The Lion King - Special Edition
Walt Disney Home Entertainment   -   1994   -   88 minutes

Reviewed by Thor van Lingen

Review Date: November 9, 2003

FOR STARTERS

PHOTO GALLERY Zazu keeps an eye on the cubs

One of the most highly acclaimed animated movies of all time, and arguably the one that started the current landslide of adult/kid combination entertainment, 1994�s The Lion King finally makes it home for DVD nuts. Disney�s �Platinum Edition� lineup has come to mean top-notch video transfers, enveloping audio tracks, and a lion�s share of supplements. This release is no exception. From opening frame to closing credits, The Lion King delivers what all fans of the movie have been waiting for. Complete with two versions of the film--I chose to view the original release and peek at the added number--old and young alike will roar for this title.

The story--in case anyone was under a rock in 1994--revolves around Simba (voiced at different ages by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick), a lion cub whose destiny is to take his place as king of Pride Rock when his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones) passes on. This fact of lineage immensely bothers Mufasa�s brother Scar (Jeremy Irons), whose all brain no brawn existence leads him to plot his young nephew�s demise early in the story.

Scar�s little plot succeeds, and with the help of some underhanded hyenas, has soon driven young Simba from the pride lands and established his new rule as king of Pride Rock. His new kingdom creates an unwelcome alliance between lion and hyena that quickly destroys the region. Simba is clueless to these new developments, as he is too busy snacking on grubs with his new meerkat friend Timon (Nathan Lane) and his warthog sidekick Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), as they sing something about �Hakuna Matata�. Pleased with his new life without worry, Simba is content to frolic in the jungle the rest of his days.

That all lasts until his childhood friend Nala--now a well-established lioness--happens upon him. With old Rafiki�s (Robert Guillaume) help and an inspirational storm cloud visit from his dead father, Simba realizes that he is the only one that can save his beloved pride lands. With his new friends in tow, Simba returns to Pride Rock and squares off against his deceiving uncle Scar. Does Simba take his place as king? Do Timon and Pumbaa receive �get out of being eaten� free cards from the new royalty? For the two people on Earth that haven�t seen the movie, I will leave this a mystery. For everyone else, enjoy The Lion King all over again on this fine DVD.

VIDEO

As mentioned above, Disney�s �Platinum Edition� means top-notch video transfers. A true gem for a non-CGI film, The Lion King gets the royal treatment. Color saturation is fantastic, as the variety of hues in the pride lands come to life on your home theater. Contrast is superb, with nary a video defect to be found. The overall picture delivery is so clean, and the opening sequence in particular will really blow you away. The fun splashes of color in some of the musical interludes like �I Just Can�t Wait To Be King� give the old color wheel a twirl.

AUDIO

This THX-certified Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is excellent. The Disney enhanced 5.1 home theater mix may be even better. As far as the differences between the two, the Disney enhanced track just seems to have more punch. The LFE is tighter and more frequently engaged. Separation on the two tracks sounded fairly equivalent to me, though the rear channels did seem marginally more engaging on the enhanced track. The wonderful--and award winning--score by Hans Zimmer and the Tim Rice/Elton John songs all are beautifully conveyed with all but the maximum deployment of all speakers. This is another borderline demo-quality audio offering from Disney.

SUPPLEMENTS

Instead of �Platinum Edition� on the cover, it should say �set aside a weekend�. Thank goodness for the full-color pamphlet that accompanies it, or one would be found wandering in circles--particularly on disc two--for days. For the math and engineering types, the �Disc 2 - Bonus Feature Index� is the place to start to view the possible excursion vectors for this one. This veritable pride of extras has countless two to three minute clips of everything from storyboards and audio workshops to kid�s games and music videos. Though I must admit I didn�t have the stomach--or the time--to investigate everything, what I did peruse was quite good. The interactive ride style of the Virtual Safari is a nice extra that feels an awful lot like a few very popular rides at Disneyland. Give them a spin, you�ll see. The multi-lingual �Hakuna Matata� is funny to watch, though I don�t think Disney can claim that as an original feature. I only scratched the surface of this undoubtedly very deep chasm of features. Enjoy!

THE BOTTOM LINE

Without a doubt a very fine third installment in the Disney Platinum line, the two-disc special edition of Lion King is a winner. A solid release like this has me waiting in anticipation for the October, 2004 release of Aladdin.