The Lion King

(1994)

Dir: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

 

With Helen Mirren donning the tights for yet another version of The Tempest this year, it raises the question of just what is the greatest Shakespearian adaptation in the history of cinema. Is it something as straightforward and disturbing as Roman Polanski’s Macbeth or Kenneth Branagh’s Othello? Do we prefer the punky, MTV version of Romeo + Juliet from Baz Luhrmann to Laurence Olivier’s thespian musings in Hamlet?

What is clear is that The Bard’s work has infiltrated every reel of film since its birth, finding its way into every kind of genre imaginable, perhaps highlighted best in 1956’s Forbidden Planet, a Sci-Fi re-telling of, interestingly enough, The Tempest. Animation is no different. 1995’s The Lion King is one of the most successful Disney productions of all time, producing a hit West End Musical production several years later.

Arguably the greatest use of any Shakespearian plot, The Lion King transports the adolescent strife of Hamlet from Denmark to the savannah’s of Africa, turning the previously titular Prince of Denmark into a young lion named Simba, who will one day inherit the ‘King of the Jungle’ mantle from his regal father, Mufasa. Unfortunately for our young hero, Mufasa’s dastardly brother Scar (if you name your child this, how can you not expect him to become evil?) has other plans, swiftly offing dear old pops, and sending the guilt ridden Simba fleeing into exile.

So far so Shakespeare. But The Lion King knows its audience, terrifying us with the brilliant menace of Jeremy Irons’ nefarious Scar and his troop of savage hyenas. One scene in particular, where Simba and love interest Nala first encounter the hyenas of Shenzi, Banzai and Ed in a beautifully sinister elephant graveyard, ranks right up there with some of the great villain introductions in cinematic history. But whilst The Lion King has the ability to terrify, it also has the ability to dazzle, featuring a multitude of catchy and engaging tunes, the stand out of which belongs to Irons as Scar, who really does steal the show.

From the gravitas of James Earl Jones as Mufasa to the light-hearted comic relief of Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella’s iconic and unlikely double-act as Meerkat Simon and Warthog Pumba respectively, The Lion King is a rollicking good 90 minute ride that makes The Bard’s four-hour epic feel like a blast.

*** ¾ / *****

Compare the meerkat … and warthog. Simples.