The Ruler of Them All
After the tremendous critical and commercial success of Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, both critics and audiences were anxiously awaiting Disney next move. In the pipeline were two very different projects in production; a coming - of - age tale centred on a lion cub, and a sweeping romance based on the life of a Native American icon. Studio executives and animators were very excited by one of these projects and there were predictions it would be another huge box office success for the studio. Whereas the other one, barely anyone wanted to touch. Many presumed it would never see the light of day. And even if it did, it was unlikely to make more the $50 million.
The idea for what became the Lion King was formed in late 1988 during a conversation between Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney and Vice President if Animation Peter Schneider on a flight to Europe for the promotion tour of Oliver and Company. Schneider floated the plan to set an animated film in Africa with its focus being the power struggle between a pride oflions and a group of baboons. Katzenberg loved the idea because he saw it as a chance to craft a coming - of - age story featuring elements of his own life.
That November, Linda Woolverton, screenwriter for Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin spent over a year writing multiple drafts of the screenplay, initially called King of the Jungle. In the original version, the troop of baboons was led by a villain named Scar, who manipulated Simba and his pride of lions to take control of the jungle. Katzenberg initially offered the project to Musker and Clements, but they passed in favour of Aladdin instead. Instead, Oliver and Company director George Scribner was assigned to direct, with the intention of crafting a non - musical animated film.
To assist, Katzenberg appointed Beauty and the Beast story man Roger Allers co - director with Scribner. The two then got together with several key production members and went to Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya to study African animals and gain some appreciation for the film’s setting. After six months working on the film, Scribner abruptly resigned after strongly disagreeing with Katzenberg’s decision to turn the film into another extravagant musical.
Scribner was replaced by Rob Minkoff, who had just directed two Roger Rabbit shorts. Coming off his Oscar nomination for Beauty and the Beast, producer Don Hahn also joined the production and found it in complete disarray, with a major lack of focus on script. Hahn called for a major reworking of the screenplay, bring in Allers, Minkoff and Beauty and the Beast directors, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale to join in a fortnight - long workshop.
Here the title was changed to the Lion King, since it wasn’t actually set in the jungle, and its story was changed to what we know today, focusing on Simba and his complicated journey to maturity, facing the consequences of his past and his jobs for the future. While the story as originally a new tale, which would have been a first for Disney, the production team were influenced by the Biblical stories of Moses and Joseph, plus the familal power struggle of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
THE STORY
At dawn in the Pride Lands of Kenya, every animal gathers at Pride Rock for the presentation of its new prince, Simba, son of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi. The only one absent from the presentation is Mufasa’s brother, Scar, who, of course, wants to be king himself. The months pass and Simba grows into a mischievous boy who thinks himself invincible, what transpires throughout the first half of the film only proves that he is not.
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Despite the script still being changed continuously, animation began in 1992, with the team choosing to work on the other project currently in production, since it was seen as more prestigious, less chaotic and more likely to succeed at the box office. With relatively little faith in the Lion King from both story artists and studio executives, the veteran animators wanted to align themselves with the easier project.
The Lion King was released in June 1994 to widespread critical acclaim. Roger Ebert called the film "a superbly drawn animated feature", and The Washington Post called it “spectacular in a manner that has nearly become commonplace with Disney’s feature - length animations”. With an extensive margeting campaign, the film broke records with an unprecedented box office run that far exceeded anything Disney ever thought possible. In it’s opening weekend it took $40.9 million in the USA to stand as the fourth biggest opening weekend of all time and the highest opening weekend for a DIsney film in history. By the end of its theatrical run, it had grossed $312.9 million, making it the first animated film in history to gross more than $300 million in the USA. Plus it raked in a further $455.8 million internationally, bringing it’s worldwide total to $768.6 million, making it the second highest - grossing film of the year and the second highest - grossing film of all time behind Jurassic Park. Not bad when you consider no one wanted to work on it.
MY VERDICT
So, this is another one of my all time favourites, the animation is incredible, the voice cast is great, the plot is almost flawless and the music, as well as almost every song written by Sir Elton John and Tim Rice, is worthy of praise. Though there’s one thing I like less than most others do: I can no longer stand Hakuna Matata. I was fine with it growing up, but I’ve heard it too many times to keep liking it as much as I used to when it’s clearly the weakest number in the film.
Is the Lion King a Disney Classic? As Disney’s most triumphant achievement at the time, this is a Disney Classic in it’s own personal class.
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