The Lion King

The Lion King is a 1994 animated musical drama produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, it was the studio’s thirty-second animated feature. The film uses an original story credited to Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton, with songs by Elton John and Tim Rice and a score by Hans Zimmer.

Set in an African savanna populated by talking animals, the story follows Simba, a lion cub and heir to Pride Rock. His father, King Mufasa, explains the responsibilities of rule and the balance of the “circle of life.” Simba’s uncle Scar covets the throne. With help from the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, Scar engineers a wildebeest stampede in which Mufasa dies while rescuing Simba. Scar convinces the grieving cub that he caused the tragedy and orders the hyenas to kill him.

Simba escapes and grows up under the philosophy “Hakuna Matata” with meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa. As an adult, voiced by Matthew Broderick, he is found by his childhood friend Nala, voiced by Moira Kelly. The mandrill Rafiki helps Simba confront his past, and Mufasa’s spirit reminds him to remember who he is. Simba returns to challenge Scar, whose misrule has left the Pride Lands barren. After Scar admits his role in Mufasa’s death, Simba defeats him; Scar is then killed by the hyenas he had betrayed.

The Lion King premiered in Los Angeles on June 15, 1994, and opened theatrically in the United States on June 24. It became the highest-grossing film of 1994 worldwide and remains the highest-grossing traditionally animated film. At the 67th Academy Awards, Zimmer won Best Original Score, while “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won Best Original Song for John and Rice. The film also received Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Original Score.

Its success led to the 1998 direct-to-video sequel The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, the 2004 prequel The Lion King 1½, a Broadway stage musical that opened in 1997, and a 2019 photorealistic computer-animated remake directed by Jon Favreau. The original film’s cast also includes Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, Nathan Lane as Timon, and Robert Guillaume as Rafiki. Its narrative combines succession, exile, and return in Simba’s journey from frightened cub to king. Disney reissued it theatrically several times including an IMAX engagement in 2002 in theaters.