FILM

The Lion King

Directed by Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff

at local theaters

First of all, this is not The New Yorker.

Usually that would be clear right away. But this piece is talking about "The Lion King," and for the past few weeks, any mention of the movie overheard by the reviewer has been accompanied by a mention of Anthony Lane's review in that august journal.

This review differs from Lane's in two small but important ways--first, it's being printed in a newspaper, not a magazine; second, it's fairly positive. Lane's harsh words notwithstanding, "The Lion King" is one of the better movies of the summer.

It's certainly one of the more dramatic. The movie begins with Mufasa, king of the plains (NOT the jungle--the Disney people are too smart to fall for cliches here) presenting his small cub, Simba, to his assorted subjects. Elephants trumpet. The soundtrack rises in pitch. And then, the scene suddenly disappears from the screen, abruptly replaced with "THE LION KING"--blood-red, no less (more on that later).

You've heard the story already, no doubt. Mufasa, a feared but well-liked ruler, his mate Sarabi and their son Simba live together in the seemingly harmonious land of Pride Rock. There's something rotten in the kingdom, though--Mufasa's brother Scar, the younger sibling simply green-eyed (literally) with jealousy of his brother's power.

Carrying out the Hamlet-esque overtones of the tale, Scar plots to kill Mufasa and Simba and seize power. While Simba survives his uncle's machinations, Scar manages to convince him that Simba was responsible for hid father's violent death, causing Simba to go into exile.

But Simba, thought to be dead, finds a paradise and some protectors. Eventually, he grows up and, prodded by his best friend Nala, returns to claim his birthright.

There are the bare bones (no pun intended) of the tale. Of course, in the 87 minutes of the movie, much more is presented. Simba's relationship with his father and the effect Mufasa's death has on the small cub is a prominent subtheme. Their bond carries even beyond death, and Simba's wish to make his father proud is a realistic drive. While the father-child relationship is a common element in Disney tales, this one is somehow much stronger, perhaps because the father is neither overly harsh (a la "The Little Mermaid") nor a bumbling fool ("Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin").

Or perhaps it's because it's so clear that this father would kill to protect his son, and nearly does at one point. Which brings up the topic of violence. In terms of modern-day action flicks, "Lion King," isn't too bad, but for a children's tale, it's a bit on the heavy side. Fortunately, the violence is confined to certain scenes rather than being endemic, but it's still there.

Presumably if you're reading and comprehending this review, you're old enough to handle a few fight scenes. But if you're thinking about bringing small children along, you might want to be on the lookout. (Then again, if those small children are into violent cartoons, they probably won't have many problems). And Mufasa's death scene is enough to make even the most jaded child ask his/her parents if "they'll always be there for them.

Of course, the violence wouldn't be such a factor without the vivid animation. Some reviewers have complained about the over-head angles and sweeping panoramic views used in the film. Nuts to them. The wilds of Africa are not the tame civilization to get in the beauty and the devastation in the movie without a wide-scale dramatic presentation.