'The Lion King 3D' still a mane event
Left to right: Simba and Rafiki in Disney's "The Lion King." Credit: Disney Enterprises, Inc. /
The animated intersection of Afro-pop, Greek tragedy, Catskills comedy and Shakespearean hauteur, "The Lion King" has been the gift that keeps on giving for the Walt Disney Co.: two video sequels, a TV series, video games, assorted merchandise and, of course, that little Broadway musical. To voice reservations about it is tantamount to saying you don't like the colors on the American flag.
However, in the catalog of Disney's Second Golden Age (beginning around 1989 with "The Little Mermaid"), "The Lion King" never matched the music or the sophistication of "Beauty and the Beast," the unalloyed mirth of the Pixar films (like "Finding Nemo" or "The Incredibles"), and certainly lacked the eccentric charm of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." On the other hand, it is one of the best films for little kids: big, noble, straightforward and gorgeous.
The gorgeousness has now been enhanced by 3-D technology, which brings a certain depth to the savanna where Simba the boy lion (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) will be cruelly betrayed by his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons), who wants the kingship held by Simba's father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones).
In a plotline lifted pretty heavily from "Hamlet," Simba will go off and grow up with his comedy sidekicks Timon the meerkat (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa the warthog (Ernie Sabella), eventually returning to wrest the crown from Scar, vanquishing the hyenas, and finding his love interest in Nala the lioness (Moira Kelly).
The big question is: How much does the 3-D transformation change things? The answer is: Not much. More important is that Disney has brought "The Lion King" back to the big screen.
PLOT Thinking himself responsible for his father's death, a young lion prince flees the pride but ultimately returns to claim his throne. RATING G
CAST Voices of James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Whoopi Goldberg, Moira Kelly and Nathan Lane
LENGTH 1:29
PLAYING AT Area theaters
BOTTOM LINE 3-D is a good excuse to revisit this 1994 Disney classic.
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