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DiscountDelight - Lion King
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List Price: $26.99
Our Price: $9.50
Your Save: $ 17.49 ( 65% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
Directed By: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 0765362977031
Format: Animated
ISBN: 6303314015
Label: Walt Disney Video
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Walt Disney Video
Release Date: 1995-03-03
Running Time: 88
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1994-06-24
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: The One True King
Comment: The perfect movie. Or rather, the perfect animated musical. Few endeavors in any of the creative fields actually deserve such a classification, yet The Lion King is definitely one of them. In size, style, scope and grandeur, this film `nails it' in every single category. The story is simple and moving, built on the most basic archetypes cast in the mold of the best Campbellian ideas and concepts. Like the very first Star Wars movie, The Lion King takes the age-old ideas of birth, death, self-identity and fulfillment, and reconciliation, and folds those them into a story so compelling and gut-wrenching, that these old themes seem new, and totally original.
These ideas are almost cliche for the same reasons that make them powerful - in essence, they are the moral and spiritual counterparts of the limbs of our physical bodies - ephemeral parts of us that, though intangible, grow and evolve nonetheless. It is no surprise then, that stories that successfully draw on these archetypical themes work as well as they do, and have such universal appeal. It is those ideas that make The Lion King such a fully realized and complete film, but, they are not the only reasons for its success.
Underneath the tale of The Lion King is a hidden controversy that gives compelling evidence to suggest that Disney may have "borrowed heavily" from an existing Japanese tale of a little white lion cub named Kimba, and how he, too, was orphaned, and overcame incredible odds to rise to the throne of king in his own inspirational tale. Again, the similarities between the two stories is a bit too much to dismiss out of hand, and the controversy exists to this day. But, whatever the source Disney may have used for the story of The Lion King, the result is still nothing short of perfect, powerful, and majestic.
This perfection is no accident or mistake, but rather, the result of the blending of many talents and efforts, hundreds of artisans from the tops in their respective fields of animation, music, voice casting and characterization, and dialog. Along the way, there are startlingly good performances in each of these areas, from Jeremy Irons as Scar, to Nathan Lane as Timon the meerkat. There are notable highlights resulting from this convergence of great talent - Timon's genuinely humorous schtick, Scar's seething rendition of the deliciously Broadway-style declamatory song, Be Prepared, and even the African sunrise at the very beginning of the film. Underpinning it all, the mystical and compelling musical score by Hans Zimmer.
The overall tone of the film is telegraphed like a knockout punch at the very beginning with stirring African vocals by Lebo M., behind a hauntingly beautiful African sunrise, and leading into the central thematic song, Circle of Life, performed by Carmen Twillie (Elton John, who wrote the song with Tim Rice, performs it on the CD soundtrack). Once this mood is set, the movie never looks back, and progresses assuredly and non-stop, to its logical, fulfilling, and enjoyable end.
As other reviewers have noted, The Lion King may be a bit much for children under a certain age, who may find it at times brutal, or just plain incomprehensible in some of its more adult themes. But it is definitely a five-star effort - one with that rare quality of `re-view-ability': a movie that even adults can view again and again and again.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: no title
Comment: Not nearly as good as "Beauty and the Beast" or "Aladdin". Animation still terrific, but story was just plain hokey. Same-o, same-o about son being cheated out of inheritance by evil relative, but he triumphs in the end. Ho hum. However, the voice of James Earl Jones was, as always , rich and resonant. There will never be another voice like his. Jeremy Irons was the evil uncle, but I didn't recognize him, nor Mathew Broderick as the young son. There were a few good bits, like "I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool," and a few laugh-out-loud places, but the story was just too ordinary. Nothing original here at all. The music by Elton John was very good though; lots of catchy tunes, no sappy drivel. The uncle was really the best voice and character in the movie. No strong female at all.
Customer Rating:
Summary: this movie is great!!!
Comment: but what happened to movies like this? why don't we get them anymore?because the commercials for incredibles made it sound like this but nooooo it wasn't like this at all!!! 1995 was the year for great movies like this one and toy story. the fight between simba and scar was EXCELLENT!!! when simba grew up and rafiki told him to follow him and when they found the pond was great! the songs are P-E-R-F-E-C-T TOO!!!with simba and nala it worked it felt like they liked eachother alot.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This should never be forgotten
Comment: This is a brilliant Disney Classic that should not be forgotten. Why? Well, first of all, the animation is superb and breathtakingly beautiful (unlike the recent CGI ones). Second, the music by Hans Zimmer and Elton John are catchy and powerful to listen to. Third, the all-star vocal cast seemed to have worked very hard to put their minds into this 90-minute film. And lastly, the drama and suspense is so strong, that the more recent animated films (like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo) fail to bring that to a much higher level.
This, along with Fantasia (1940), Bambi, Atlantis, and Aladdin, will be an animated film for the ages.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The King Roars!
Comment: It's clear what this film means to Disney by the royal treatment they gave this film. The digital frame-by-frame clean-up and sound upgrade were welcome additions. They even stuck in a new musical number, "The Morning Report". Now one more number isn't bad, especially when you learn the song was originally meant to be in the film. Some may find this to be a bit much, though. Otherwise, the film glows like new. The plot has been much discussed and disected. A modern day "Bambi", if you will. Like that film, there are some pretty intense moments during the story, some children should watch with their parents. The stampede in the canyon is amazing to view, and tragic in the story. The music is wonderful, as the oscars won can attest. This remains a high-water mark for traditional animation, as "The Lion King" remains the highest grossing traditional animation film ever. This film shows what a strong story, coupled with wonderful artwork, and strong musical contributions can produce. Hopefully some day Disney can return to the glory that was theirs, as in this film.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrat crowd. --Tom Keogh
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