Featuring the voices of: Matthew Broderick, Rowan Atkinson, James Earl Jones
Starts August 25 at: Village Cinema and various complexes throughout Melbourne
Rating: ****
HERE is a film that is impossible to dislike unless you are a die-hard Disneyphobic. Like Aladdin, it is as entertaining for adults as it is for children, often using double-entendres that go way over the heads of the littlies but always hit their mark with the grown-ups. In fact, the Lion King has a far more intelligent script than any of Disney's previous feature animation films, giving it an unprecedented sophistication and possibly setting a standard that will be hard to top.
Part of the charm of The Lion King is its lack of human characters; the film is set in the wilds of Africa, using the inhabitants of the veldt as the heroes, villains, and buffoons who invariably populate any Disney story. This automatically eliminates one of the inherent animation flaws that crops up even in the best of their films: the depiction of the heroine.
For unfortunately, no matter how clever the dialogue and how impressive the animation, their version of a heroine has to have a 13-inch waist and exquisite breasts, making Disney a dubious setter of role models for young children. A minor point, perhaps, but it is surprisingly refreshing to see a four-legged, furry feline as the love interest.
The story is simple enough: Simba, the young lion prince is forced from his destined place as ruler by the brutal manipulations of his evil uncle, Scar. As Simba grows up in exile with his adopted friends, his homeland falls into bleak despair as Scar brings his nasty friends, the Jackals, into the heart of lion territory. Of course Simba must face up to who he really is and how he must control his destiny, rather than to live by what others would have him believe.
Love, friendship and duty are all a part of the moral package. All standard Disney fare, but all done in such an entertaining way that even the saccharine songs that dot the soundtrack are bearable. One or two of the songs are actually quite good - when the choir of more than 50 singers is used to inject a Zulu flavor into the music, it gives the sound a richness that evokes an almost visceral response, particularly in the opening sequence. The tune penned by Elton John is utterly forgettable, but the kids will certainly like it.
Backing up the imaginative characters is the animation team that has surpassed itself in the making of The Lion King. Using the latest computer animation techniques, the visual impact of this film is stunning.