Simba begins life as an honored prince, son of the powerful King Mufasa. The cub's happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle Scar murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat and lives a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne.
MPAA rating: G ; Canadian Home Video rating: G.|||general
Walt Disney Pictures presents ; [a Walt Disney Feature Animation production] ; directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff ; produced by Don Hahn ; screenplay by Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1994.
Widescreen (1.66:1).
Includes 2 versions of the film: Special edition with an all-new song and the original release.
Disc 1 special features: The making of "The morning report" featurette; The lion king personality profile game; "Circle of life" music video performed by Disney Channel "Circle of Stars" and a making of the music video featurette; sing-along track; audio commentary; Timon's grab-a-grub game; Pumbaa's sound sensations game; deleted scenes & abandoned concepts.
Disc 2 special features: Multi-language reel; International release featurette; International soundtrack covers gallery; International large format release gallery; Music: African influence featurette; Audio sequel featurette: lions, meercats, warthogs, hyenas; Production research trip featurette; Character design featurette; Art: African influence featurette; The lion king 1 1/2 trailer; Landmark songwriting featurette; "Can you feel the love tonight" and "Circle of life" music videos performed by Sir Elton John; Disney & animals featurette; DVD sound design featurette; Reflections featurette; Animal Kingdom Park featurette; Animal Kingdom Lodge featurette; Featurettes about the stage production: Musical origins, Screen to stage, Musical texture, Setting the stage, Leaps of fantasy, Stage musical publicity gallery; Production design featurette; Storyboard process featurette; Computer animation featurette; Storyboard to film comparison; Early concepts: Timon & Pumbaa find Simba, Simba's presentation; Abandoned scene: Warthog rhapsody; Early presentation reel; Character design featurette; Art design galleries; Story origins featurette; Timeless themes featurette; The story comes to life featurette; Film origins featurette; Film character design galleries; Music inspiration featurette; Orchestral color featurette; Scoring emotion featurette; Full circle featurette; "Hakuna Matata" music video performed by Jimmy Cliff featuring Lebo M; Animal featurettes: Lions, meercats, warthogs, hyenas.
Voices: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings.
DVD; NTSC, region 1; widescreen (1.66:1) presentation enhanced for 16x9 televisions; 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (English, French); dual layer.
English or French dialogue; optional English subtitles; closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.
Songs by Tim Rice and Elton John ; original score composed and arranged by Hans Zimmer ; art direction, Andy Gaskill ; production design, Chris Sanders.
