A Walk Through Time: The Lion King

In this article we are going to talk about the movie The Lion King. Disney uses nostalgia to sell. Today, there are many remakes of the 90s Disney movies, Disney Renaissance.

These remakes are meant to lure people to the movies and revive the past, but they probably won’t live up to their standards. One of the last movies to be remade is also one of the most loved. This is the Hamlet of our time, The Lion King .

Disney Renaissance was a glorious era for the studio. Between 1989 and 1999, Disney released titles such as:

• Mulan
• Tarzan
• Hercules
• Beauty and the Beast
• The little Mermaid
• The Lion King

This era produced many movies that both adults and children enjoyed. Made with groundbreaking technology at the time, these films took the magic of Disney to other levels.

In the years before the internet, movies were a bigger part of people’s lives. Going to the movies was a great deal and an exciting experience.

The Lion King was a breakthrough. Everyone was talking about it, everyone loved it. This fascination gave way to a successful musical, which is still running today. Now Disney wanted to bring that back and remake this wonderful movie experience.

Why a remake of The Lion King?

The short answer is, because it is very profitable. To be fair, there are other complex issues involved as well. Audiences will flock to this new version of a youth classic, but it can also be very critical of remakes.

This remake is very special for another reason. While other remakes of Disney classics allow for more creative freedoms, The Lion King doesn’t show much of that. For many it’s one of the best Disney movies ever, for others it’s one of the best movies ever, period.

For example, nostalgia and dedication can work against creative freedom. In a way, The Lion King is untouchable. It cannot be modified because people will criticize every added detail.

There are many reasons to make a remake, from telling the story from a different point of view, to taking it to a new era. The interesting thing about The Lion King is that it is already a remake of a famous work, Hamlet. It is also told from a different point of view, as it is set in the animal kingdom.

If you pay attention to the 2019 version, you notice that the creators were aware of how difficult it was to get to the bottom of the classic, so they stayed overly faithful to the original.

So, if it didn’t bring anything new to the table, was it necessary? Was it a trip down memory lane or just to make a profit? Either way, audiences flocked to the cinemas and the nostalgia was served up.

It is also a very entertaining movie. It contains great images, but at the same time it is a forgetful attempt. It hardly shows anything new or innovative. Still, people probably didn’t want anything new. Everyone seemed happy to reminisce about their childhood.

The Ghost of Hamlet

The Lion King is basically a version of Hamlet. There are similarities, but it’s a family-friendly effort. In its day, Hamlet was groundbreaking, delving into the characters and their psychological characteristics, something unimaginable at the time. Tragedies have an important influence on universal literature.

The Lion King not only used Hamlet as a reference, but also focused on the emotions, feelings and motivations of its characters. Although the story is told by animals, it can feel deeply human.

Hamlet isn’t just about revenge, it’s about human nature and characters that are a joy to analyze. In The Lion King, you will learn about Mufasa and his relationship with his son. In this way revenge is justified and children can empathize with the film.

So The Lion King has a plot similar to that of Hamlet, but it created an identity within the imagination of the public and Disney. Through tragedy, comedy and music, audiences witness the loss of a loved one. The remake offers a deeper look at the characters and leaves behind the childish view of animation.

The Lion King and Its Current Importance

The 2019 Lion King offers an updated speech with some added value. The message of the film is about how humanity uses its resources and the real value of nature.

The cycle of life is still the guiding theme. Mufasa explains to Simba the importance of understanding that all living things are important, from animals to plants. If we let greed corrupt us and abuse the earth, the cycle of life will break and there will be no more life.

Lions are seen as strong animals that feed on others. But Mufasa points out the importance of their bodies after death. They will feed the earth where plants will grow that will feed the animals.

If everyone contributes to the circle of life, without abusing their position, life will be harmonious and possible, even if it sometimes seems unjust.

Scar embodies greed, corruption and the desire to own everything and everyone. He doesn’t care about the other animals in his kingdom or that plants never grow again. In a way, Scar is contributing to his own demise and that of his world.

This message offers a parallel to our world, to the climate emergency we face and the problems associated with inequality and abuse.

By staying close to the original, the film embraces its original message and brings it to our current reality, making the audience identify with what it sees on screen.

The Lion King will always remain a Disney classic, and in a few years, people probably won’t remember this new adaptation. Nostalgia will always be there, making you think back to your childhood, wanting to go back to the original and sing the songs that are part of the soundtrack of your life.