“Long live the king.” With four words, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons) breaks the hearts of his viewers. The Lion King, co-directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, fills the screenwith music, love, and despair.

The story is based off William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and parallels the main hero who runs away after the murder of his father. Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), a young, carefree lion, is excited to rule the kingdom, but after a few cheerful musical numbers, runs away in fear of his uncle and the death of his father. He’s taken under the wing of Hakuna Matata extraordinaires Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). Years later, Simba (now Matthew Broderick), is forced to confront his past and to fight for his kingdom.
The love between Simba (Matthew Broderick) and Nala (Moira Kelly), his childhood friend, is shown in both the music and in the actors’ voices. Yet, the voices of Scar (Jeremy Irons) and Mufasa (James Earl Jones) are most memorable. Scar’s deep drawl is terrifying and entrancing. Young Simba and Nala have the attitude of young kids who want to grow up quickly but get scared when any danger comes their way.

Many writers such as Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton, and Brenda Chapman contributed to the screenplay. The final product is a fun and realistic plot – as realistic as you can be with singing and dancing lions.

The Lion King is an animated film with beautiful visuals. The details in the animals faces help shape their emotion, whether it’s joy or sadness.The film was produced by Don Hahn, Alice Deweey, Sarah McArthur, and Thomas Schumacker and editied by Ivan Bilancio.

One of the most compelling features of the movies is the music. Hans Zimmer had classic songs on the soundtrack such as Hakuna Matata and The Circle of Life. The music has a good balance of happy and sad songs to portray the character’s emotions. Even the background music adds a dramatic feel and fills any empty spaces.

The Lion King won many awards, including two Academy Awards – for Best Original Song (Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Elton John for music and Tim Rice for lyrics) and Best Music, Original Score by Hans Zimmer.
This movie was originally directed towards kids, with a rating of G, and all ages loved it. In just 89 minutes, this movie became an instant classic that everyone