Pros: James Earl Jones and the rest of the voice cast
Cons: The plot is too reminiscent of Bambi
The Bottom Line: THE LION KING has plot elements stolen almost word for word from major Western religions and the life of Jesus, as well as the Disney film BAMBI.
THE LION KING is a simple coming-of-age ceremony describing the life of Simba and his father and mother, a lion family in the African savannah. The movie starts with Simba's naming ceremony (about which more later in the review) and continues on through the death of his father at the indirect behest of his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons), who always wanted to lead the animal kingdom. After a period of wandering through the desert upon his father's death, he is eventually called back to save his kingdom, which has been ruined through Scar's efforts.
I am perhaps less enthusiastic about this film than many. The animation is indeed lush, but I found both the plot and the music derivative. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" was too reminiscent of the love themes from both Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast for my taste. And the plot reminded me too much of Bambi - a coming-of-age film in which the coming of age is precipitated by the death of the lead character's father. (Anyone reading this review will likely remember the scene in Bambi to which I refer - Bambi's mother is shot by a hunter off-screen, and Bambi finds her corpse.)
The plot can also be said to be reminiscent of the life of a number of religious figures, as I think about it. The opening sequence shows the naming ceremony of a lion cub (voiced as a cub by Jonathan Taylor Thomas of HOME IMPROVEMENT and later by Matthew Broderick). The actions taken by Rafiki (Robert Guillaume) look for all the world like those actions performed by the priest at a Catholic baptism, with the exception that the liquid used on Simba is coconut juice rather than water, and Simba is anointed with that and dust rather than olive or vegetable oil. The animals in that same opening sequence genuflect as if the lions at the center of the sequence were more than just kings of the jungle; these lions are treated as if they were gods.
Perhaps the best feature of the whole film (other than the animation, of course) is the voicing - James Earl Jones in particular, as Simba's father, is a masterstroke of voice casting. It is also a great idea to show a truly masculine character - not nearly as wimpy as Vincent in the live-action TV series Beauty and the Beast - who loves his family and is involved with them. Youngsters viewing this film will get this message without either realizing what they are seeing or losing respect for Simba's father.
However, because the plot of THE LION KING is too derivative - that desert sequence where Simba's son wanders around after his death is too reminiscent of Jesus, especially when one factors in the way this boy is treated at his naming - I'm hesitant to recommend this film, especially to families where the parents are adherents of an orthodox Western religious tradition. Astute parents might feel their faith is subtly being undermined by lush animation and a good script.
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