I feel silly going over this films plot, because I think I can safely assume that most of us have seen this animated classic. Lion King is about young Simba, a king to be who witnesses his dad's death and flees for the hills due to the false belief that the death was his fault. In reality, it was his evil uncle Scar's doing and with Simba gone Scar is free to usurp the throne and bring forth some pretty dark days to Pride Rock, Simba's home. Only Simba can put an end to Scar's madness, but is he ready to face down his past?
Lion King is one of the films in what is regarded as Disney's New Golden Age: Some other films from this period include Beauty and The Beast, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid. Lion King seems to be heavily influenced by some notable Shakespearean works, mainly Hamlet. The film appears to acknowledge this since Timon comments during one scene: "What's in a name?", a famous line from the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet.
While I have seen this film numerous times, never before did I realize how nuanced the film can be at times. Like the scene where Simba accidentally steps in one of his dad's paw prints and realizes how much bigger it is than his. Without saying one word, this shot perfectly conveys to the audience that Simba still has much to learn if he is going to be as great as his dad. Another chilling scene is when Scar is urged to move the pride (a pack of lions) to a new area since they had greatly depleted their resources and food. In response, Scar says something that is eerily similar to one of Simba's previous lines : "I'm The King, I can do whatever I want". Does this imply that Simba could have ended up being a king as bad as Scar was? The lion king is full of little messages and nuances such as these, and the film's all the more brilliant for this.
This release of Lion King features one fairly big change to the film, as its title imply's The Lion King has indeed been given a 3D makeover. Now, I know this probably upsets most fans of the film, and for good reason, 3D is an art form that is often mishandled, and with a film like Lion King the results could have been disastrous. Luckily, I am happy to report that there is no need to grab your torch and pitchfork, The Lion King's 3D post-conversion is one of the best that I've seen.
From the first scene of Zazu's flying over the crowd of animals gathering around Pride Rock a small flame of hope ignites, maybe this won't be so bad after all. You'd be right. While most people think of things popping out of the screen when they think of 3D, what most forget is that 3D is also capable of producing a good deal of depth to a film. While Lion King does try to have a few things pop out of the screen (Mainly dust, debris, smoke, fog, character's faces, and in one scene Scar), there's not much there that the 3D team can work with, and instead of trying to force this aspect of the 3D technology they instead chose (very wisely if I must say s myself) to focus on adding depth to the film.
A good deal of depth has been added to each location found in the film. From Timon and Pumba's jungle paradise, to Pride Rock, to The Savannah, to The Elephant Graveyard, just to name a few. The extra dimension of depth brings the film to life in ways you could never imagine. A side effect of the added depth is that the beautiful backgrounds of the film just pop out at you, never before had I realized how fantastic these backdrops were, it's a truly jaw-dropping effect.
There are several scenes where the 3D really shines through; these include (but aren't limited to) I Just Can't Wait to Be King (The zany multi-colored glamour of this musical number made it a perfect fit for the 3D tech), Be Prepared (The bursting green and red steam with Scar sleeking through it, Scar towering over the goose stepping hyenas, and Scar's final ascent to the top of the mountain are fantastic), The scene where Mufasa appears in the sky (wow, just wow),The scene where Timon, Pumba, and Simba are staring up at the night sky (great, amazing depth here), Every scene in Timon and Pumba's jungle is breath-takingly beautiful, and the final fight between Simba and Scar (From their first tension filled confrontation to the final stand-off is superb, the fire below them and the red hues to the scene really make it a treat to watch). There is also some unexpected sense of movement in the film due to the 3D and the fast zoom in shots work surprisingly well with the new tech.
While my eyes were a bit red by the end of the film, I still say that it's definitely worth the money to see this beauty in 3D. You can tell that the 3D team put a good amount of planning, work, and effort into making the 3D the best it possibly could be. Even though the Lion King was not made with 3D in mind, the new tech fits surprisingly well into the film. Was it necessary to add in the 3D? NO. Does it work perfectly with the film nonetheless? YES!!!
For me, The Lion King 3D is the most emotionally satisfying 3D film I have seen in a while. It was a real treat to get to see Lion king in theaters for a 2nd time, and to relive those emotions I must have felt when I first viewed it so long ago. It's obvious that the 3D team went into their project with a great deal of care and respect for the original film, and that's why it works so well. So if you're looking for a good, fun, nostalgic time in theaters I highly suggest you run out and see Lion King in 3D (It's leaving theatres super soon, The 3D Blu-Ray hits shelves on Oct. 4. So if you still want to see it in theaters you'd better run out to see it sometime this week), just don't be surprised if you shed a few tears during the film (Don't worry,It means you're human).
5/5 BETTER THAN SEX
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