`The Lion King,' a modern classic from Disney
By Sean Cole
JAKARTA (JP): Do not be fooled by the lack of human beings. In it's power, it's dramatic impact and even it's humor, The Lion King far surpasses many movies that have passed through Jakarta.
From the extremely realistic sunrise at the beginning, to the final reprise of the theme song, The Lion King is strictly enjoyable.
Though it definitely bears emotional weight and can even send you to the edge of your seat at times, it is not threatening. If you are worried about being delighted then perhaps you shouldn't attend. If you feel that cartoons are just for kids, however, you are severely missing out.
It is a classic tale treated with classical and modern elements. The king and queen of the surrounding valley have just borne a successor, Simba. King Mufasa's (voice of James Earl Jones) jealous, malignant, younger brother Scar (voice of Jeremy Irons) seethes with bitterness and vengefulness because he had been next in line.
Whatever may come, Scar is intent upon seizing the throne. Soon, his ambition leads to a vain attempt to secure Simba's death and another, successful, attempt to kill Mufasa and convince Simba into self-exile.
All the while that Simba is away (befriending the lazy, wandering Timone, a rodent, and the wart-hog, Bumpa) he believes that he is the cause of his father's death. This is until those who know he has the strength to fight for his rightful home convince him to return.
We have seen many stories like this before. Even Shakespeare could be counted as an influence to the dramatic irony and family rivalry in the script. However, out of all of those that went before, probably none of them had a raccoon with a New York accent, a dysfunctional hyena named Ed and a prophet baboon who is an expert in kung fu in their scripts. For all of its tradition, The Lion King, like all Disney films, is very accessible to our times.
Simba and his young intended, Nala, speak like today's children and get up to the same trouble. They also look very wounded when they are being scolded and tend to complain about baths. The traditional plot combined with the modern attitudes and reactions is refreshing and often incredibly funny. That's Disney for you.
The "Walt Disney Productions" seal is the guarantee. There are very few companies at any level of the movie industry that bear as strong a reputation for quality as the creators of Mickey Mouse.
Musical Theater
Like The Sword in the Stone, The Little Mermaid, and the untouchable classic The Jungle Book, The Lion King is pure, epic musical theater worthy of Broadway or Hollywood's tender years.
It is incredible that a film company could so reliably produce the charm and stirring melodrama of a live musical with lions and baboons as its veterans.
Much of this has to do with the animation. Disney's artists must spend years studying the faces of everyone they talk with. The expressiveness of Scar and Simba is uncanny in its realism and subtlety.
These creatures do not mug or slapstick. They always appear very intent on their words and objectives. In short, they are brilliant, very skilled and controlled actors. The very ability to discuss their talent as opposed to that of their artists' talent, without feeling ridiculous, is a testament to the animators' expertise.
Of course, good animation does not hold water if the voice behind it is lacking. Thankfully, that is not a problem in The Lion King. It is thrilling to hear such gripping talents as Jeremey Irons, Matthew Broderick, Whoopie Goldberg, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson and others give their all to a film in which their faces do not appear.
Further, the animators of the characters that Broderick, Goldberg, Irons and Jones played actually did justice to the faces of the respective voices. There is just enough likeness in Simba, Scar, the leader of the hyena gang and King Mufasa to increase the engaging quality of their faces, without being jarring.
Like every Disney film, The Lion King is heart-warming and always playful. However, The Lion King is also a great deal funnier than most other movies from Disney. There are parts in which the audience may laugh so hard that they miss the lines following. The frightening, fiery explosive climax contains the funniest part of all.
The Lion King is dedicated to the memory of former Disney Productions president Frank Wells who died earlier this year. Only a truly great man could inspire such a precious monument. May we all warrant such offerings when we go.