The Lion King was conceived during conversations among various Disney executives, to whom several writers submitted earlytreatments. Original directorGeorge Scribner had envisionedThe Lion King as anature documentary-style film, with Allers joining as co-director after having worked in the story departments of several successful animated Disney films. Considered to be Disney's first original animated film,The Lion King's plot draws inspiration from several sources, notablyWilliam Shakespeare's playHamlet. Woolverton, screenwriter for Disney'sBeauty and the Beast (1991), drafted early versions ofThe Lion King's script, which Mecchi and Roberts were hired to revise once Woolverton left to prioritize other projects. Scribner departed due to disagreements over the studio's decision to reimagine the film as a musical, with original songs byElton John andTim Rice, and Minkoff was hired to replace him in April 1992. Throughout production, the creative team visited Kenya for research and inspiration.
In the Pride Lands ofTanzania, a pride of lions rules over the kingdom from Pride Rock. KingMufasa and QueenSarabi's newborn son,Simba, is presented to the gathered animals byRafiki, themandrill who serves as the kingdom'sshaman and advisor. Mufasa's younger brother,Scar, covets the throne and plots to eliminate Mufasa and Simba so that he may become king.
When Simba grows into a young cub, Mufasa shows him the Pride Lands and forbids him from exploring beyond its borders. Mufasa explains to Simba the responsibilities of kingship and the "circle of life," which connects all living things. Scar manipulates Simba into exploring anelephants' graveyard beyond the Pride Lands. There, Simba and his best friend,Nala, are chased by threespotted hyenas namedShenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Mufasa is alerted by hismajordomo, the hornbillZazu, and rescues the cubs. Though disappointed in Simba for disobeying him and endangering himself and Nala, Mufasa forgives him. He explains that the great kings of the past watch over them from the night sky, from which he will one day watch over Simba. Scar visits the hyenas andconvinces them to help him kill Mufasa and Simba in exchange for hunting rights in the Pride Lands.
Scar sets a trap for Simba and Mufasa. He lures Simba into a gorge and signals the hyenas to drive a large herd ofwildebeest into astampede to trample him. Scar alerts Mufasa, who saves Simba and tries to escape the gorge; he begs Scar for help, but Scar betrays him by throwing him into the stampede to his death. Scar then deceives Simba into believing that Mufasa's death was his fault and tells him to leave the kingdom and never return. He orders the hyenas to kill Simba, but Simba escapes. Unaware of Simba's survival, Scar tells the pride that the stampede killed both Mufasa and Simba, and steps forward as the new king, allowing the hyenas into the Pride Lands.
Simba collapses in a desert but is rescued by two outcasts, ameerkat and awarthog namedTimon and Pumbaa. Simba grows up with his two new friends in theiroasis, living a carefree life under their motto "hakuna matata" ("no worries" inSwahili). Years later, an adult Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who is revealed to be Nala. Simba and Nalafall in love, and she urges him to return home, telling him that the Pride Lands have becomedrought-stricken under Scar's reign. Still feeling guilty over Mufasa's death, Simba refuses and leaves angrily. He encounters Rafiki, who tells Simba that Mufasa’s spirit lives on in him. Simba is visited by the spirit of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him that he must take his place as king. After Rafiki advises him to learn from the past instead of running from it, Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands.
Aided by his friends, Simba sneaks past the hyenas at Pride Rock and confronts Scar, who shames Simba over his supposed role in Mufasa’s death. Scar then reveals to Simba that he killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba retaliates and forces Scar to confess the truth to the pride. A battle ensues between Simba and his allies and the hyenas. Scar attempts to escape but is cornered by Simba at a ledge near the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for mercy and attempts to deceive Simba by blaming his actions on the hyenas. Simba spares Scar's life but orders him to leave the Pride Lands forever. Scar refuses and attacks Simba. Following a brief battle, Simba throws Scar off the ledge. Scar survives the fall, but the hyenas, who overheard him betraying them, attack and maul him to death.
With Scar and the hyenas gone, Simba takes his place as king, and Nala becomes his queen. With the Pride Lands restored, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub to the assembled animals, thus continuing the circle of life.
A promotional image of the characters from the film. From left to right: Shenzi, Scar, Ed, Banzai, Rafiki, Young Simba, Mufasa, Young Nala, Sarabi, Zazu, Sarafina, Timon, and Pumbaa.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas voiced young Simba, whileJason Weaver provided the cub's singing voice and Evan Saucedo also provided the cub's singing voice in "The Morning Report", a newly animated song which was added to the 2003 DVD Special Edition ofThe Lion King.[5]
Jeremy Irons asScar, Mufasa's younger brother and rival, and Simba's uncle, who plots to seize thethrone of the Pride Lands.Jim Cummings partially provided Scar's singing voice for the song "Be Prepared".[6][c]
James Earl Jones asMufasa, Simba's father, Scar's older brother, Sarabi's mate, and the king of the Pride Lands at the beginning of the film.[d]
Moira Kelly asNala, Simba's childhood best friend, who later becomes his mate and thequeen of the Pride Lands.Sally Dworsky provided her singing voice.[e]
Niketa Calame provided the voice of young Nala while Laura Williams provided her singing voice.[5]
Robert Guillaume asRafiki, an oldmandrill who serves as theshaman of the Pride Lands and ceremonially presents the newborn cubs of the King and Queen to the gathered animals.[h]
Madge Sinclair asSarabi, Mufasa's mate, Simba's mother, and leader of the lioness hunting party, as well as the queen of the Pride Lands at the beginning of the film.[j]
Goldberg voicesShenzi, the sassy and short-tempered female leader of the trio.
Marin voicesBanzai, an aggressive and hot-headed hyena prone to complaining and acting on impulse.
Cummings voicesEd, a dimwitted hyena who does not talk, only communicating throughlaughter.
Cummings also voiced amole that talks with Zazu.[6]
Zoe Leader asSarafina, Nala's mother, who is briefly shown talking to Simba's mother, Sarabi.
Production
Development
The origin of the concept forThe Lion King is widely disputed.[7][8][9] According to Charlie Fink (then-Walt Disney Feature Animation's vice president for creative affairs), he approachedJeffrey Katzenberg,Roy E. Disney, andPeter Schneider with a "Bambi in Africa" idea with lions. Katzenberg balked at the idea at first, but nevertheless encouraged Fink and his writers to develop a mythos to explain how lions serviced other animals by eating them.[10] Another anecdote states that the idea was conceived during a conversation between Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and Schneider on a flight to Europe during a promotional tour.[l] During the conversation, the topic of a story set in Africa came up, and Katzenberg immediately jumped at the idea.[12] 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 career in politics, saying about the film, "It is a little bit about myself."[13]
On October 11, 1988,Thomas Disch (the author ofThe Brave Little Toaster) had met with Fink and Roy E. Disney to discuss the idea, and within the next month, he had written a nine-pagedtreatment entitledKing of the Kalahari.[14][15] Throughout 1989, several Disney staff writers, including Jenny Tripp, Tim Disney, Valerie West and Miguel Tejada-Flores, had written treatments for the project. Tripp's treatment, dated on March 2, 1989, introduced the name "Simba" for the main character, who gets separated from his pride and is adopted by Kwashi, ababoon, and Mabu, amongoose. He is later raised in a community of baboons. Simba battles an eviljackal named Ndogo, and reunites with his pride.[16] Later that same year, Fink recruited his friend J. T. Allen, a writer, to develop new story treatments. Fink and Allen had earlier made several trips to a Los Angeles zoo to observe the animal behavior that was to be featured in the script. Allen completed his script, which was titledThe Lion King, on January 19, 1990. However, Fink, Katzenberg, and Roy E. Disney felt Allen's script could benefit from a more experienced screenwriter, and turned toRonald Bass, who had recently won anAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay forRain Man (1988). At the time, Bass was preoccupied to rewrite the script himself, but agreed to supervise the revisions. The new script, credited to both Allen and Bass, was retitledKing of the Beasts and completed on May 23, 1990.[16]
Sometime later,Linda Woolverton, who was also writingBeauty and the Beast (1991), spent a year writing several drafts of the script, which was titledKing of the Beasts and thenKing of the Jungle.[17] The original version of the film was vastly different from the final product. The plot centered on a battle between lions and baboons, with Scar being the leader of the baboons, Rafiki being acheetah,[13] and Timon and Pumbaa being Simba's childhood friends.[18] Simba would not only leave the kingdom but become a "lazy, slovenly, horrible character" due to manipulations from Scar, so Simba could be overthrown after coming of age.[19] By 1990, producerThomas Schumacher, who had just completedThe Rescuers Down Under (1990), decided to attach himself to the project "because lions are cool".[17] Schumacher likened theKing of the Jungle script to "an animatedNational Geographic special".[20]
George Scribner, who had directedOliver & Company (1988), was the initial director of the film,[21] being later joined byRoger Allers, who was the lead story man onBeauty and the Beast (1991).[7][12] Allers worked with Scribner and Woolverton on the project, but temporarily left the project to help rewriteAladdin (1992). Eight months later, Allers returned to the project,[22][23] and broughtBrenda Chapman andChris Sanders with him.[24] In October 1991, several of the lead crew members, including Allers, Scribner, Chapman, Sanders, and Lisa Keene visitedHell's Gate National Park in Kenya, in order to study and gain an appreciation of the environment for the film.[25][26] After six months of story development work, Scribner decided to leave the project upon clashing with Allers and the producers over their decision to turn the film into a musical, since Scribner's intention was of making a documentary-like film more focused on natural aspects.[12][21] By April 1992,Rob Minkoff had replaced Scribner as the new co-director.[5][24]
Don Hahn joined the production as the film's producer because Schumacher was promoted to Vice President of Development for Walt Disney Feature Animation.[20][27] Hahn found the script unfocused and lacking a clear theme, and after establishing the main theme as "leaving childhood and facing up to the realities of the world", asked for a final retool. Allers, Minkoff, Chapman, and Hahn then rewrote the story across two weeks of meetings with directorsKirk Wise andGary Trousdale, who had finished directingBeauty and the Beast (1991).[28] One of the definite ideas that stemmed from the meetings was to have Mufasa return as aghost. Allers also changed the character Rafiki from a more serious court advisor into a wacky shaman.[29] The title was also changed fromKing of the Jungle toThe Lion King, as the setting was not the jungle but the savannah.[12] It was also decided to make Mufasa and Scar brothers, as the writers felt it was much more interesting if the threat came from someone within the family.[30]
Allers and Minkoff pitched the revised story to Katzenberg andMichael Eisner, to which Eisner felt the story "could be moreShakespearean"; he suggested modeling the story onKing Lear. Maureen Donley, an associate producer, countered, stating that the story resembledHamlet.[31] Continuing on the idea, Allers recalled Katzenberg asking them to "put in as muchHamlet as you can". However, they felt it was too forced, and looked to other heroic archetypes such as the stories ofJoseph andMoses from theBible.[30][32] Aside from Disney's prioranthology films andThe Rescuers Down Under (1990) (a sequel toThe Rescuers (1977)),The Lion King was Disney's second animated feature film to feature an original story conception afterThe Aristocats (1970), although the final product was heavily modelled onHamlet,Joseph andMoses. The story has also been compared to Shakespeare's lesser known playsHenry IV, Part 1 andPart 2.[33]
By this point, Woolverton had left the production to work on theBroadway adaptation ofBeauty and the Beast.[5] To replace her, Allers and Minkoff met with numerous screenwriters, includingBilly Bob Thornton andJoss Whedon, to discuss writing the new screenplay.[31] During the summer of 1992,Irene Mecchi was hired as the new screenwriter, and months later, she was joined byJonathan Roberts. Mecchi and Roberts took charge of the revision process, fixing unresolved emotional issues in the script and adding comedic situations for Pumbaa, Timon, and the hyenas.[34][5]
LyricistTim Rice worked closely with the screenwriting team, flying to California at least once a month, as his songs for the film needed to work in the narrative continuity. Rice's lyrics—which were reworked up to the production's end—were pinned to thestoryboards during development.[35] Rewrites were frequent, with animatorAndreas Deja saying that completed scenes would be delivered, only for the response to be that parts needed to be reanimated because of dialogue changes.[36] Due to the rewrites,The Lion King missed its initial release window for Thanksgiving 1993, withThe Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) assuming its release slot.[37] Hahn stated the film was delayed to a summer 1994 release, "with much consternation, because people said you can't release animation in the summertime."[38]
Casting
The voice actors were chosen for how they fit and could add to the characters; for instance,James Earl Jones was cast because the directors found his voice "powerful" and similar to a lion's roar.[39] Jones remarked that during the years of production, Mufasa "became more and more of a dopey dad instead of [a] grand king".[40]
Nathan Lane auditioned forZazu, andErnie Sabella for one of the hyenas. Upon meeting at the recording studio, Lane and Sabella – who were starring together in aBroadway production ofGuys and Dolls at the time – were asked to record together as hyenas. The directors laughed at their performance and decided to instead cast them as Timon and Pumbaa.[39][41] For the hyenas, the original intention was to reuniteCheech & Chong, but whileCheech Marin agreed to voice Banzai,Tommy Chong was unavailable. His role was changed into a female hyena, Shenzi, voiced byWhoopi Goldberg, who insisted on being in the film.[18] The English double actVic Reeves and Bob Mortimer auditioned for roles as a pair of chipmunks; according to Mortimer, the producers were enthusiastic, but he and Reeves were uncomfortable with their corporate attitude and abandoned the film.[42]Rowan Atkinson was initially uninterested in the studio's offer to voice Zazu, later explaining that "voice work is something I generally had never done and never liked [...] I'm a visual artist, if I'm anything, and it seemed to be a pointless thing to do". His friend and fellowMr. Bean writer/actorRobin Driscoll convinced him to accept the role, and Atkinson retrospectively expressed thatThe Lion King became "a really, very special film".[43]
Matthew Broderick was cast as adultSimba early during production. Broderick only recorded with another actor once over the three years he worked on the film, and only learned thatMoira Kelly voicedNala at the film's premiere.[44] English actorsTim Curry,Malcolm McDowell,Alan Rickman,Patrick Stewart, andIan McKellen were considered for the role ofScar,[45] which eventually went to fellow EnglishmanJeremy Irons.[46] Irons initially turned down the part, as he felt uncomfortable going to a comedic role after his dramatic portrayal ofClaus von Bülow inReversal of Fortune (1990). His performance in that film inspired the writers to incorporate more of his acting as von Bülow in the script – adding one of that character's lines, "You have no idea" – and prompted animator Andreas Deja to watchReversal of Fortune andDamage (1992) in order to incorporate Irons' facial traits and tics.[40][47]
Animation
"The Lion King was considered a little movie because we were going to take some risks. The pitch for the story was a lion cub gets framed for murder by his uncle set to the music ofElton John. People said, 'What? Good luck with that.' But for some reason, the people who ended up on the movie were highly passionate about it and motivated."
The development ofThe Lion King coincided with that ofPocahontas (1995), which most of the animators ofWalt Disney Feature Animation decided to work on instead, believing it would be the more prestigious and successful of the two.[30] The story artists also did not have much faith in the project, with Chapman declaring she was reluctant to accept the job "because the story wasn't very good",[48] andBurny Mattinson telling his colleagueJoe Ranft: "I don't know who is going to want to watch that one."[49] Most of the leading animators either were doing their first major work supervising a character, or had much interest in animating an animal.[13] Thirteen of these supervising animators, both in California and in Florida, were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the film's main characters. The animation leads for the main characters includedMark Henn on young Simba,Ruben A. Aquino on adult Simba,Andreas Deja on Scar,Aaron Blaise on young Nala,Anthony DeRosa on adult Nala, and Tony Fucile on Mufasa.[5] Nearly twenty minutes of the film, including the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence,[18] was animated at theDisney-MGM Studios facility. More than 600 artists, animators, and technicians contributed toThe Lion King.[21] Six months before the film's release, the1994 Northridge earthquake shut down the studio and required the animators to complete their work viaremote work.[50]
The character animators studied real-life animals for reference, as was done forBambi (1942).Jim Fowler, renowned wildlife expert, visited the studios on several occasions with an assortment of lions and other savannah inhabitants to discuss behavior and help the animators give their drawings authenticity.[51] The animators also studied animal movements at theMiami MetroZoo under guidance from wildlife expertRon Magill.[52] The Pride Lands are modeled on the Kenyan national park visited by the crew. Varied focal lengths and lenses were employed to differ from the habitual portrayal of Africa in documentaries—which employtelephoto lenses to shoot the wildlife from a distance. The epic feel drew inspiration from concept studies by artist Hans Bacher—who, following Scribner's request for realism, tried to depict effects such aslens flare—and the works of paintersCharles Marion Russell,Frederic Remington, andMaxfield Parrish.[53][54] Art director Andy Gaskill and the filmmakers sought to give the film a sense of grand sweep and epic scale similar toLawrence of Arabia (1962). Gaskill explained: "We wanted audiences to sense the vastness of the savannah and to feel the dust and the breeze swaying through the grass. In other words, to get a real sense of nature and to feel as if they were there. It's very difficult to capture something as subtle as a sunrise or rain falling on a pond, but those are the kinds of images that we tried to get." The filmmakers also watched the films ofJohn Ford and other filmmakers, which also influenced the design of the film.[5]
Because the characters were notanthropomorphized, all the animators had to learn to draw four-legged animals, and the story and character development was done through the use of longer shots following the characters.[18]
Computers helped the filmmakers present their vision in new ways. 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.[55] Five specially trained animators and technicians spent more than two years creating the two-and-a-half-minute stampede.[5] TheComputer Animation Production System (CAPS) helped simulate camera movements such astracking shots, and was employed in coloring, lighting, and particle effects.[18]
LyricistTim Rice, who was working with composerAlan Menken on songs forAladdin (1992), was invited to write songs forThe Lion King, and accepted on the condition of bringing in a composing partner. As Menken was unavailable, the producers accepted Rice's suggestion ofElton John,[39] after Rice's invitation ofABBA fell through due toBenny Andersson's commitments to the stage musicalKristina från Duvemåla.[13] John expressed an interest in writing "ultra-pop songs that kids would like; then adults can go and see those movies and get just as much pleasure out of them", mentioning a possible influence ofThe Jungle Book (1967), where he felt the "music was so funny and appealed to kids and adults".[56]
Rice and John wrote five original songs forThe Lion King ("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.[57] TheIMAX and DVD releases added another song, "The Morning Report", based on a song discarded during development that eventually featured in thelive musical version ofThe Lion King.[58] The score was composed byHans Zimmer, who was hired based on his earlier work on two films in African settings,A World Apart (1988) andThe Power of One (1992),[59] and supplemented the score with traditional native African music and choir elements arranged byLebo M.[57] Zimmer said while uninterested at first due to a dislike of Broadway musicals, accepted the job to have a work he could watch with his daughter, and given he also lost his father as a child, used that as inspiration for the music regarding Mufasa's death.[60] Zimmer's partnersMark Mancina andJay Rifkin helped with arrangements and song production.[61]
Jason Weaver recorded his song vocals as young Simba for "I Just Can't Wait to be King," "Hakuna Matata," and an unused song, 'Warthog Rhapsody," the day he came in for what was supposed to be an audition.[62] His mother turned down Disney's initial financial offer and negotiated a fee of $100,000 plus royalties.[63]
TheLion King original motion picture soundtrack was released byWalt Disney Records on April 27, 1994. It was the fourth-best-selling album of the year on theBillboard 200 and the top-selling soundtrack.[64] It is the only soundtrack to an animated film to becertified Diamond (10× platinum) by theRecording Industry Association of America. Zimmer's complete instrumental score for the film was never originally given a full release, until the soundtrack's commemorativetwentieth anniversary re-release in 2014.[65]The Lion King also inspired the 1995 releaseRhythm of the Pride Lands, with eight songs by Zimmer, Mancina, and Lebo M.[66]
The use of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in a scene with Timon and Pumbaa led to disputes between Disney and the family of South AfricanSolomon Linda, who composed the song (originally titled "Mbube") in 1939. In July 2004, Linda's family filed a lawsuit, seeking $1.6 million in royalties from Disney. In February 2006, Linda's heirs reached a settlement with Abilene Music, who held the worldwide rights and had licensed the song to Disney for an undisclosed amount of money.[67]
Marketing
ForThe Lion King's first film trailer, Disney opted to feature a single scene, the entire opening sequence with the song "Circle of Life".Buena Vista Pictures Distribution presidentDick Cook said the decision was made for such an approach because "we were all so taken by the beauty and majesty of this piece that we felt like it was probably one of the best four minutes of film that we've seen", and Don Hahn added that "Circle of Life" worked as a trailer as it "came off so strong, and so good, and ended with such a bang". The trailer was released in November 1993, accompanyingThe Three Musketeers (1993) andSister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) in theaters; by then, only a third ofThe Lion King had been completed.[38][68] Audience reaction was enthusiastic, causing Hahn to have some initial concerns as he became afraid of not living up to the expectations raised by the preview.[38] Prior to the film's release, Disney did 11test screenings.[69]
Upon release,The Lion King was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign which included tie-ins withBurger King,Mattel,Kodak,Nestlé, andPayless ShoeSource, and various merchandise,[70] accounting 186 licensed products.[71][72] In 1994, Disney earned approximately $1 billion with products based on the film,[73] with $214 million forLion King toys during Christmas 1994 alone.[74]
In a 2024 retrospective, theNew York Times noted that the marketing and promotion of the film heavily focused on Jonathan Taylor Thomas' role in the film, with a lot less emphasis on Jason Weaver's role as young Simba's singing voice.[63]
The wide release in the United States and Canada followed on June 24, 1994, in 2,550 screens. The digitalsurround sound of the film led many of those theaters to implementDolby Laboratories' newest sound systems.[77] The film also started its international release on June 24, opening in Latin America, South Africa and Israel.[78]
Localization
When first released in 1994,The Lion King numbered 28 versions overall in as many languages and dialects worldwide, including a specialZulu version made specifically for the film in South Africa, where a Disney USA team went to find the Zulu voice-actors. This was the first Zulu dubbing made by Disney, and also the only one made in any African language other thanArabic.[79][80] The Zulu language version was released in South Africa on June 24, 1994.[81][82][78]
Following the success of the 2017 Māori dub ofMoana, a Māori version ofThe Lion King was announced in 2021, and released theatrically on June 23, 2022, to align with the Māori holiday ofMatariki.[83][84] Much of theMatewa Media production team, including producerChelsea Winstanley, directorTweedie Waititi, and co-musical directorRob Ruha had previously worked on the Māori language version ofMoana.[85]The Lion King Reo Māori is the first time a language adaptation has translated Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for the ending credits.[86]
Re-releases
IMAX and large-format
The film was re-issued on December 25, 2002, forIMAX andlarge-format theaters. Don Hahn explained that eight years afterThe Lion King had its original release, "there was a whole new generation of kids who haven't really seen it, particularly on the big screen." Given the film had already been digitally archived during production, the restoration process was easier, while also providing many scenes with enhancements that covered up original deficiencies.[69][87] An enhanced sound mix was also provided to, as Hahn explained, "make the audience feel like they're in the middle of the movie."[69] On its first weekend,The Lion King made $2.7 million from 66 locations, a $27,664 per theater average. This run ended with $15.7 million on May 30, 2003.[88]
3D conversion
In 2011,The Lion King was converted to3D for a two-week limited theatrical re-issue and subsequent 3DBlu-ray release.[89][90] The film opened at the number one spot on Friday, September 16, 2011, with $8.9 million[91] and finished the weekend with $30.2 million, ranking number one at the box office. This madeThe Lion King the first re-issue release to earn the number-one slot at the American weekend box office since the re-issue ofReturn of the Jedi (1983) in March 1997.[92] The film also achieved the fourth-highest September opening weekend of all time.[93] It held off very well on its second weekend, again earning first place at the box office with a 27 percent decline to $21.9 million.[94] Most box-office observers had expected the film to fall about 50 percent in its second weekend and were also expectingMoneyball (2011) to be at first place.[95]
After its initial box-office success, many theaters decided to continue to show the film for more than two weeks, even though its 3D Blu-ray release was scheduled for two and a half weeks after its theatrical release.[94] In North America, the 3D re-release ended its run in theaters on January 12, 2012, with a gross of $94.2 million. Outside North America, it earned $83.4 million.[96] The successful 3D re-release ofThe Lion King made Disney andPixar plan 3D theatrical re-releases ofBeauty and the Beast,Finding Nemo (2003),Monsters, Inc. (2001), andThe Little Mermaid (1989) during 2012 and 2013.[97] However, none of the re-releases of the first three films achieved the enormous success ofThe Lion King 3D and the theatrical re-release ofThe Little Mermaid was ultimately cancelled.[98] In 2012, Ray Subers of Box Office Mojo wrote that the reason why the 3D version ofThe Lion King succeeded was because, "the notion of a 3D re-release was still fresh and exciting, andThe Lion King (3D) felt timely given the movie's imminent Blu-ray release. Audiences have been hit with three 3D re-releases in the year since, meaning the novelty value has definitely worn off."[99]
Disney 100
As part of Disney's 100th anniversary,The Lion King was re-released between September 29 to October 12, 2023, in selectedCinemark theaters across the United States as well asHelios theaters across Poland on October 8.[100][101]
30th anniversary
In conjunction with the film's 30th anniversary,The Lion King was re-released on July 12, 2024.[102] During its opening weekend, the film earned an estimated $1.08 million in the United States from 1,330 theaters.[103]
Home media
The Lion King was first released onVHS andLaserDisc in the United States on March 3, 1995, underDisney's "Masterpiece Collection" video series. The VHS edition of this release contained a special preview forWalt Disney Pictures' then-upcominganimated feature filmPocahontas (1995), in which thetitle character (voiced byJudy Kuhn) sings the musical number "Colors of the Wind".[104] In addition, Deluxe Editions of both formats were released. The VHS Deluxe Edition included the film, an exclusivelithograph of Rafiki and Simba (in some editions), a commemorative "Circle of Life"epigraph, six concept art lithographs, another tape with the half-hour TV specialThe Making of The Lion King, and a certificate of authenticity. The CAV laserdisc Deluxe Edition also contained the film, six concept art lithographs andThe Making of The Lion King, and added storyboards, character design artwork, concept art, rough animation, and a directors' commentary that the VHS edition did not have, on a total of four double sided discs. The VHS tape quickly became thebest-selling videotape of all time: 4.5 million tapes were sold on the first day[105] and ultimately sales totaled more than 30 million[106] before these home video versions went intomoratorium in 1997.[107] The VHS releases have sold a total of 32million units in North America,[108] and grossed$520 million in sales revenue.[109] In addition, 23million units were shipped overseas to international markets.[110] In the Philippines, the film was released on VHS in March 1995 by Magnavision.[111] The film sold more than55 million video copies worldwide by August 1997, making it the best-sellinghome video title of all time.[112]
On October 7, 2003, the film was re-released on VHS and released onDVD for the first time, titledThe Lion King: Platinum Edition, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of DVDs. The DVD release featured two versions of the film on the first disc, a remastered version created for the 2002IMAX release and an edited version of the IMAX release purporting to be the original 1994 theatrical version.[113] A second disc, with bonus features, was also included in the DVD release. The film's soundtrack was provided both in its originalDolby 5.1 track and in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, making this one of the first Disney DVDs so equipped.[114] ThisTHX certified two-disc DVD release also contains several games,Timon and Pumbaa's Virtual Safari, deleted scenes, music videos and other bonus features.[115] By means ofseamless branching, the film could be viewed either with or without a newly created scene – a short conversation in the film replaced with a complete song ("The Morning Report"). A Special Collector's Gift Set was also released, containing the DVD set, five exclusive lithographed character portraits (new sketches created and signed by the original character animators), and an introductory book entitledThe Journey.[107] The Platinum Edition ofThe Lion King featured changes made to the film during its IMAX re-release, including re-drawncrocodiles in the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence as well as other alterations.[113] More than two million copies of the Platinum Edition DVD and VHS units were sold on the first day of release.[105] A DVD box set of the threeThe Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film, along with the sequels, went back into moratorium.[116] The DVD releases have sold a total of 11.9million units and grossed$220 million.[117]
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the Diamond Edition ofThe Lion King on October 4, 2011.[89] This marks the first time that the film has been released in high-definitionBlu-ray and onBlu-ray 3D.[89][118] The initial release was produced in three different packages: a two-disc version with Blu-ray and DVD; a four-disc version with Blu-ray, DVD, Blu-ray 3D, anddigital copy; and an eight-disc box set that also includes the sequelsThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride andThe Lion King 1½.[89][118] A standalone single-disc DVD release also followed on November 15, 2011.[89] The Diamond Edition topped the Blu-ray charts with over 1.5 million copies sold.[119] The film sold 3.83 million Blu-ray units in total, leading to a $101.14 million income.[120]
The Lion King was once again released to home media as part of theWalt Disney Signature Collection first released on Digital HD on August 15, 2017, and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 29, 2017.[121]
The Lion King was released onUltra HD Blu-ray and4K digital download on December 3, 2018.[122]
It held the record for the highest-grossing animated feature film (in North America, outside North America, and worldwide) until it was surpassed byFinding Nemo (2003). With the earnings of the 3D run,The Lion King surpassed all the aforementioned films butToy 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.[92] It is also the biggest animated movie of the last 50 years in terms of estimated attendance.[129]The Lion King was also the highest-grossing G-rated film in the United States from 1994 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2019 until its total was surpassed byToy Story 4 (2019) (unadjusted for inflation).[130]
Original theatrical run
During the first two days of limited release in two theaters,The Lion King grossed $622,277, and for the weekend it earned nearly $1.6 million, placing the film in tenth place at the box office.[131] The average of $793,377 per theater stands as the largest ever achieved during a weekend,[132] and it was the highest-grossing opening weekend on under 50 screens, beating the record set byStar Wars (1977) from 43 screens.[133] The film grossed nearly $3.8 million from the two theaters in just 10 days.[134]
When it opened wide,The Lion King grossed $40.9 million—which at the time was the fourth biggest opening weekend ever and the highest sum for a Disney film—to top the weekend box office. It displaced the previous box office championWolf, while also toppingSpeed andWyatt Earp.[21][135] At that time, it easily outgrossed the previous biggest 1994 opening, which was the $37.2 million earned byThe Flintstones during the four-dayMemorial Day weekend. The film also produced the third-highest opening weekend gross of any film, trailing only behindJurassic Park (1993) andBatman Returns (1992).[136] For five years, the film held the record for having the highest opening weekend for an animated film until it was surpassed byToy Story 2 (1999).[137] For its second weekend,The Lion King collected a total of $34.2 million, outgrossing the openings ofThe Shadow,Blown Away andI Love Trouble.[138] It remained the number-one box office film for a total of two weeks until it was displaced byForrest Gump,[139] followed byTrue Lies the week after.[140]
In September 1994, Disney pulled the film from movie theaters and announced that it would be re-released duringThanksgiving in order to take advantage of the holiday season.[141] At the time, the film had earned $267 million in the United States.[2][142] Upon its re-release in November 1994, it earned $5.5 million during its first weekend, ranking in fourth place behindStar Trek Generations,Interview with the Vampire andThe Santa Clause.[143] Following its re-release, by March 1995, it had grossed $312.9 million,[2] being the highest-grossing 1994 film in the United States and Canada, but was soon surpassed byForrest Gump.[144]Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 74 million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run,[145] equivalent to $812.1 million adjusted for inflation in 2018.[146]
Internationally, the film grossed $455.8 million during its initial run, for a worldwide total of $763.5 million.[123] It had record openings in Sweden and Denmark.[147]
Critical response
The Lion King was widely praised by film critics upon release.[148][149][150] OnRotten Tomatoes,The Lion King has an approval rating of 92% with an average score of 8.5/10, based on 172 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Emotionally stirring, richly drawn, and beautifully animated,The Lion King stands tall within Disney's pantheon of classic family films."[151] It also ranked 56th on Rotten Tomatoes' "Top 100 Animation Movies".[152] AtMetacritic, which uses aweighted average, the film received a score of 88 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[153] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade on an A+ to F scale.[154]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars out of a possible four and called it "a superbly drawn animated feature". He further wrote in his print review, "The saga of Simba, which in its deeply buried origins owes something to Greek tragedy and certainly toHamlet, is a learning experience as well as an entertainment."[4] On the television programSiskel & Ebert, the film was praised but received a mixed reaction when compared to the previous Disney films. Ebert and his partnerGene Siskel both gave the film a "Thumbs Up", but Siskel said that it was not as good asBeauty and the Beast and that it was "a good film, not a great one".[155] Hal Hinson ofThe Washington Post called it "an impressive, almost daunting achievement" and felt that the film was "spectacular in a manner that has nearly become commonplace with Disney's feature-length animations". However, he was less enthusiastic toward the end of his review saying, "Shakespearean in tone, epic in scope, it seems more appropriate for grown-ups than for kids. If truth be told, even for adults it is downright strange."[156]
Jeremy Gerard ofVariety opened his review, writing, "Set off by some of the richest imagery the studio’s animators have produced, and held together by a timeless coming-of-age tale,The Lion King marks a dazzling — and unexpectedly daring — addition to the Disney canon." However, he felt the songs were not as memorable as those composed byHoward Ashman andAlan Menken.[157]Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times feltThe Lion King "is as visually enchanting as its pedigree suggests. But it also departs from the spontaneity of its predecessors and reveals more calculation."[158] Duane Byrge ofThe Hollywood Reporter calledThe Lion King "a scrumptiously delightful moviegoing experience", in which he praised the voice cast, the music, and the emotionally resonant storyline.[159]
Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly praised the film, writing that it "has the resonance to stand not just as a terrific cartoon but as an emotionally pungent movie".[160]Rolling Stone film criticPeter 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".[161]James Berardinelli fromReelviews.net praised the film saying, "With each new animated release, Disney seems to be expanding its already-broad horizons a little more.The Lion King is the most mature (in more than one sense) of these films, and there clearly has been a conscious effort to please adults as much as children. Happily, for those of us who generally stay far away from 'cartoons', they have succeeded."[162]
Some reviewers were critical of the film's narrative.Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times felt the film "is less of a piece than its revered predecessors and the first to have a core story noticeably less involving than its scintillating peripheral characters."[163] Maslin felt the storyline has "more noticeably derivative moments", which she attributed to the film having "an original story" than previous Disney animated films.[158]TV Guide wrote that whileThe 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."[164]The New Yorker's Terrence Rafferty considered that despite the good animation, the story felt like "manipulat[ing] our responses at will", as "Between traumas, the movie serves up soothingly banal musical numbers and silly, rambunctious comedy".[165]
Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Voice-Over – TV or Movie
Laura Williams
Won
Other honors
In 2008,The Lion King was ranked as the 319th greatest film ever made byEmpire magazine,[187] and in June 2011,TIME named it one of "The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films".[188] In June 2008, theAmerican Film Institute listedThe Lion King as the fourth best film in the animation genre in itsAFI's 10 Top 10 list,[189] having previously put "Hakuna Matata" as 99th on itsAFI's 100 Years...100 Songs ranking.[190] The film was ranked 66th in aHollywood Reporter ranking of "Hollywood's Top 100 Movies of All Time" and the film ranked 86th in a BBC ranking of the "100 greatest American films."[191][192]
In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[193]
Protests were raised against one scene where it appears as if the word "SEX" might have been embedded into the dust flying in the sky when Simba flops down,[217] which conservative activistDonald Wildmon asserted was asubliminal message intended to promotesexual promiscuity. Animator and story artistTom Sito has stated that the letters spell "SFX" (a common abbreviation for "special effects"), not with an "E" instead of the "F", and were intended as an innocent "signature" created by the effects animation team.[218]
Hyena biologists protested against the animal's portrayal, though the complaints may have been somewhattongue-in-cheek. One hyena researcher, who had organized the animators' visit to theUniversity of California, Berkeley, Field Station for the Study of Behavior, Ecology, and Reproduction, where they would observe and sketch captive hyenas,[219] listed "boycottThe Lion King" in an article listing ways to help preserve hyenas in the wild, and later "joke[d] thatThe Lion King set back hyena conservation efforts."[220][221] Even so, the film was also credited with "spark[ing] an interest" in hyenas at the Berkeley center.[221]
The film has been criticized for race and class issues, with the hyenas seen as reflecting negative stereotypes ofblack andLatino ethnic communities.[222][223][224] Others have also criticized the film for advancing afascist narrative in its portrayal of a lion kingdom and a circle of life where "only the strong and the beautiful triumph, and the powerless survive only by serving the strong."[225][226]
Screenshot from an early presentation reel ofThe Lion King that shows awhite lion cub and a butterfly.
Elements ofThe Lion King bear some superficial resemblance to the 1960s Japaneseanime television seriesJungle Emperor (known asKimba the White Lion in the United States). The 1994 release ofThe Lion King drew a protest in Japan, whereKimba and its creator,Osamu Tezuka, are cultural icons. 488 Japanese cartoonists and animators, led by themanga authorMachiko Satonaka, signed a petition accusing Disney of plagiarism and demanding that they give due credit to Tezuka.[227][228] Broderick believed initially that he was working on an American version ofKimba.[229]
Allers said he was unfamiliar withKimba untilThe Lion King was almost complete, and did not remember it being mentioned during development.[22] The law professorMadhavi Sunder suggested that Allers might have seen the 1989 remake ofKimba on television while living in Tokyo. However, while Allers did move to Tokyo in 1983 to work onLittle Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989), he moved back to the United States in 1985, four years before the 1989 remake ofKimba began airing.[5][230] Minkoff also said he was unfamiliar withKimba,[231][232] and observed that stories set in Africa often have characters such as baboons, birds and hyenas.[231]
Takayuki Matsutani, the president ofTezuka Productions, which createdKimba the White Lion, said in 1994 that "quite a few staff of our company saw a preview ofThe Lion King, discussed this subject and came to the conclusion that you cannot avoid having these similarities as long as you use animals as characters and try to draw images out of them".[233] Yoshihiro Shimizu of Tezuka Productions refuted rumors that the studio was paidhush money by Disney and said they had no interest in suing Disney, explaining that "we think it's a totally different story". Shimizu said 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!"[234] Tezuka's family and Tezuka Productions never pursued litigation.[235]
The American writerFred Ladd, who was involved with importingKimba and other Japanese anime into America forNBC, expressed incredulity that Disney staff could be ignorant ofKimba.[236][232] Ladd said at least one animator was remembered by his colleagues as aKimba fan and vociferous about Disney's conduct during production.[236] The animatorsTom Sito and Mark Kausler said they had watchedKimba as children in the 1960s, but Sito denied any influence, and Kausler emphasized Disney'sBambi as their model.[237][233] The controversy was parodied inThe Simpsons episode "'Round Springfield", in which Mufasa appears through the clouds and says, "You must avenge my death, Kimba... I mean, Simba."[238]
The firstLion King–related animated project was the spin-off television series,The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, which centers on the characters of Timon and Pumbaa, as they have their own (mis)adventures both within' and outside of the Serengeti. The show ran for three seasons and 85 episodes between 1995 and 1999. Ernie Sabella continued to voice Pumbaa, while Timon was voiced byQuinton Flynn andKevin Schon in addition to Nathan Lane.[239] One of the show's music video segments "Stand By Me", featuring Timon singingthe eponymous song, was later edited into an animated short which was released in 1995, accompanying the theatrical release ofTom and Huck (1995).
Disney released two direct-to-video films related toThe Lion King. The first was sequelThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride, released in 1998 on VHS. The film centers around Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male lion who was raised in a pride of Scar's followers, the Outsiders.[240]The Lion King 1½, anotherdirect-to-videoLion King film, saw its release in 2004. It is a prequel in showing how Timon and Pumbaa met each other, and also aparallel in that it also depicts what the characters wereretconned to have done during the events of the original movie.[241]
In June 2014, it was announced that a new TV series based on the film would be released calledThe Lion Guard, featuring Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala.The Lion Guard is a sequel toThe Lion King and takes place during the time-gap withinThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride,[242] with the last 2 episodes of Season 3 taking place after the events of that film. It was first broadcast onDisney Channel as a television film titledThe Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in November 2015 before airing as a series onDisney Junior in January 2016.[243][244]
In June 2020,Parkwood Entertainment andDisney announced that a film titledBlack Is King would be released on July 31, 2020, onDisney+. The live-action film is inspired byThe Lion King (2019) and serves as a visual album for the tie-in albumThe Lion King: The Gift, which was curated byBeyoncé for the film.[265] Directed, written and executive produced by Beyoncé,Black Is King is described as reimagining "the lessons ofThe Lion King for today's young kings and queens in search of their own crowns".[266] The film chronicles the story of a young African king who undergoes a "transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity" to reclaim his throne, utilizing the guidance of his ancestors and childhood love, with the story being told through the voices of present-day Black people.[267] The cast includesLupita Nyong'o,Naomi Campbell,Jay-Z,Kelly Rowland,Pharrell Williams,Tina Knowles-Lawson,Aweng Ade-Chuol, andAdut Akech.[266]
On September 29, 2020,Deadline Hollywood reported that a follow-up film was in development withBarry Jenkins attached to direct.[268] WhileThe Hollywood Reporter said the film would be a prequel about Mufasa during his formative years,Deadline said it would be a sequel centering on both Mufasa's origins and the events after the first film, similar toThe Godfather Part II. Jeff Nathanson, the screenwriter for the remake, has reportedly finished a draft.[269][270] In August 2021, it was reported thatAaron Pierre andKelvin Harrison Jr. had been cast as Mufasa and Scar respectively.[271] The film will not be a remake ofThe Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the 1998 direct-to-video sequel to the original animated film.[272] In September 2022 at theD23 Expo, it was announced that the film will be titledMufasa: The Lion King and it will follow the titular character's origin story. Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani will reprise their roles as Pumbaa, Timon, and Rafiki, respectively. The film was released on December 20, 2024.[273]
TheSquare Enix seriesKingdom Hearts features Simba as a recurringsummon,[277][278] as well as a playable in theLion King world, known as Pride Lands, inKingdom Hearts II. There the plotline is loosely related to the later part of the original film, with all of the main characters except Zazu and Sarabi.[279]The Lion King also provides one of the worlds featured in the 2011 action-adventure gameDisney Universe,[280] and Simba was featured in theNintendo DS titleDisney Friends (2008).[281] The video gameDisney Magic Kingdoms includes some characters of the film and some attractions based on locations of the film as content to unlock for a limited time.[282][283]
Walt Disney Theatrical produced a musical stage adaptation of the same name, which premiered inMinneapolis,Minnesota in July 1997, and later opened onBroadway in October 1997 at theNew Amsterdam Theatre.The Lion King musical was directed byJulie Taymor[284] and featured songs from both the movie andRhythm of the Pride Lands, along with three new compositions byElton John andTim Rice.Mark Mancina did the musical arrangements and new orchestral tracks.[285] To celebrate the African culture background the story is based on, there are six indigenous African languages sung and spoken throughout the show:Swahili, Zulu,Xhosa,Sotho,Tswana, Congolese.[286] The musical became one of the most successful in Broadway history, winning sixTony Awards includingBest Musical, and despite moving to theMinskoff Theatre in 2006, is still running to this day in New York, becoming thethird longest-running show and highest grossing Broadway production in history. The show's financial success led to adaptations all over the world.[20][287][288]
The Lion King inspired two attractions retelling the story of the film atWalt Disney Parks and Resorts. 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 atMagic Kingdom inWalt Disney World.[289] Another that is still running is the live-action 30-minute musical revue of the movie, "Festival of the Lion King", which incorporates the musical numbers into gymnastic routines with live actors, along with animatronic puppets of Simba and Pumbaa and a costumed actor as Timon. The attraction opened in April 1998 at Disney World'sAnimal Kingdom,[290] and in September 2005 inHong Kong Disneyland'sAdventureland.[291] A similar version under the name "The Legend of the Lion King" was featured inDisneyland Paris from 2004 to 2009.[292][293]
^abcdeThe Lion King — Audio Commentary (LaserDisc). Roger Allers, Don Hahn, Rob Minkoff. Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 1995.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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^abFiamma, Andrea (December 12, 2014)."Intervista a Roger Allers, il regista de Il Re Leone".Fumettologica (Interview).Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. RetrievedMarch 30, 2015.The whole time I worked onThe Lion King the name of that show never came up. At least I never heard it. I had never seen the show and really only became aware of it asLion King was being completed, and someone showed me images of it. I worked with George Scribner and Linda Woolverton to develop the story in the early days but then left to help out onAladdin. If one of them were familiar withKimba they didn't say. Of course, it's possible... Many story ideas developed and changed along the way, always just to make our story stronger. I could certainly understandKimba's creators feeling angry if they felt we had stolen ideas from them. If I had been inspired byKimba I would certainly acknowledge my inspiration. All I can offer is my respect to those artists and say that their creation has its loyal admirers and its assured place in animation history.
^Tyler Eastman, Susan (2000).Research in media promotion. Routledge. p. 244.ISBN978-0-8058-3382-9.
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