The Lion King

The Lion King, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, was my absolute favorite movie when it came out in theaters. I saw it five times and still couldn't get enough. But enough about me. The Lion King came out on June 15, 1994 and grossed more than $783 million worldwide. It was nominated for two Oscars for music and received a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Elton John and Tim Rice were the masterminds behind the music and lyrics while Hans Zimmer (The Pirates of the Caribbean) wrote the score. The animation was 2D and was originally called King of the Kalahari.

The film takes place in a secluded area of the Serengeti called the Pride Lands. Lions rule over the rest of the animals, and all males are in the running to be King. When the movie begins, Mufasa is King and Simba, his son, is just born. Mufasa takes Simba on a father-son bonding experience throughout the Pride Lands to show him the ropes. Scar, Mufasa's brother, is very corrupt and wants to take the throne, so he stages Mufasa's death and kills him. He then sends his hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed to kill Simba. They fail and Simba escapes, and is raised by Timon and Pumba (a meerkat and warthog). Eventually he grows up and battles Scar for the throne, ultimately winning and ruling Pride Rock with his lover Nala.

My favorite interpretation of this movie, is that it is almost identical to William Shakespeare's, Hamlet. Mufasa, or King Hamlet, is killed and betrayed by his brother Scar (Claudius). Instead of killing Scar right away, he doesn't; he grows up... Also, Mufasa and King Hamlet never tell their sons to seek revenge directly. A very direct resemblence, is that of Timon and Pumba. Timon and Pumba to Simba are exactly like Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to Hamlet. They help them on their journey. Does this mean that modern writers are loosing their creative roots? Not at all. But it does show that writers can adapt stories from great writers and turn them into something beautiful and original in its own way.