"The Lion King" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Lord Dalek]

Release Date: June 24, 1994
Studio: Walt Disney Productions
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Plot Summary: A young lion prince is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the "Circle of Life".

COMMENTS?

LD Talkback #155

Roger Ebert once mentioned of having "out-of-body" experiences at certain movies. For me this is one of those movies. I'm sure you agree.

[Avaitor]

I was supposed to go see this in 3D this weekend... except my local theaters didn't reveal any showtimes until just yesterday. The friend I was going to go with had plans yesterday, and works both today and tomorrow, so I guess we'll have to see if any showings are available on Tuesday, which is the closest day she has off of work.

One of my theaters also has it in 2D, so we might do that. I hear that some of the most expressive scenes, like "Circle of Life" and the stampede, translate well to 3D, but it feels weird otherwise.

[Lord Dalek]

Yeah the only matinee here was of the 2-D version so I ended up seeing that. For the record its the original cut and the bits that were reanimated for the IMAX version have been reverted here.

Fun trivia: As of this weekend, this is the most reissued post 1970 Disney Film ever.

[Commode]

I haven't seen this movie in full in quite some time, so I think I'm pretty much required to go see this sometime this next week.  Can't wait really, I love the film.

Also, I have my eye on that special edition Blu-Ray they've got coming out soon.  I just got a Blu-Ray player(in anticipation for a couple certain classic cartoon releases), and this movie will be a good addition.

[Kiddington]

I'm going to try and make it down there at some point this week (probably Tuesday or Wednesday, if we have any showings then). I haven't seen this movie in ages, and I don't even own the DVD or anything (yeah yeah, I know), so it should be pretty fun to watch this again, in a theater no less.

[talonmalon333]

Plan on seeing it in 3D.

Man I love this. Best Disney film, after Fantasia at least.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'll try to see it within the 2 weeks that its in theaters if I can (2D or 3D, whichever; I don't care as long as I get to see it on the big-screen). I'll have to see which theaters close to me happen to be playing it.

I know it may be overpraising it to say this, but The Lion King is my favorite animated film of all time, personally (well, either that or Mask of the Phantasm, but I have to admit that I have a special soft-spot for this film in particular). I know that there are probably many objectively better animated films out there, even among Disney's library rather than the broad library in general, with stuff that may be more artistic and meaningful and whatnot. However, no other animated film has elicited as much of an emotional response out of me as a viewer than this one. Part of it is undeniably due to the nostalgia of this being the first film that I ever watched in theaters and on a big-screen with incredible sound (even though I barely remember the experience), but its also because it was one of my first watched films that I can remember at all that it has become embedded in my mind as a part of what I look for in films and what I consider quality, and what really strikes a chord with me on a personal level. So, yeah, to me its worth paying full-price and even for 3D glasses to get to experience this film the best possible way that it can be experienced. I was hoping that I could take my little sister (who only saw the movie when she was 4 and barely even remembers it) to see it and experience it herself, just like how I experienced it as a kid (I think she would remember it more at her age now, as well).

Anyways, I hope that I get the chance to see it, and if possible now that its back in theaters maybe it might be the opportunity for me to write a short piece on it if I can, and how it feels to watch it in theaters again if I get the chance (especially since its been a long while since I last wrote an article of any sort).

[Avaitor]

Going this Tuesday. 3D, at 3:20. I wanted to do 2D, but my friend wants to go all out, so I'll concede.

[Commode]

Just got out of the movie.  It was still a good experience, and although I'm not too sure just how much the 3D benefited it, it still looked pretty good.

On another note, I saw a trailer for the new Muppets movie with it, which featured the Muppets cast singing Starship's "We Built This City".  Not sure what to think about that yet.

[Kiddington]

Just got out of the movie.  It was still a good experience, and although I'm not too sure just how much the 3D benefited it, it still looked pretty good.

On another note, I saw a trailer for the new Muppets movie with it, which featured the Muppets cast singing Starship's "We Built This City".  Not sure what to think about that yet.

Well, I guess it could be worse.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I wish people would stop reminding the world that the song exists.

[Avaitor]

Welp, my friend and I went today. It's a good thing that we decided to go without the rest of our group, since we geeked out, recited lines, and made references the whole time, and they probably wouldn't catch on with us. I also think that she cried during the death scene, but can you blame her?

I actually really liked the transfer, too. All the performances and the stampede looked great as expected, and there's some neat little tricks, like how the sparks came out during the final fire fight. A lot of the time, it also helped to compliment the beauty of the artwork in the film. This is easily Disney's most aesthetically pleasing post-Walt film, and seeing it in a big screen really helps to remind me of that.

[Daxdiv]

Went last night to see it in theaters and it was as beautiful as always. It was like I was watching Lion King for the first time. When I go to a theater, I just don't watch a movie, I experience it. Same thing happened when I saw BTTF rerelease.

The 3D was also a nice touch, it added a new depth to all the animation to this. I noticed that beetle Pumbaa was chasing hiding in the grass thanks to it. Still singing Hakuna Matata and Be Prepared. Also my brother and I were laughing at that one part in Be Prepared. You know the part I'm talking about.

[talonmalon333]

What do people think of the controversy about this films supposedly stealing stuff from that Kimba series?

[Spark Of Spirit]

It's Disney. They take familiar concepts and ideas and put their own spin on them.

So, it doesn't really bother me.