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April 28, 2009
The Lion King (1994)
After the Disney movies of the early 1990s, I became less interested in seeing Disney's movie's in the theater because the impression I got was that the animation, music, and stories weren't up to par with the classics of old. Either that or I was a young teenager and had no money. In any case, I didn't see any animated features in theater until Pixar's Toy Story 2. I'm still catching up with all of the movies I missed in the gap, one of which was The Lion King.
I'm sure you've all seen the opening sequences of the movie, which feature some very picturesque panoramic views and the famous scene where baby cub Cimba is dangled in the air by a medicine-man type figure. When I finally saw it all together and not just in clips, I was really impressed by the color and quality of what I was seeing. Unfortunately, that great quality doesn't last for the entire movie. It turns on and off here and there, as does the good music.
For me, the background music outshone the showpieces of the movie. I Just Can't Wait to be King irritated me (musically and animation style), but there were a couple of songs that were all right. But what stood out to me was the dramatic score. I much preferred the orchestra and the pieces by Hans Zimmer.
The story itself is good, though. Simba is born and destined to be king, much to the chagrin of his uncle Scar, who would like to be king as well. Scar arranges an accident that causes Simba to be an outcast for many years, and when he returns with some new fiends, he finds that his uncle has taken over his father's land, which is in bad shape. It's up to him to live up to the title of king. It's all very Shakespearean, only a little bit less threatening.
I guess when all is said and done, it comes down to personal preferences. While I acknowledge that the film is well-made, I am easily turned off by the geometrical animation styles, the too-familiar voice acting, and the 90s music influence. It just isn't my bag. I didn't dislike the movie, but it's not one I'll watch many times over. But it was worth seeing just for the circle of life opening sequence.
Posted by Jeri 
at 01:37:09 pm | movies, netflix/tivo | 4 comments »
4 comments
Ya, slight obsession.
But I agree that the quality of the opening sequence does not continue through the entire film... it's not a perfect movie, I just have some very fond memories attached to it.
Now Sleeping Beauty on the other hand...
... per. fect. ion.
I don't think I've seen it since then, but I'm guessing it would hold up a lot better today if it weren't a musical. The very next year Toy Story showed that you could make a successful animated movie that wasn't a musical (musical montages don't count) but it would take the Disney animation studio six more years before they caught up with Atlantis, which I believe was their first animated non-musical.
The tradition of making animated movies musicals is a truly bizarre accident of history that was nearly 60 years old by the time of The Lion King, and is what I believe Wall-E was lovingly critiquing about Disney movies. Disney animation's adherence to the musical form devalues the medium, not because musicals are necessarily inferior as a genre, but because the music will always date the film disproportionately.
One exception might be Jungle Book because its music is a throw-back to twenty years beforehand. (I know its animation style is rough but I really like that unfinished style that looks like the characters are actually drawn.)
And I also concur with Ray's endorsement of Sleeping Beauty. It's practically a silent film and Eyvind Earle's hyperstylized medieval-nouveau art design is fabulous.
I have recently been buying up some of the old Disney classics, and I agree about Sleeping Beauty. I was rarely allowed to watch that one as a child because my mom didn't like the witch. Yes, seriously. So I have only seen it a few times. When I bought and watched it last month, I couldn't believe how great it truly was. Actually, if you go back and watch Pinocchio, that's an underrated one, filled with some of the most beautiful animation work (especially in the clock shop).
As for the Jungle Book, I'm always torn. I appreciate more detailed animation more but I do like the simple and organic feel of that movie and Robin Hood and The Sword in the Stone.
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