Credit: DisneyIn celebration of their 100th anniversary, the Walt Disney Company is rereleasing The Lion King (1993), their greatest movie of all time, back in theaters.
Disney has released many excellent films over its 100-year history, but The Lion King is arguably the best of them all. The movie features numerous iconic performances, including James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Young Simba, Matthew Broderick as Adult Simba, Jeremy Irons as Scar, Nathan Lane as Timon, Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa, Rowan Atkinson as Zazu, and Robert Guillaume as Rafiki.
The film featured an iconic score by Hans Zimmer and even more iconic songs from Elton John and Tim Rice. All three of them won Academy Awards for their work.
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The first film was so successful that it inspired numerous remakes and sequels. The sequels include The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998), which follows Simba and Nala’s daughter as she comes of age, and Lion King 1 1/2 (2004), which follows Timon and Pumbaa through the events of the first movie.
The movie was reimagined as a stage musical in 1997 and has been running on Broadway ever since. It won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Direction for Julie Taymor.
The Lion King also received a “live-action” update in 2019, although it was made with realistic CGI. Even though it received mixed reviews, the movie, directed by Jon Favreau, became the highest-grossing animated film of all time at more than $1.6 billion. It starred Donald Glover as Adult Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, John Oliver as Zazu, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, and John Kani as Rafiki.
And it all started with an 88-minute-long movie from 1994. Even after all these years, it’s hard to think of another Disney movie that holds a candle to the success of this retelling of Hamlet. And if you want to relive the Circle of Life, you can do so for the next two weeks.
‘The Lion King’ is Back in Theaters for a Limited Time
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While every interpretation and spinoff of The Lion King is unique in its own way, it’s hard to beat the magic of the original. The Shakespearean story and gorgeous animation make this film stand out amongst numerous Disney classics. And if you’d like to see it on the big screen, you can do so for a limited time.
For Disney100, the Walt Disney Company’s celebration of its 100th anniversary, the company has been rereleasing many of its classic films in theaters. Since July, theaters have been home to The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003), Toy Story (1996), Frozen (2013), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Incredibles (2004), and Coco (2017).
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From September 29 to October 12, fans of the Walt Disney Animation Studio can watch the original version of The Lion King in select theaters. That’s right, it starts today! So, if you want to watch this piece of cinematic history, you have to hurry.
This is the penultimate film in the Disney100 rereleases. Starting on October 13, fans will instead be able to see Moana (2016) in theaters again.
What’s your favorite moment from The Lion King? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!