The Lion King

A Disney cartoon always has three things: a cute princess, an evil guy/lady, and at least one or two catchy songs. "The Lion King," to me, is the epitome of the great Disney movies with exceptional soundtracks, maybe even the best. With music by Sir Elton John and lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, it would be near impossible for the music to fail.

At the 1995 Oscars "Circle of Life," and "Hakuna Matata," were nominated and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," won for Best Music, Song. "Lion King," was created into a Tony winning Broadway Musical in 1997, which is still in production.

For those who don't know, "The Lion King," follows Simba, a young lion cub, after his father, the king, is killed in a stamped. Simba is forced to run away from his family and friends, into the African wilderness. While there he finds two friends, grows into an adult, and then after encountering one of his childhood friends, is forced to go back home and claim his rightful spot as King Simba.



"Circle of Life," plays as the powerful opening scene of every animal from the Sahara gathers to welcome the birth of Simba. The lyrics are uplifting, leaving the viewer, and listener, with the main message of that, obviously, life is a circle. More importantly, the lyrics urge for exploration, "There's more to see than can ever be seen/More to do than can ever be done/There's far too much to take in here/More to find than can ever be found," and to push yourself, which Simba has to do throughout his life.

More importantly, the movie opens and closes with "Circle of Life," which reinforces the theme, of dealing with life, but overall knowing that when bad things happen, it only happens because it is the circle of the life.

"Lion King," is easily my favorite Disney movie, animals that talk, dance and sing, Elton John, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Nathan Lane, and James Earl Jones. Although "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," was the biggest success out of the film, "Circle of Life," is the essence of the movie.