[46], When the movie was first released in 1994, it numbered 28 versions overall in as many languages and dialects worldwide, including a special Zulu version made specifically for the movie in South Africa, where a Disney USA team went to find the Zulu voice-actors. [13] In September 1994, Disney pulled the film from movie theaters when its gross was $267 million[2] and announced it would be re-released during Thanksgiving in order to take advantage of the holiday season. Keep in mind that the Pride looks up at the stars all the time, so spotting artificial satellites (moving stars) can be something weird. First, the duo starred in the animated short "Stand by Me", featuring Timon singing the eponymous song, which was released in 1995 accompanying the theatrical release of Tom and Huck (1995). Timeless Lions Unless you're a scholar of anthropomorphic animal history (more universities should offer a degree in that), it's difficult to place The Lion King at any one point in time. [155], Fred Ladd, who was involved early on with importing Kimba and other Japanese anime into America for NBC, expressed incredulity that Disney's people could remain ignorant. However, Sito maintains there was "absolutely no inspiration" from Kimba during the production of The Lion King, and Kausler emphasized Disney's own Bambi as being their model during development. Check out the official The Lion King TV Spot starring Donald Glover! Mufasa hears about the incident from his majordomo, the hornbill Zazu, and rescues the cubs. After growing up in the company of the carefree outcasts Timon and Pumbaa, Simba receives valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King. Mufasa saves Simba but ends up hanging perilously from the gorge's edge. "[9] In November of that year Thomas Disch (author of The Brave Little Toaster) wrote a treatment entitled King of the Kalahari,[10] and afterwards, Linda Woolverton spent a year writing drafts of the script, which was titled King of the Beasts and then King of the Jungle. [193], In June 2020, Parkwood Entertainment and Disney announced that a film titled Black Is King would be released on July 31, 2020 on Disney+. Allers, Minkoff, Chapman, and Hahn then rewrote the story across two weeks of meetings with directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, who had just finished Beauty and the Beast. A flock of vultures locate Simba's body, and fly down to consume his body until Timon and Pumbaa prevent this playing their game of "Bowling for Buzzards". Only because of the lions and hyenas and Swahili words "Hakuna Matata" which is a phrased used in east Africa. When you were a young warthog, Disney's The Lion King might have been your favorite movie. It was the fourth-best-selling album of the year on the Billboard 200 and the top-selling soundtrack. "[154] Tezuka's family and Tezuka Productions never pursued litigation. [8] Katzenberg decided to add elements involving coming of age and death, and ideas from personal life experiences, such as some of his trials in his bumpy road in politics, saying about the film, "It is a little bit about myself. Upon meeting each other at the recording studio, the actors, who at the time both co-starred in Guys and Dolls, were asked to record together as hyenas. [65] This marks the first time that the film has been released in high-definition Blu-ray and on Blu-ray 3D. [194] Directed, written and executive produced by Beyoncé, Black Is King is described as reimagining "the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns". [11], Matthew Broderick was cast as adult Simba early during production, and during the three years of voice acting only recorded with another actor once, and only discovered Moira Kelly voiced Nala at the premiere. [206] The musical became one of the most successful in Broadway history, winning six Tony Awards including Best Musical, and despite moving to the Minskoff Theatre in 2006, is still running to this day in New York, becoming the third longest-running show and highest grossing Broadway production in history. Relevance. "Some time after the staff traveled to Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya to research on the film's setting and animals" However, this makes Simba's villainous uncle Scar jealous of him. A FUTURE KING IS BORN – In Disney’s all-new “The Lion King,” Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. For the "wildebeest stampede" sequence, several distinct wildebeest characters were created in a 3D computer program, multiplied into hundreds, cel shaded to look like drawn animation, and given randomized paths down a mountainside to simulate the real, unpredictable movement of a herd. According to 25 Surprising Facts About The Lion King; In November 1991, Disney sent a team of animators to Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya to do research for the film. Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers praised the film and felt that it was "a hugely entertaining blend of music, fun, and eye-popping thrills, though it doesn't lack for heart". [29] The IMAX and DVD releases added another song, "The Morning Report", based on a song discarded during development that eventually featured in the live musical version of The Lion King. [28], John and Rice wrote five original songs for the film ("Circle of Life", "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "Be Prepared", "Hakuna Matata", and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"), with John's performance of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" playing over the end credits. The live-action film is inspired by The Lion King (2019) and serves as a visual album for the tie-in album The Lion King: The Gift, which was curated by Beyoncé for the film. But the Lion King, it's safe to say it does take place in Africa. [181] At the end of July 2017, Beyoncé had reportedly entered final negotiations to play Nala and contribute a new soundtrack. Heracles wandered the area until he came to the town of Cleonae . The Lion King is being hailed as a “game-changer” and a worthy remake of the 1994 original, with critics praising the voice-acting and “dazzling” movie. Reply. If truth be told, even for adults it is downright strange. [91] In North America, the 3D re-release ended its run in theaters on January 12, 2012, with a gross $94.2 million. Ernie Sabella continued to voice Pumbaa, while Timon was voiced by Quinton F… [198] Timon and Pumbaa also appeared in Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games, a 1995 PC game collection of puzzle games by 7th Level, later ported to the SNES by Tiertex. Chicago Tribune 26 (1994). [11], Lyricist Tim Rice, who was working with composer Alan Menken on songs for Aladdin (1992), was invited to write the songs, and accepted on the condition of finding a composing partner. The whole point of The Lion King is that it's timeless. [95] In 2012, Ray Subers of Box Office Mojo wrote that the reason why the 3D version of The Lion King succeeded was because, "the notion of a 3D re-release was still fresh and exciting, and The Lion King (3D) felt timely given the movie's imminent Blu-ray release. [140][141], In 2008, The Lion King was ranked as the 319th greatest film ever made by Empire magazine,[142] and in June 2011, TIME named it one of "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films". The first, "The Legend of the Lion King", featured a recreation of the film through life-size puppets of its characters, and ran from 1994 to 2002 at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Lion-spotting is a useful skill, especially in the Serengeti. [4] Lyricist Tim Rice worked closely with the writing team, flying to California at least once a month because his songs needed to work in the narrative continuity. Keep in mind that the Pride looks up at the stars all the time, so spotting artificial satellites (moving stars) can be something weird. Mecchi and Roberts took charge of the revision process, fixing unresolved emotional issues in the script and adding comic situations for Pumbaa, Timon, and the hyenas. "[106], Some reviewers still had problems with the film's narrative. When does The Lion King take place? A children's TV series based on it will start January 22, 2016. The Lion Guard is a sequel to The Lion King and takes place during the time-gap within The Lion King II: Simba's Pride,[171] with the last 2 episodes of Season 3 taking place after the events of that film. Foster, David. I protect Simba, his family, and his pride. We know it takes place in Kenya, but there are no people around, so it seems to be before Africa was colonized, which was in the 1800's, if I remember correctly. Also, you don't see any airliner contrails in the Lion King. The Lion Guard is a sequel to The Lion King and takes place during the time-gap within the 1998 film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, with the third and final season taking place in parallel with the film's second act, followed by the final two episodes of the series serving as a continuation to the film. Shimizu further explained that they rejected urges from some American lawyers to sue because "we're a small, weak company... Disney's lawyers are among the top twenty in the world! Further cities will be announced in the coming months. Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses fend off the hyenas while Scar, attempting to escape, gets cornered by Simba at a ledge near the top of Pride Rock. With the earnings of the 3D run, The Lion King surpassed all the aforementioned films but Toy Story 3 (2010) to rank as the second-highest-grossing animated film worldwide—later dropping to ninth, and then tenth, surpassed by its photorealistic CGI remake counterpart—and it remains the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated film. The staff of TV Guide wrote that while The Lion King was technically proficient and entertaining, it "offers a less memorable song score than did the previous hits, and a hasty, unsatisfying dramatic resolution. The show will continue to play in London while the tour takes place. While the new version of The Lion King is 100% animated, the filmmakers did use real-life locations when designing their environment. [2] After its initial run, having earned $763.4 million,[71] it ranked as the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the highest-grossing film of Walt Disney Animation Studios,[72] and the highest-grossing film of 1994. [47][48] The Lion King marks also the first time a special dubbing is released in honor of a Disney movie background, but not the last: in 2016 the film Moana (2016) received a special Tahitian language version,[49] followed in 2017 by a Māori version,[50] in 2018 by a Hawaiian version;[51] and in 2019 the film Frozen II (2019) was dubbed into Northern Sami, even though Frozen (2013) was not. ", "Chiwetel Ejiofor in Talks to Voice Scar in Disney's 'Lion King, "Alfre Woodard to Play Simba's Mother in Live-Action Lion King", "Chiwetel Ejiofor Will Voice Scar in The Lion King", "Beyoncé joins cast of Disney's live-action 'Lion King, "Beyonce and More Additional Casting Revealed in New Preview Poster for THE LION KING", "Elton John will make millions with live-action remake of 'The Lion King, "Disney's Live-Action The Lion King Starts Production in May", "Disney sets release dates for Frozen 2, Lion King, and more", "See Beyoncé's A-List cast in new trailer for her movie Black is King", "Beyoncé Details 'Black Is King' Visual Album, Shares New Trailer", "Here's Everything You Need To Know About Beyoncé's 'Black Is King' Visual Album", "Disney's The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure Review", "Games time forgot: Timon and Pumbaa's Jungle Games", "Vintage Walt Disney World: Legend of the Lion King", "Adventureland — Attractions & Entertainment", Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, Walt Disney Animation Studios short films, List of Walt Disney Animation Studios short films, List of Disney theatrical animated features, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits, Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin, List of Elton John and Ray Cooper concert tours, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Angel of Vengeance – The Female Hamlet, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), To Be or Not to Be: That is the Adventure, A Performance of Hamlet in the Village of Mrdusa Donja, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film, Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks, Marlo Thomas and Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Lion_King&oldid=1010128278, American children's animated adventure films, American children's animated musical films, Best Animated Feature Annie Award winners, Best Musical or Comedy Picture Golden Globe winners, Films involved in plagiarism controversies, Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award, Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award, Films with screenplays by Linda Woolverton, United States National Film Registry films, Films with screenplays by Jonathan Roberts (writer), Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with self-published sources from December 2017, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.