The Lion King 3D

Reviewed by Sophie Whin on September 16, 2011
Walt Disney Pictures presents a film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Screenplay by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton
Starring: (voices of) Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane and James Earl Jones
Running Time: 89 mins
Rating: G
Released: 22nd September, 2011

8.5/10

Coinciding with its release on DVD and Blu-ray later this year, Walt Disney’s The Lion King has received a special limited stint in theatres this spring, complete with a new ‘Third Dimension’. Originally presented on our screens in 1994, The Lion King is the highest grossing 2D film before the era of Pixar animation and is still regarded as one of the greatest Disney film’s of all time. If you’ve lived under a rock for the last two decades and don’t know the premise of The Lion King then you have missed a crucial element in your classic Disney education. The film is a fusion of Shakespearean tragedy and Bible parables and follows the lives of personified animals located in Africa. Loosely based on the ‘Epic of Sundiata’, The Lion King focuses on the coming age of Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) and his destiny as King of Pride Rock. After the tragic death of his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones), Simba is manipulated by his malicious uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) into believing that he is responsible for Mufasa’s death and thus resolves to run away. It is only when Simba has grown to adulthood that he returns to his home and attempts to reclaim his title of rightful king, where Scar’s rule has ravaged the land and starved the Pride.

The re-release of The Lion King does nothing to ruin its already stellar reputation and its introduction to the next generation of youth will send profits souring. The 3D features don’t add anymore depth to its original 2D production but the vibrancy of the handdrawn animation is definitely enhanced and it is hard to look away from the colourful grandeur that is the African environment. Certain sequences, particularly the musical numbers, do have an outreaching effect to audience, but on the whole the 3D characteristics do not improve the film beyond its already earned greatness. It is the characterisation of the animals themselves that makes this film amazing, with the combination of superb animation and spot-on casting adding texture to the age old story of love, betrayal and triumph over adversity.

The breakaway stars are still Nathan Lane’s Timon and Jeremy Iron’s Scar. One feels that the latter should have had a moustache to twirl evilly, as every word out of his worth is pure poison. The music and songs still resonate strongly too (although ‘Circle of Life’ now only reminds this reviewer of Modern Family’s Cam introducing his child by thrusting her into to air with the song used as a backdrop), with the heartstrings definitely strumming to the likes of Elton John’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ and the smiles breaking out with “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’. Regardless of Disney’s motives behind The Lion King’s release, marketing ploy or otherwise, it is abundantly clear that the film can still hold its own in a period dominated by computer animation. It will be especially thrilling to see millions of children new to The Lion King experiencing the story for the first time. After all, what childhood is complete without the trauma of witnessing Mufasa’s death?