasa. [65] The Diamond Edition topped the Blu-ray charts with over 1.5 million copies sold. Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him that he must take his rightful place as king. [65][66] The initial release was produced in three different packages: a two-disc version with Blu-ray and DVD; a four-disc version with Blu-ray, DVD, Blu-ray 3D, and digital copy; and an eight-disc box set that also includes the sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1½. 488 Japanese cartoonists and animators, led by manga author Machiko Satonaka, signed a petition accusing Disney of plagiarism and demanding that they give due credit to Tezuka. [77] The average of $793,377 per theater stands as the largest ever achieved during a weekend[78] and it was the highest-grossing opening weekend on under 50 screens, beating the record set by Star Wars (1977) from 43 screens. [182] The following month, Chiwetel Ejiofor entered talks to play Scar. Visit the African park that inspired ‘The Lion King’ The film’s setting is real, wild, and open for visitors. [170], In June 2014, it was announced that a new TV series based on the film would be released called The Lion Guard, featuring Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala. Gross (2018)", "In the Round » Making 'Return of the King, "Disney's 'The Lion King' to Return to Theaters in Digital 3D", "Friday Report: 'Lion King' Pounces on Weak Field", "TOP OPENING WEEKENDS BY MONTH SEPTEMBER", "Weekend Report: 'Lion' Remains 'King,' 'Moneyball,' 'Dolphin Tale' Go Extra Innings", "Box Office Preview: Brad Pitt's 'Moneyball' Looks to Out-Run Taylor Lautner's 'Abduction'", "Release Dates for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5, THE MUPPETS 2, and 1952; MALEFICENT Pushed Back to July 2014", "Disney dates 'Pirates,' 'Muppets' sequels", "Disney cancels 'Little Mermaid 3-D,' dates 'Pirates 5' for 2015", "Weekend Report: 'Resident Evil 5,' 'Nemo 3D' Lead Another Slow Weekend", "Top 100 Animation Movies — Rotten Tomatoes", "Speed, The Lion King, The Endless Summer II, City Slickers II", "Oklahoman Movie Critics Rank Their Favorites for the Year "Forrest Gump" The Very Best, Sandi Declares", "Films worthy of the title 'best' in short supply MOVIES", "The Envelope Please: Reel Winners and Losers of 1994", "Nominees & Winners for the 67th Academy Awards", "Legacy: 22nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1994)", "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films – The Lion King", "Intervista a Roger Allers, il regista de Il Re Leone", "A 'Kimba' Surprise for Disney : Movies: 'The Lion King' is a hit, but reported similarities to the Japanese-created American cartoon of the '60s are raising some questions", "Was 'The Lion King' Copied From A Japanese Cartoon? [60], On October 7, 2003, the film was re-released on VHS and released on DVD for the first time, titled The Lion King: Platinum Edition, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of DVDs. [212][213], 1994 American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, This article is about the 1994 animated film. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more. Rice's lyrics—which were reworked up to the production's end—were pinned to the storyboards during development. [184][185] On November 1, 2017, Beyoncé and Chiwetel Ejiofor were officially confirmed to voice Nala and Scar, with Eric Andre, Florence Kasumba, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary, and Shahadi Wright Joseph joining the cast as the voices of Azizi, Shenzi, and Kamari, young Simba, and young Nala, respectively, while Hans Zimmer would return to score the film's music. In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Realizing that he can no longer run from his past, Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands. [13] In September 1994, Disney pulled the film from movie theaters when its gross was $267 million[2] and announced it would be re-released during Thanksgiving in order to take advantage of the holiday season. [4] Nearly 20 minutes of the film, including the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence,[11] was animated at the Disney-MGM Studios facility. We do know that it was originally based in East Africa, but we are going to … That said, the filmmakers found much of their inspiration in Eastern Africa and the Serengeti, as well as Kenya. *Note: This play set idea is not affiliated with other Lion King fan works on this wiki* The Lion King Playsetis a play set pack in Disney Infinity featuring the Lion King franchise. The Lion King musical was directed by Julie Taymor[205] and featured songs from both the movie and Rhythm of the Pride Lands, along with three new compositions by Elton John and Tim Rice. The VHS edition of this release contained a special preview for Walt Disney Pictures' then-upcoming animated film Pocahontas, in which the title character (voiced by Judy Kuhn) sings the musical number "Colors of the Wind". [61] More than two million copies of the Platinum Edition DVD and VHS units were sold on the first day of release. A Special Collector's Gift Set was also released, containing the DVD set, five exclusive lithographed character portraits (new sketches created and signed by the original character animators), and an introductory book entitled The Journey. [24], The character animators studied real-life animals for reference, as was done for Bambi (1942). EWendingstanly 9 Pcs The Lions King Figures Toys Play Set Size 5-9cm Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands and explains to him the responsibilities of kingship and the "circle of life", which connects all living things. [11], Lyricist Tim Rice, who was working with composer Alan Menken on songs for Aladdin (1992), was invited to write the songs, and accepted on the condition of finding a composing partner. [163], The film has been criticized for race and class issues, with the hyenas seen as reflecting negative stereotypes of black and Latino ethnic communities. The filmmakers also watched the films of John Ford and other filmmakers, which also influenced the design of the film. The directors laughed at their performance and decided to cast them as Timon and Pumbaa. Retrieved April 1 (1997): 2008. highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, Recording Industry Association of America, highest-grossing animated film of all time, Kimba the White Lion § The Lion King controversy, "With "20,000 Leagues," the National Film Registry Reaches 700", "The Lion King: The Landmark Musical Event", "Jeremy Irons and James Earl Jones on 'The Lion King 3D' and Keeping It Together When Mufasa Dies", "SUMMER SNEAKS '94: You Can't Hide His Lion Eyes", "Producer Don Hahn Shares His Experiences Working on 'The Lion King, "Walt Disney Records to release legacy collection", "Rhythm of the Pride Lands: The Musical Journey Continues ...", "Summer Movie Hype Coming In Like a 'Lion, "Technology; Cinema Sound Gets a Digital Life", "Don Hahn interview: The Lion King, Disney, Pixar, Frankenweenie and the future of animation", "Will 'Lion King' Be Disney's Next 'Beast'? Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – William Arnold. "Disney in Africa and the inner city: On race and space in The Lion King." The website's critical consensus reads, "Emotionally stirring, richly drawn, and beautifully animated, The Lion King stands tall within Disney's pantheon of classic family films. [168], Disney released two direct-to-video films related to The Lion King. It held the record for the highest-grossing animated feature film (in North America, outside North America, and worldwide) until it was surpassed by the computer-animated "[101] On the television program Siskel & Ebert, the film was praised but received a mixed reaction when compared to the previous Disney films. [155], Fred Ladd, who was involved early on with importing Kimba and other Japanese anime into America for NBC, expressed incredulity that Disney's people could remain ignorant. Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers praised the film and felt that it was "a hugely entertaining blend of music, fun, and eye-popping thrills, though it doesn't lack for heart". [98] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 88 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [93] The successful 3D re-release of The Lion King made Disney and Pixar plan 3D theatrical re-releases of Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo (2003), Monsters, Inc. (2001), and The Little Mermaid (1989) during 2012 and 2013. Thus his role was changed into a female hyena, Shenzi, who was voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. Social identities 1.2 (1995): 373-379. [4] The Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) helped simulate camera movements such as tracking shots, and was employed in coloring, lighting, and particle effects. [195], Along with the film release, three different video games based on The Lion King were released by Virgin Interactive in December 1994. [47][48] The Lion King marks also the first time a special dubbing is released in honor of a Disney movie background, but not the last: in 2016 the film Moana (2016) received a special Tahitian language version,[49] followed in 2017 by a Māori version,[50] in 2018 by a Hawaiian version;[51] and in 2019 the film Frozen II (2019) was dubbed into Northern Sami, even though Frozen (2013) was not. Ernie Sabella continued to voice Pumbaa, while Timon was voiced by Quinton Flynn and Kevin Schon in addition to Nathan Lane. Lion King Jr., set for this weekend. [9] John expressed an interest in writing "ultra-pop songs that kids would like; then adults can go and see those movies and get just as much pleasure out of them", mentioning a possible influence of The Jungle Book (1967), where he felt the "music was so funny and appealed to kids and adults". [148] The Lion King director Roger Allers claimed complete unfamiliarity with the show until the movie was almost completed, and did not remember it being ever mentioned during development. [16] During the summer of 1992, the team was joined by screenwriter Irene Mecchi, with a second screenwriter, Jonathan Roberts, joining a few months later. Restrictions apply. [17] Jones commented that during the years of production, Mufasa "became more and more of a dopey dad instead of [a] grand king". In fact, much of the conversation surrounding The Lion King has harkened back to the technology used to make it. [209] Another that is still running is the live-action 30-minute musical revue of the movie, "Festival of the Lion King", which incorporates the musical numbers into gymnastic routines with live actors, along with animatronic puppets of Simba and Pumbaa and a costumed actor as Timon. Jeff Nathanson, who scripted the last … Zimmer's complete instrumental score for the film was never originally given a full release, until the soundtrack's commemorative 20th anniversary re-release in 2014. [14][26] Art director Andy Gaskill and the filmmakers sought to give the film a sense of grand sweep and epic scale similar to David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962). [55] A DVD box set of the three The Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. The perfect set for both kids and collectors alike! It was the fourth-best-selling album of the year on the Billboard 200 and the top-selling soundtrack. The Lion King was released on June 15, 1994, to a positive reaction from critics, who praised the film for its music, story, themes, and animation. King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi present their newborn son, Simba, to the gathering animals by Rafiki the mandrill, the kingdom's shaman and advisor. [74] The film also achieved the fourth-highest September opening weekend of all time. [64], Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the Diamond Edition of The Lion King on October 4, 2011. [183] Later on, Alfre Woodard and John Kani joined the film as Sarabi and Rafiki, respectively. The live-action film is inspired by The Lion King (2019) and serves as a visual album for the tie-in album The Lion King: The Gift, which was curated by Beyoncé for the film. [164][165][166][167], The first Lion King-related animated projects involved the characters of Timon and Pumbaa. First, the duo starred in the animated short "Stand by Me", featuring Timon singing the eponymous song, which was released in 1995 accompanying the theatrical release of Tom and Huck (1995). A grown-up Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who turns out to be Nala. [3] It is, as of December 2019, the only Disney film to have been dubbed in Zulu, the only African language aside from Arabic to have been used for a feature-length Disney dub. Product Information: Watch Walt Disney’s grand musical adventure, "The Lion King" at home with your own Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD. "[103], Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised the film, writing that it "has the resonance to stand not just as a terrific cartoon but as an emotionally pungent movie". [11] Simba would also not leave the kingdom but become a "lazy, slovenly, horrible character" due to manipulations from Scar, so Simba could be overthrown after coming of age. [46], When the movie was first released in 1994, it numbered 28 versions overall in as many languages and dialects worldwide, including a special Zulu version made specifically for the movie in South Africa, where a Disney USA team went to find the Zulu voice-actors. He further wrote in his print review, "The saga of Simba, which in its deeply buried origins owes something to Greek tragedy and certainly to Hamlet, is a learning experience as well as an entertainment. [202] The Lion King also provides one of the worlds featured in the 2011 action-adventure game Disney Universe,[203] and Simba was featured in the Nintendo DS title Disney Friends (2008). [143] In June 2008, the American Film Institute listed The Lion King as the fourth best film in the animation genre in its AFI's 10 Top 10 list,[144] having previously put "Hakuna Matata" as 99th on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs ranking.[145]. The Lion Guard is a sequel to The Lion King and takes place during the time-gap within The Lion King II: Simba's Pride,[171] with the last 2 episodes of Season 3 taking place after the events of that film. "[106], Some reviewers still had problems with the film's narrative. [9] Thirteen of these supervising animators, both in California and in Florida, were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the film's main characters. [16], The Lion King was the first Disney animated feature to be an original story, rather than be based on an already existing work. [92], After its initial box-office success, many theaters decided to continue to show the film for more than two weeks, even though its 3D Blu-ray release was scheduled for two-and-a-half weeks after its theatrical release. Ebert and his partner Gene Siskel both gave the film a "Thumbs Up", but Siskel said that it was not as good as Beauty and the Beast and that it was "a good film, not a great one". After its initial run, having earned $763.4 million, it ranked as the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the highest-grossing film of Walt Disney Animation Studios, and the highest-grossing film of 1994. [156] Animators Tom Sito and Mark Kausler have both stated that they had watched Kimba as children in the 1960s. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. "[107] The New Yorker's Terrence Rafferty considered that despite the good animation, the story felt like "manipulat[ing] our responses at will", as "Between traumas, the movie serves up soothingly banal musical numbers and silly, rambunctious comedy". [87], In 2011, The Lion King was converted to 3D for a two-week limited theatrical re-issue and subsequent 3D Blu-ray release. [39] Prior to the film's release, Disney did 11 test screenings. Enough to make us think that the Lion King could have been filmed here along with a Londolozi based cast too. How many inches tall is a sixteen Oz monster energy can? The film has led to many derived works, such as a Broadway adaptation; two direct-to-video follow-ups—the sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), and the prequel/parallel, The Lion King 1½ (2004); two television series, Timon and Pumbaa and The Lion Guard; a 3D re-release in 2011; and a photorealistic remake in 2019, which also became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of its release. Despite this, misconceptions still abound when it comes to how the film was made. Is there a way to search all eBay sites for different countries at once? Thanks to set … The first, "The Legend of the Lion King", featured a recreation of the film through life-size puppets of its characters, and ran from 1994 to 2002 at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. [139] The Lion King won the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie at the 1995 Kids' Choice Awards. [75] The Lion King was also the highest-grossing G-rated film in the United States from 1994 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2019 until its total was surpassed by the computer-animated Toy Story 4 (2019) (unadjusted for inflation). Afterward, Simba takes over the kingship and makes Nala his queen. The Lion King tells the story of Simba (Swahili for lion), a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba's paternal uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile. [153] Yoshihiro Shimizu of Tezuka Productions has refuted rumors that the studio was paid hush money by Disney and stated that they have no interest in suing Disney, explaining that "[w]e think it's a totally different story". "[162][163] Even so, the film was also credited with "spark[ing] an interest" in hyenas at the Berkeley center. The trailer was released in November 1993, accompanying The Three Musketeers (1993) and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) in theaters; by then, only a third of The Lion King had been completed. With an initial worldwide gross of $763 million, it finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing film of 1994 and the highest-grossing animated film. [199], The Square Enix series Kingdom Hearts features Simba as a recurring summon,[200][201] as well as a playable in the Lion King world, known as Pride Lands, in Kingdom Hearts II. Feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off. [68], The Lion King was once again released to home media as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection first released on Digital HD on August 15, 2017, and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 29, 2017. [7][15] Rob Minkoff replaced Scribner,[14] and producer Don Hahn joined the production as Schumacher became only an executive producer due to Disney promoting him to Vice President of Development for Feature Animation. [79] The film grossed $3,766,690 from the 2 screens in just 10 days. [18][23], The development of The Lion King coincided with that of Pocahontas (1995), which most of the animators of Walt Disney Feature Animation decided to work on instead, believing it would be the more prestigious and successful of the two.