The Lion King – 3D version (2011)
Certified: U
Duration: 87 minutes
Directed by: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Voices of: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings
KRS release
The Lion King, the 1994 movie that won two Oscars and a Golden Globe makes a welcome return to the big screen.
This latest version just polishes the picture and gives it increased depth, showing us that this was simply a perfect movie.
Young lion cub Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) is the son of King Mufasta (James Earl Jones) and heir to the throne.
His evil uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) wants to rule the kingdom and is always planning the demise of both father and son.
One of his plans actually works and Mufasta ends up dead. Scar puts the blame on Simba, who, feeling guilty for what happened, escapes from the kingdom.
He ends up living in the wild with meercat Timor (Nathan Lane) and warthog Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella). Here he (now voiced by Matthew Broderick) follows the life philosophy of Hakuna Matata – a “no-worries” way of living.
Meanwhile, back at the kingdom, Scar and his hyena cronies have bled it dry.
Nala (Moira Kelly), who had been Simba’s friend when a cub, discovers that Simba is still alive and tries to convince him to return to where he belongs and take his legitimate place on the throne.
On its re-release, the film took over the number 1 spot in the US box office and stayed there for two weeks which is unusual, considering that many households own a copy of this film on DVD.
However, the 3D format simply brings us closer to the movie, adding freshness to the colour and its scope.
The soundtrack by Elton John and Tim Rice was digitally remixed and sounds better than ever. The film’s animation still holds strong and the action sequences are really well edited while the rich and vibrant characters offer the audience, young and old alike, moments of tangible sadness, fear, happiness and excitement.
The young ones who were raised on this movie in the small screen format should do well to check out this re-release.