Seriously? You need a synopsis? For The Lion King? You have to be kidding.

CRITIQUE

As I just wrote a theatrical review for this film only a handful of weeks ago, I’m just going to reprint that here as I think is says it all:

“The nice thing about a re-release of a classic movie is that it gives critics like me who didn’t get a chance or an opportunity to write anything about it the first time around to suddenly do so. You get to talk a little about what makes the picture so great, what has made it such a timeless marvel worthy of a studio putting it out there once again for all the world to see.

That’s the opportunity presented by Disney’s release of a 3D version of their 1994 animated spectacular The Lion King. For a time there, this was the most popular and the most financially successful animated film of all-time (according to BoxOfficeMojo, it still sits at fourth behind only Shrek 2, Toy Story 3 and Finding Nemo), and there are many who believe it to be the studio’s crown jewel in regards to hand drawn format.

I am not one of those many. At the same time, I reveled in the chance to see The Lion King in a theatre once again, even in 3D (which is fine, well done, of altogether pointless and serves little purpose), to feel that wall of sound surround me and to see the rich animation in such gigantically exquisite detail. This movie oozes life, has vitality and momentum in spades, and for those who have only experienced the film at home this two-week limited engagement absolutely cannot be missed.

At this point I assume everyone knows the story. This variation on Shakespeare’s Hamlet offers up the story of African lion Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a child, by Matthew Broderick as an adult), the crown prince of the savannah who goes into hiding after his beloved father Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones) is killed in what appears to be a tragic accident. But in reality, his death was orchestrated by his duplicitous brother Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), the Iago-like figure taking control of the Pride the land falling into disrepair in the process.

There’s not a lot more to say in regards to plot. Destinies are revealed, villains come out of the darkness and a hero finds the strength within to become the king he was always meant to be. Friendships are forged, love is found, the land blossoming back into a pristine balanced wonderland thanks to the courage and the resilience of those who have decided to fight for it. Hakuna Matata indeed.

What makes The Lion King so timeless is the deft balance on display in regards to the storytelling. Everyone involved knew they weren’t rewriting the rule book, the understood they weren’t doing anything new. They just did it better than anyone else could have done, brought their collective A-games making sure that the script, the animation, the music and everything else was so beyond excellent all anyone could do would be to admit they’d come close to crafting a masterpiece.

For my part, while I’ve loved the film nearly as much as everyone else there’s always been something about it that’s kept it a notch below recent classics like Beauty and the Beast and longtime perennials like Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Lady & the Tramp. There is an undeniable been there-done that quotient that does frustrate me a bit, sorry to say, while as far as Elton John’s songs are concerned I’m not as head over heels about each and every one of them as so many of my peers seem to be. Some of the early portions feel a bit ragged, and it isn’t until young Simba goes into the elephant graveyard that I find that the movie finally starts to hit its stride.

But there are some magnificent set pieces here, some of the most outstanding Disney has ever created. The stampede sequence through the valley is chilling, as is older Simba’s realization moment (done with a little help from the ghostly visage of his father) where he finally understands who he is and what must be done to save the pride lands. The final showdown between nephew and uncle is thrilling, and there are sequences throughout the picture that always seem to bring me right to the very edge of my seat no matter how many times I’ve seen them.

All of which is made more evident now that The Lion King has returned to theaters. Without question, this is the best family film released so far this year, the fact it is now 17-years-old only confirming just how weak the majority of 2011’s animated output has sadly been. A triumph in most respects that matter, young and old alike will want to cry to the highest heights in praise of Disney’s royal marvel, and I for one couldn’t be happier to see a film as glorious as this returning to its theatrical homeland after a far too long absence trekking along the VHS and DVD deserts.”

The movie is stunning. The Blu-ray is stunning. Everything going on here is downright stunning. In other words, buy it right this very second.

THE VIDEO

The Lion King is presented on a dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video with a 1.78:1/1080p transfer. Superb. Disney once again shows they are better than anyone in regards to these hi-def transfers of their hand-drawn animated classics.

THE AUDIO

The Lion King roars to Blu-ray in English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks and includes optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. One of the greatest audio mixes and transfers I have ever had the privilege to hear. It’s extraordinary, and arguably listening to it at home sent more chills down my spine than seeing the film in theatres again did just a scant few weeks earlier.

EXTRAS

A mixture of new and old special features, extras here include:

·         Audio Commentary with producer Don Hahn and co-directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

·         Disney Second Screen

·         Pride of “The Lion King” featurettes (39 minutes)

·         The Lion King: A Memoir - Don Hahn (20 minutes)

·         Deleted & Alternate Scenes (15 minutes)

·         “The Morning Report” (3 minutes)

·         Bloopers & Outtakes (4 minutes)

·         Interactive Art Gallery

·         Sing-Along Mode

·         Disney’s Virtual Vault

The audio commentary track is great, Hahn, Allers and Minkoff providing a ton of information and delivering it in entertaining an informative fashion. The two new featurettes, Pride of The Lion King and The Lion King: A Memoir – Don Hahn, are also fairly terrific in their own right, the latter somewhat surprisingly more interesting than the former.

A lot of the stuff from the previous DVD releases of The Lion King are available here, the majority of them found in the “Disney Virtual Vault” portion of the disc. The upside is that fans of all the previous featurettes, shorts and other materials will be happy to discover all of it is here for them to enjoy once again. The downside is that a lot of it – but not all – is not housed physically on the disc and can only be accessed through the BDisney Live interactive portal.

All-in-all, though, the extras on this disc are sensational, and I seriously doubt any fan of The Lion King will be even slightly disappointed.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I said it already up above, but this Blu-ray release of The Lion King is stunning, and I truly do mean it when I say you should buy the darn thing right this very second.