MovieFreak.com - "The Lion King" Platinum Edition DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

Voices: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella

Tricked into thinking he killed his father, a guilt ridden lion cub flees into exile and abandons his identity as the future King.

Disney's The Lion King is an interesting animated film. Its story is not the typical happy merry-go-around. Instead the film focuses on issues like love, loss, responsibility, and courage, among other things. In that regard the film distances itself from other animated features of its time. The plot is loosely based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet," but the script adds its own share of plot threads. There is enough story to support the film's 90 minute running time, but at times a part of the story feels unoriginal. Part of it seems too much like an inspiration rather than an original plot, but this side of the film doesn't detract from the enjoyment. Though on the other side The Lion King presents an interesting tale and journey that carries good potential as an inspiration for younger viewers.

The film also features memorable and fun characters, such as Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa the Warthog (Ernie Sabella). Lane and Sabella share great chemistry and their material comes through very nicely, not to mention they offer the only comic relief to a film that otherwise plays like a drama. Jeremy Irons voices Scar, Simba's evil uncle, who takes his place as King when Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) flees. Irons gives his performance a certain tone of voice, one that evokes fear when he speaks. Certainly Simba is memorable, as is James Earl Jones as his father, Mustafa. Jones' voice is clearly recognizable, but at the same time it's also commanding and passionate. Matthew Broderick voices the adult Simba and even though he does a good job I think his voice is not the most fitting.

I saw the film a really long time ago and didn't remember it featured any songs. Upon watching it a couple of days ago I was reminded of that fact. The songs are fun and composed to some really good music, but the most famous one, of course, is "Hakuna Matata." The end of the song is used as a transition to introduce the adult Simba, a technique that works well for The Lion King. Any other transition may not have been as effective. An addition to the film is an all-new song called "Morning Report," which can be viewed as part of the film's special edition version available on this Platinum Edition DVD. It's also good to know that the best selling home video of all time, which has sold more than 55 million copies to date, is finally available on DVD in a first-ever digital presentation. The Lion King is memorable, fun, and definitely worth watching.

Buena Vista presents The Lion King in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. The DVD gives the film a digital presentation and the improvements are a great achievement. The all-around picture quality is much brighter and detailed, as well as sporting a good level of clarity and depth. Colors are well saturated and really stand out. The THX-certified presentation carries no signs of edge enhancement or pixelation, which is further evidence of great picture quality.

Buena Vista presents The Lion King in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and in an all-new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix. The DD track is good and holds up in terms of age, but the Home Theater Mix is perfect. Everything in the soundtrack plays directly to surround sound abilities. The rear speakers have much to work with, such as magnificent sound effects, Hans Zimmer's great score, and the assortment of songs, to bring more sound into the room. This audio presentation also carries more dynamic range than the Theatrical DD mix. In short, The Lion King sounds as terrific as it looks.

Disney's DVD treatment of The Lion King comes in a 2-disc Platinum Edition loaded with extras. Some extras have been newly created exclusively for this release, such as a Virtual Safari and games, but more on that in a moment.

Disc 1 offers the obligatory Audio Commentary with director Roger Allers, director Rob Minkoff, and producer Don Hahn. All three make good use of the time passing along great amounts of information while also keeping the track light and fun. Their technical comments don't go overboard as they also recall concepts, the animation process, voice recording, etc. This track is well worth a listen if you want to know more about the film.

Next up is a section called Elephant Graveyard where you will find 3 deleted/alternate scenes, such as Bug Football and Warthog Rhapsody, as well as alternate versions of "Hakuna Matata" and Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." The Tree of Life section gives you access to a music video and a making of featurette for "Circle of Life," in addition to a sing-along option for the film's songs. In Grasslands you can play a "Personality Profile" game and view a making of featurette for "Morning Report." In other areas you will also find interactive games plus at least a dozen sneak previews that appear instantaneously as the DVD loads; you should skip them by pressing the "next" or "forward" button on your remote.

Moving on, Disc 2 contains the bulk of the special features, though the menus are somewhat oddly structured. There are two navigational paths you may follow. One by selecting from a group of "continents" (Africa, North America, etc), or two by using the specific "text" links at the bottom of the main menu (Film, Story, etc). The continents path is confusing and repeats several features, such as the Multi-Language Clip Reel which presents about two dozen different languages during "Hakuna Matata."

Rather than listing each and every extra, I will list the five major categories; these also includes several sub-categories, so you'll probably be spending a good amount of time with this second disc. First up is Animal Journey which discusses how real animals inspired the film's characters. Next, Story Journey explains the influences and origins from concept to film. There are some interesting stories in here. Stage Journey covers the musical stage version of The Lion King. Then, Film Journey follows the filmmakers and deals with the actual making of the film; for my tastes the most interesting category of all the others. Last, but certainly not least, is Film Journey where composer Hans Zimmer, Elton John, and lyricist Tim Rice, among others, discuss the film's music.

Whoops, I almost forgot Timon & Pumbaa's Virtual Safari. Basically, you can navigate either a car or a boat while exploring the great landscapes of the African terrain. Probably to accommodate the animation process the Safari takes place at night; certainly the dark gives the animators of this Safari less to pinpoint and define, such as if it were during the day they'd have to animate all sorts of things like the horizon, sun, trees, bushes, etc. Though the dark gives the Safari a much more cool feel. Timon and Pumbaa are great in here, although it appears the voice talent is new.

While there are certainly more featurettes on this disc, this summary should give you a good idea of the stuff available. On the other hand, with some of the extras quantity seems to play a bigger role than quality. Still, this Platinum Edition is loaded with stuff.

You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The DVD’s menus are interactive and easy to navigate. The 90-minute feature is organized into twenty-four chapters.

Disney's The Lion King is a memorable animated feature with a great set of characters and voice talent. The story is good and the animation looks fantastic. This Platinum Edition DVD boasts excellent video/audio quality and a pretty good assortment of extras, although menu navigation is quite confusing. Fans of the film will definitely want to pick this one up. It's definitely worth a purchase.

THE MOVIE	8
THE VIDEO	10
THE AUDIO	10
THE EXTRAS	7
OVERALL (not an average)	9