When “The Lion King” originally came out, I was a wee baby, at just barely a year old. Until this weekend, I have no memory of ever seeing it in theaters. My parents liked the movie a lot when it first came out, as with most of the past and future films in the Disney Renaissance, so they bought most of them on VHS at the time (remember, this is before DVD). I still have all the old tapes of those 90’s Disney movies. So why did I even bother seeing it in theaters this weekend?
Well, there are two answers to that question: A) because my “Lion King” cassette tape got a lot of usage back in the day, and now it looks like crap on my huge HDTV, and B) because it was in 3-D. I was curious how Disney was going to turn a traditionally, two-dimensionally animated film into a 3-D spectacle. These aren’t computer-created models, they’re drawings. Computers were barely used to create movies back in 1994. Applying 3-D must have been an ambitious and tricky project, and I was worried that, like “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, it would look unnecessary.
Fortunately, my worries about the 3-D were quickly shattered. “The Lion King” is truly enhanced by the 3-D effects, especially in moments like the “Circle of Life” number and the final battle between Simba and Scar. There are many scenes that simply look awesome in 3-D. One of my major complaints about 3-D has been that you stop noticing it unless it either screws up, or looks really spectacular. Thankfully, for this movie, the latter is true, and although it’s an older film, it’s one of the best uses of 3-D to date.
And of course, you have the movie itself, which has always been incredible. The story, which is essentially Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” with anthropomorphic animals taking the place of humans, is great as it’s ever been, as is the acting and writing. The songs are catchy as all hell, being a Disney movie. However, Timon and Bumbaa, as the film’s obligatory comic relief characters, have not aged well, and are simply not as funny as I thought they were when I was a young lad. The kids in the audience all laughed at the slapstick, but I wasn’t really as amused as I remember being. But that is a very, very minor drawback, and it’s a great movie not only for kids, but for adults as well.
So if you can afford the huge price tag (Twelve bucks!? Are you crazy?), then by all means go for it. Those who’ve never seen the movie, or never forgotten it, will be very pleased, especially with the amazing 3-D effects.
Rating: **** 1/2
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