The Lion King (2019) Review

*SPOILERS*

The Lion King is an absolute classic. It is many people’s favourite childhood movie and it’s enjoyed every time you watch it!

The first time I ever watched The Lion King was actually as a musical play on a school trip to the theatres in 2013/2014.

I liked it but I thought it was definitely overrated.

Skip ahead to 2019, I went to the Cinema with my sister and watched this glorious movie in 3D and LOVED it.

I love how spirituality is portrayed throughout the movie and the many amazing famous dialogues that can be used as quotes today, such as:

“Hakuna Matata” (means ‘no worries’ in Swahili)
"Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope."
“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.”
“Remember who you are.”
“Everybody is a somebody, even a nobody.”

And lots more!

Synopsis

The Lion King is a family drama, musical and action-adventure.

The movie is based on a family of lions, with Mufasa (father and husband) as the king of Pride Lands.

Scar, (Mufasa’s brother) was first in line until Mufasa’s cub (Simba) was born. And he was not too pleased with that fact.

He thought it was unfair that he won’t become king.

When Simba was a cub, Scar managed to manipulate him to go to dangerous places so that he and Mufasa could die.

He also befriends the hyenas - territorial rivalries - so that they could help him takeover.

Scar ends up betraying and killing Mufasa. He then blames Mufasa’s death on Simba and tells him to run away. He orders the hyenas to kill Simba, but they assume that he wouldn’t survive anyway and decide not to go after him.

Simba manages to stay alive!

Greed, manipulation and betrayal is a very common theme in a lot of brown families *cough cough*.

I guess this is why I thought the movie was overrated.

Simba (still as a cub) then runs away, meets Timon and Pumba who become his best friends and they also raise him.

Scar (assuming that Simba is dead) takes over Pride Lands with the hyenas.

During Scar’s reign, he and the hyenas overhunt and kill everything leading to famine and destruction of Pride Lands.

Sarabi chose Mufasa over Scar and after Mufasa’s death, he insists Sarabi to be his Queen.

She rejects him. Out of his resentment he lets the hyenas eat before the lions - leaving them very little food.

Simba lives his life in regret, pain and feels unworthy of becoming king because he led his father to the grave (supposedly). He tries to escape his past by never going back.

Rafiki (friend and shaman) spots Simba’s fur, believes that Simba is alive and rejoices!

Nala (Simba’s childhood best friend) goes to look for help and bumps into Simba. She tells him to take his place as King and to come back but he refuses.

Rafiki finds Simba and observes him. He realises that Simba is in deep pain.

Rafiki heals him by showing that Mufasa still lives in him. Simba hears Mufasa’s voice in the thunder and lightning and tells him to take his place in the circle of life.

Simba gets the courage to return and face his past.

Simba challenges Scar to step down, but Scar refuses (obviously). He intimidates Simba by talking about the death of Mufasa and accuses him as a murderer.

Soon after, it seemed as if Simba was going to face the same fate as Mufasa, but Scar confesses to Simba and he attacks Scar.

The lions and hyenas fight. Scar asks for mercy, lies and blames everything on the hyenas, not knowing that the hyenas heard him.

Simba tells Scar to run away but ruins this opportunity by attacking Simba once again.

Simba pushes Scar off Pride Rock but survives the fall. He lands amidst the hyenas. Scar changes his tone and tries to motivate the hyenas.

The hyenas don’t take his word, they tell him that they heard what he said to Simba and they all attack him.

Simba then takes his place as King in the great circle of life.

Characters

My favourite characters are Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa. They add so much value and fun to The Lion King.

Rafiki plays the role of a shaman and royal friend. I always saw him as just a wise old monkey with an important stick. Because of him, Simba agrees to go back, and we see the story unfold the way that it does. He definitely brings most of the spiritual element into the movie.

Timon is an overconfident meerkat and thinks that he is very clever. He seems to be quite self-absorbed and always laughs at his best friend’s- Pumbaa the warthog- thoughts and ideas.

Interestingly, Pumbaa has great ideas and explanations but is gullible and so believes and accepts whatever Timon says.

Honestly, I love their duo, they bring the comical factor in The Lion King and they reflect some of the people I’ve come across in my life.

Despite some of their weird philosophies, they stick together and stay loyal to Simba.

Nala and Sarabi are strong female characters. They both stay loyal and want the best for Pride Lands. Its so strange hearing Beyonce’s voiceover for Nala’s character. It sounds like she’ll start singing any second. But of course, Queen B does a great job.

Scar is the King’s greedy and self-righteous brother. He only cares about the throne and is the reason why shit goes down.

Simba is a very interesting character. He starts off ambitious and eager to become King but then runs away from his legacy. He feels immense guilt and lives his life hiding away because he doesn’t want to face his past.

Eventually, as we all know (I hope) he does take his rightful place as King and bravely, while staying gracious, fights Scar and learns the truth.

Mufasa was the first lion king. He was a brave, compassionate, loving, and wise king. He always put his family first and took responsibility to ensure that there was no threat to Pride Lands.

Zazu is a hornbill that serves the king as the royal advisor. He has a short temper and takes everything seriously. However, his role has been very beneficial to Mufasa as Zazu could spot trouble or help before him.

Shenzi, Ed and Banzai are a trio of hyenas, Shenzi being the leader. They are cowards but still willing to join hands with Scar so that they can have food. They have a major role in The Lion King as they speak for all the hyenas and also eliminate Scar at the end.

My Thoughts

The Lion King is one of my favourite Disney movies. I wanted to review the 2019 remake specifically because of the photorealistic computer animation. It is amazing.

The imagery, scenery and nature looks so beautiful.

I particularly like the scene of Simba’s fur going through different phases until it gets to Rafiki. It really shows the journey and can be reflected upon in our own lives.

Another one of my favourite scenes is when Rafiki finds Simba, changes his perception, and provides some healing. Well, enough courage to go back and fight anyway. Although, they did cut some important dialogues from this scene that can be very valuable.

Overall, The Lion King teaches morals, values and the importance of facing your past to grow past it and heal. This is what I love about family-friendly movies, they carry great lessons.

I prefer the 2019 version only because of the photorealistic computer animation but it's not better than the original. They are equally great!

I highly recommend watching The Lion King if you haven’t already!

Read, share, comment and let me know what you think!