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By
CRAIG BOLDMAN
After a long stretch of animated films that seem more workmanlike than magical
("The Rescuers," "The Aristocats," etc.), Disney was still enjoying a second
wind in 1994, and was determined to prove that the success of "The Little Mermaid" was
not just a lucky fluke. With the subsequent releases of "Beauty And The Beast"
and "Aladdin," the animators at the House Mickey Built kept topping themselves
and remained bent on impressing us -- or perhaps each other. They reached a
plateau of sorts with "The Lion King," but at least it was a very high plateau.
It easily became one of the most successful and
profitable of all Disney films.
"The Lion King" recalls "Bambi" and "The Jungle Book" in its theme and subject
matter. It begins with the birth of a lion club named Simba, son of King Mufasa
(voice of James Earl Jones) and thus first in line to inherit the mantle of King
Of The Jungle. This doesn't sit well with Mufasa's jealous and scurrilous
sibling, Scar (voice of Jeremy Irons). While Mufasa educates his son to the
destiny awaiting him, Scar plots the downfall of father and son to regain his
place in the pecking order.
"The Lion King" is a coming of age film in the classic Disney mold. As "The
Little Mermaid" and "Beauty And The Beast" introduced the concepts of feminism
to the animated classic, so does "The Lion King" wax contemporary by saddling
its protagonist with a modern neurosis. Scar's master plan is to inflict a
guilt trip upon little Simba, which keeps him an outcast -- until adulthood, when
a variety of friends help him put things in proper perspective.
The look of "The Lion King" was a bit different than previous Disney films. Shadows are soft and blended, giving
the film a very natural look. But the songs by Tim Rice and Elton John are
catchy yet not memorable. Whenever a song begins, the film converts to a music
video, a technique which seems oddly reminiscent of those old "Beatles"
cartoons.
The version presented here is based on the IMAX
release which was enhanced to take advantage of
that format's high resolution capabilities. You
can watch it with or without the new song, "The
Morning Report." The image is stunning in detail
and color fidelity. In terms of audio, Disney has
included both the original theatrical soundtrack
and a new Enhanced Home Theater Mix that is also
simply stunning. One caveat: The navigation is
rather confusing since it is primarily thematic
although there is an index feature undoubtedly for
frustrated grown-ups.
This is the third Disney Platinum Series DVD
release, and it comes on two discs. On the first
disc we get the movie plus a few extras: There's a
screen-specific and very enthusiastic audio track
with directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and
producer Don Hahn, where they remember how
reluctant Disney was prior to "The Lion King's" --
apparently studio honchos thought "Pocahontas" was
going to be the major 1990's animated film -- and
guide the listener through the film's several
incarnations. Other extras include a 4-minute
featurette ("The Making of "The Morning Report")
about the new song, several interactive games
including a personality quiz (there was a similar
one primarily for girls on Disney's "Sleeping
Beauty"), a music video (plus a short
making-of-the-music-video featurette), an
elaborate sing-along track, deleted scenes and
alternate, abandoned concepts.
Now, all of those are still on the first disc. On
the second one, there is a slew of celebratory
featurettes featuring cast and voice talent
interviews, design concepts, the history of the
project, you name it. Together they make for a
thorough, pretty much exhaustive presentation of
"The Lion King" production, release and legacy.
There are also three games and a hidden parody in
the form of a trailer. No actual trailers though.
Odd. |
