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"THE LION KING" (1994) (voices of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jeremy Irons) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Mild *Moderate Moderate None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild. None Moderate None None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence None None Heavy Heavy Heavy QUICK TAKE: Animated Drama: A young lion cub flees his herd because he believes to be responsible for his king/father's death, but eventually returns to accept his rightful place as the heir to the throne. PLOT: Simba (voice of JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS), a young lion cub born to King Mufasta (voice of JAMES EARL JONES) is learning all about the kingdom that he will one day inherit. His uncle Scar (voice of JEREMY IRONS), jealous of Simba and Mufasta, devises a plan for their death. When Mufasta is killed, Scar puts the blame on Simba who flees from the scene in shame. Simba grows up in the company of Timor (voice of NATHAN LANE), a meercat, and Pumbaa (voice of ERNIE SABELLA), a warthog, reveling in the philosophy of Hakuna Matata, which means "no worries." When Nala (voice of MOIRA KELLY), a childhood friend of Simba's discovers that he is still alive, she, along with Rafaki (voice of ROBERT GUILLAUME), a monkey advisor to the king, convince him to return to his homeland to fight for his rightful place. He just has to oust the evil Scar and his hyena henchmen from the throne. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? The film will appeal to all ages. There are good characters, good songs, an excellent story, and superb animation. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G For apparently not containing material to warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: It's debatable whether kids view animated, non-human characters as role models, but here's a brief summary of their major characteristics/behavior. JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS provides the voice of Simba, a playful lion cub who runs away from home thinking himself to be responsible for his father's death. MATTHEW BRODERICK provides the voice of adult Simba, rightful heir to the throne who is separated from his kingdom. He is given the choice of living a carefree life of "no worries" or returning to his land to fight for his throne and his responsibilities. JEREMY IRONS provides the voice of Scar, the king's brother who covets the crown and plots to kill both the king and Simba so that he might obtain it. JAMES EARL JONES provides the voice of King Mustafa, Simba's father and benevolent ruler of the land and all animals who dwell there. NATHAN LANE provides the voice of Timon the Meercat, who befriends the young Simba and teaches him the life of Hakuna Matata (no worries). ERNIE SABELLA provides the voice of Pumbaa the Warthog, friend of Timon, who lives the life of Hakuna Matata despite the gastronomical disorder that makes him an outcast. ROBERT GUILLAUME provides the voice of Rafiki the Mandrill, the slightly crazed spiritual leader of the tribe, who helps Simba decide what to do. MOIRA KELLY provides the voice of adult Nala who discovers that Simba is alive and helps to lead him back to his rightful place. WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CHEECH MARIN, and JIM CUMMINGS provide the voices of a trio of hyenas who are Scar's evil henchmen and do his bidding. ROWAN ATKINSON provides the voice of Zasu the Hornbill, the king's messenger and advisor who happily serves Mustafa and unhappily serves Scar when he assumes the throne. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's been rated G. There is no profanity, but various colorful phrases are present. There are no weapons other than what the animals were born with -- teeth and claws. There's no blood to speak of although we do see some red welts form on the face of a hyena after he was slashed by a lion's claws. We also see the hyenas tear into zebra meat though there is no blood shown. We do see a number of scenes that include dried animal bones and skeletons. There is a musical number with Scar where images of skeletons and demonic-looking beings are seen. There are a number of fight/chase scenes where the lead characters are placed in danger by the evil characters that might be intense for very young children. The concept of a "circle of life" may also be confusing for young children and raise questions in their minds about death. This is most strongly exemplified in the scene where young Simba discovers his father's fallen body, trampled by a stampede. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE Pumbaa farts, parting grass and knocking out zebras and monkeys. Some zebras turn their backsides to the camera and raise their tails. Zasu, who is standing behind them, ducks, expecting something to follow. Young Simba slashes at an attacking hyena leaving a red welt across his face. Scar drops the hindquarters of a zebra to feed the hyenas he is enlisting into his "army." We see the hyenas tearing the bloodless flesh from the bone. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Phrases: "As mad as a hippo with a hernia," "You're so weird," "Ditch the dodo," "Banana Beak;" "Fuzzy" and "Cactus Butt." Scar turns his back on Mustafa, a sign of disrespect. We see a parade of marching hyenas that are goose-stepping, reminiscent of Hitler's storm troopers. Scar lies to Simba and tries to make the young cub feel responsible for his father's death. A hyena stops at edge of cliff but is hit from behind by another hyena who didn't stop. The first hyena falls into the brambles at the bottom of the cliff. The other hyenas laugh as he springs from the brambles covered in thorns. Scar confesses to killing Mufasta as he tries to kill Simba in the same manner. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful, or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Zasu and young Simba are chased by three hyenas. They slide down the spine of an elephant skeleton and land in a pile of bones. Scar grabs a hyena by his neck when proclaiming that he plans to kill King Mustafa. Scar lures Simba into a dangerous situation. Simba is caught in a stampede that was started by Scar and the hyenas. We see menacing shadows on the walls, as the hyenas are welcomed into the herd by new king Scar. Adult Nala, looking for food, chases Pumbaa who gets stuck under a log. Timon tries to free him as Nala charges. Just in time, Simba pounces in front of her. They slash at each other and growl before they finally recognize one another. Scar forces Simba off a cliff edge as lightning strikes and causes a fire to blaze below him. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "As mad as a hippo with a hernia," "You're so weird," "Ditch the dodo," "Banana Beak," "Fuzzy" and "Cactus Butt." Many of the songs (example: Hakuna Matata) have a catchy, repetitive refrain that may encourage to sing them repeatedly. A character drags his nails along a cave wall, emitting an annoying screech. Simba wakes his father up by head-butting him. Timon and Pumbaa teach Simba how to eat bugs. Timon eats the head of a bug and Pumbaa talks with a mouthful of bugs. Young Simba slurps down a slimy slug. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays at several points in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY None. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Scar turns his back on Mustafa the king, showing his disdain and disrespect. Simba and Nala defy Mustafa by visiting the off-limits elephant graveyard. Mustafa finds out and brings them home. Scar makes a proclamation that he plans to kill his brother, the king, and assume his throne. Simba is caught in a stampede that Scar creates. Mustafa runs to rescue him, putting his own life in danger. Simba discovers his father's body lying in the wake of the stampede. Scar convinces Simba that Mustafa's death is his fault and that he should run away. Simba and his uncle Scar fight for the right to rule. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Mustafa explains the "circle of life" ("We eat the antelope; when we die our bodies become the grass; the antelope eat the grass") to Simba. The song "Be Prepared" contains images of bones, skeletons, and demonic images. Young Simba discovers the dead body of his father Mustafa. Simba sees and hears his dead father, giving him advice from beyond the grave. VIOLENCE Scar steps on mouse's tail and plays with it as if he's planning to eat it. Scar chases Zasu and catches him in his mouth. He is forced to spit the bird out by Mustafa. Young Simba practices his pouncing by jumping on Zasu and knocking him to the ground. Zasu flies into the rear of a rhinoceros. Young Simba and young Nala scamper in between feet of marching elephants. They are not fearful. Zasu is humorously trampled by a stampede of singing animals… twice. A choreographed number ends with a pyramid of animals collapsing with Zasu at the bottom of the pile. The hyenas grab Zasu and place him in a pot of boiling liquid they call the "birdie boiler." Mustafa attacks the hyenas who were chasing his son and drives them to the ground under his feet. Two hyenas fight each other and as they break apart, we see one chewing on his own leg thinking it belonged to his opponent. Hyenas fall onto a hot springs geyser that erupts, sending them flying into the air. Scar grabs the cheek of a hyena and tugs at it. Scar kicks a hyena who falls backwards into a pile of bones. Scar grabs a hyena by his neck when proclaiming that he plans to kill King Mustafa. Scar pounces near a hyena who falls backward into a fissure opened by volcanic activity. Scar backhand slaps Zasu which knocks him against a rock and renders him unconscious. Mustafa is knocked to the ground by a stampeding herd. He rights himself and grabs Simba but is knocked down again. He manages to get Simba to high ground but is then swept away by the stampeding herd. Mustafa clings to rock face as herd stampedes below him. Scar grabs his wrists and flings them from the rock, sending Mustafa hurtling to the ground and under the feet of the stampeding herd. The hyenas chase Simba to kill him as per Scar's orders. They corner him but Simba plunges off cliff and rolls down the hillside into thick brambles, through which the little cub is able to scamper. We see a motionless young Simba on the ground as a flock of buzzards circles around him. They land and surround him as if preparing to feast on his carcass. Pumbaa and Timon arrive to drive the birds off. A hyena stops at edge of cliff but is hit from behind by another hyena who didn't stop. The first hyena falls into the brambles at the bottom of the cliff. The other hyenas laugh as he springs from the brambles covered in thorns. A hyena spits thorns into the nose of another hyena. Scar knocks Simba's mother to the ground. Simba springs up from a precarious position, pounces on Scar, and begins to choke him. A pack of hyenas attack Simba, knocking him to the ground. A pride of lions come to Simba's defense and begin fighting the hyenas. A mandrill (Rafaki) jumps into the center of a ring of hyenas and defeats them with a series of karate moves. Timor flees from a number of hyenas and runs to skeletal ribcage that houses Zasu where they are trapped. Pumbaa charges to the rescue and chases the hyenas out, freeing Timor and Zasu. Simba and Scar fight as burning embers blaze around them. A pack of hungry hyenas turn on Scar and kill him. We see this as a shadow cast upon the wall of the cliff face. Posted May 31, 2007