The Lion King

I just saw The Lion King in 3D which was just released this past weekend and is only in theaters for 2 whole weeks. Ever since I saw the posters for this upcoming event I jizzed my pants. I was really excited and planned to definitely go see it. I'm glad I got the chance to make that happen today. I decided to go during the week and early enough so there would hardly be kids in the theater because they annoy me too much. Granted, adults in the theater annoy me just as much, if not more sometimes. My plan worked successfully, for the theater I went to is hardly ever packed, leaving me to the whole front section of the theater alone. It was blissful and very necessary. I got mad goosebumps and started to cry nearly the second the film started.

Throughout the film I thought of the many reasons I love this film. I also always forget how much I do truly love it. It was one of those movies that made me cry as a kid and still continues to do so as I get older.

First of all, the music is fantastic. I was never too big on musicals and never really caught onto the songs from most childhood films. To be honest, I think the main songs that I ever enjoyed were those from The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. Anyways, Elton John, Tim Rice, and Hans Zimmer did a wonderful job. I love each and every single song and sound in The Lion King. It makes me want to actually explore more cultural or tribal music, such as African. To this day, I still love hearing Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".

Next, the visuals. Oh the visuals! The art is incredible all on it's own. It's probably my most favorite aspect of this whole film. Because the artist creates this kingdom, this jungle so beautifully, so breath-taking. That is essentially what made me cry the second the film started, in combination with the music too of course. Not only is the environment so gorgeous, but the animals too. They are drawn with such grace, the way they move, the intensive range of expression on their faces, and lip-reading is actually very doable with this cartoon. Meaning, usually with animations of any sort, it's pretty hard to read the characters' lips thus often hard for me to understand what is being said. Every now and then there are some pretty accurate arts that nail the human form of lip moving very well, The Lion King is one of them.

With the artistic aspect in mind, the other thing I love is the animals themselves. How humanized they are, and how well they are done so. This movie reminds me how much I really do love animals. It makes nearly all the characters dramatically more lovable than if this movie was just played by humans. For example, if this movie was portrayed with a similar story, but as a kingdom of people, acted out by humans, I don't think you would fall in love with people as much. There's something there and a lot of it is because these animals can talk, they have emotions, they have personalities, they have all that we have. And if you were like me as a child [and perhaps now still] that's one of the things you wanted most, for animals to talk to us, be like us to some extent. I wished that everyday. Still do, in fact. But, there is a lot of power in silence, in any way you choose to interpret that.

Next, the ultimate part that makes me cry every time is the death of Simba's father Mufasa. Now, more than ever this resonates more personal to me. Since I've always loved my father, and now living with just him for the last 8 years at least. I've grown an attachment to him, a great love, and a great fear of losing him. This movie only makes it harder to bear at this point in my life. Moreover, Mufasa's character is extremely admirable.

The religious aspect is very fascinating. The whole circle of life concept is something I believed growing up. Not because of this film, but it's still beautifully put. Despite my lack of religiousness, there is something about this concept that I have a respect and even a fondness for. Something I'd also like to attach to Hinduism and Buddhism, both religions/philosophies that I'm fascinated and drawn to. 

Lastly, at least that I can remember, lions are freaking awesome! I've always been fascinated by the feline family, but not so much cats. The way they move, every little thing, even their eyes are simply beautiful. One of the most beautiful yet dangerous creatures. They have that duality to them. When tamed and/or young, they can be really cuddly and loving, still beautiful, but they can also kill you without much effort. This is a good example of a creature that can be loved and feared at the same time. As I said before, the artist captured the grace of the lions really well. I love the way their legs move, the way their shoulder blades protrude out their backs, the slight sway of their tails. I find these animals to be very sexy in the way they move. Of course, us humans made a complimentary metaphor when describing a woman to move like a cat, etc. Interestingly, one of my favorite animals as a kid was the cheetah [even more funny that I have this in my car].

One more little thing, I like that this film is setting in Africa. Probably one of the few diverse films made by Disney.

I'm really glad I went to see this today.