Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The Lion King celebrates its 20th anniversary this week and we officially feel old. That said, the film itself was strangely mature for a children’s film. While most Disney flicks content themselves with spinning adventure yarns about young heroes or retelling fairy tale romances for a modern audience, The Lion King pushed boundaries and in the process taught this writer a few things about life when she saw it at the Christiana Mall movie theater when she was 9 years old.
1) Don’t trust anyone named Scar. Especially if he sounds like Jeremy Irons.
We’re all taught not to judge a book by its cover, but you can’t help but to think that the characters in The Lion King should have judged Scar. First off, his name is Scar. Secondly, he seems to hate everyone. Third, he hangs out with hyenas. No one likes hyenas. They’re always laughing at inappropriate things (like Lady’s embarrassing muzzle in Lady & The Tramp!) Finally, he’s got the voice of Jeremy Irons. All these things together make it plain that Scar is a clear cut villain. Let your lion cubs hang out with him at your literal peril!
2) Stampedes are for serious.
When I was a kid, I’d see stampedes on television shows and they never seemed so scary. Just run along with the animals…I thought. And then get out of the way! Then I saw The Lion Kingand realized that stampedes are serious business. Your lion king dad will probably die, you’ll be ruined for life and at best you can say you got a cardio-vascual workout.
3) Lionesses give the best bedroom eyes.
Do I need to elaborate? I think Nala’s eyes are speaking for themselves.
4) Who Nathan Lane is. (I didn’t know when I was 9!)
When The Lion King came out, I went to my local mall’s Disney Store and bought a Disney magazine that gave the low down on everything about the Disney film. In one section, it featured interviews with the cast. I recognized Matthew Broderick from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Home Improvement and Moira Kelly from my favorite ice skating movie,The Cutting Edge.
I did not know who Nathan Lane was, but I did know that Timon was my favorite character in the film. The article said he was a Broadway actor and I knew that meant he was impressive. So, I remembered his name and watched out for his career. Now, most people know who Nathan Lane is, but before The Lion King, I did not.
5) From the minute we arrive on the planet, and blinking step into the sun, there’s more to see than can every be seen, more to do than can ever be done.
The Lion King was a departure for Disney and it remains a unique film in its hand-drawn animation canon. Most of its titles are inspired by fairy tales or novels, but The Lion King is a radical reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This means that it’s not necessarily about good triumphing over evil or about true love prevailing. It’s about a young man coming to terms with his personal demons. So, it’s rather heavy for a children’s film.
Oh, and it’s about the “Circle of Life,” which is also an intense concept for a 9 year old kid. I mean, there’s a discussion in this film about how after we die, our bodies will decompose and we’ll become grass and antelope will eat the grass.
Basically, we are staring into a void. The Lion King is the void staring back. But with Elton John songs.
The Lion King celebrates its 20th anniversary this week. You can purchase it digitally on iTunes.
