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DVD Corner: ‘The Lion King’ is great entertainment'
Mac Olsen
for Spotlight
Rated G by Canadian Home Video Rating: 1 hour, 30 minutes: Two-disc platinum DVD available new and used at www.amazon.ca and www.amazon.com
As a coming of age tale, ‘The Lion King’ can’t be beat.
Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff directed this 1994 movie. The voice cast is long, including Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the voice on young Simba; Matthew Broderick as adult Simba; James Earl Jones as Simba’s dad, Mufasa; Jeremy Irons as the evil brother/uncle, Scar; Niketa Calame and Moria Kelly as the young and adult voices for Nala respectively; Nathan Lane as Timon; and Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa.
Set in the African continent, the movie opens with many animals converging at a rock where the lion cub, Simba, is presented to them. It’s a poignant moment, “All hail, our future king!” is the feeling it gives.
As he grows, Simba thinks that everything is his for the taking and he can live care free. But Mufasa has many pearls of wisdom for his boy, including the most important rule – never take more than you need to keep the “circle of life” in balance.
Nonetheless, Simba is oblivious to his dad’s wisdom. Also, he and Nala venture off into unknown territory where dangers lurk. They are pulled out of a harrowing situation in the nick of time and Nala has learned her lesson, but the same cannot be said of Simba.
Meanwhile, Scar is doing everything he can to take his brother’s place. Suffice it to say, he causes a tragic event to unfold and make Simba run off in disgrace. It also allows the evil lion and his pack of laughing hyenas to have the run of the place.
In exile, Simba discovers hilarious new friends, Timon and Pumbaa, and together they live care free with “Hakuna Matata” as their theme song. In time, Simba forgets his origins and shares the antics with his friends.
However, a chance encounter with Nala brings back painful memories. Even when she tells him about all the damage Scar and the hyenas are doing back home, he still can’t bring himself to return.
It’s only after another surprising encounter with someone from his past that he finally accepts the torch of leadership – setting the stage for a final, dramatic encounter with his uncle.
The positives about the movie are many, including the African cinematography, especially when the sun is rising on the barren lands and lush tropical terrains, making you feel like you’re right there.
Then there are the antics of Timon and Pumbaa, as when they’re showing Simba how care free they live.
There are also Elton John’s two songs, “Can you feel the Love Tonight?” and “Circle of Life.” They provide a very powerful emotional anchor for the story, especially Simba.
But the best thing is seeing Simba grow from a misfit, care free cub into a lion accepting the mantle of power and overseeing his kingdom. It’s a true coming of age tale.
Over, ‘The Lion King’ deserves 4½ stars out of five for a great storyline, production values and music.
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