Product Details

• Actors: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Taylor Thomas
• Directors: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
• Writers: Andy Gaskill, Barry Johnson, Bob Tzudiker, Brenda Chapman, Burny Mattinson
• Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• DVD Release Date: October 7, 2003
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (573 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXB4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Movies & TV > Musicals & Performing Arts > Musicals > Drama
  #6 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Drama
  #11 in	Movies & TV > Animation > Feature Films

• For more information about "The Lion King (Disney Special Platinum Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 1 in The Lion King Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrat crowd. --Tom Keogh

How good-looking is the DVD restoration of Disney's popular animated film? Take a look at the serviceable but dull film clips incorporated in the plethora of extras and compare them to the vivid gorgeousness of the film presentation. This "special edition" also adds a 90-second song ("Morning Report") that originated in the lavish stage musical. To Disney's credit, the original theatrical version is also included, both restored and featuring two 5.1 soundtracks: Dolby Digital and a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, which does sound brighter. As with the Disney Platinum line, everything is thrown into the discs, except an outsider's voice (the rah-rahs of Disney grow tiresome at times). The excellent commentary from the directors and producer, originally on the laser disc, is hidden under the audio set-up menu.

The second disc is organized by 20-minute-ish "journeys" tackling the elements of story, music, et cetera, including good background on the awkward Shakespearean origins at Disney where it was referred as "Bamlet." The most interesting journey follows the landmark stage production, and the kids should be transfixed by shots of the real African wildlife in the animal journey. Three deleted segments are real curios, including an opening lyric for "Hakuna Matata." Most set-top DVD games are usually pretty thin (DVD-ROM is where it's at), but the Safari game is an exception--the kids should love the roaring animals (in 5.1 Surround, no less). One serious demerit goes to the needless and complicated second navigation system that is listed by continent, but just shows the same features reordered. --Doug Thomas

Product Description

Disney's THE LION KING SPECIAL EDITION features an all-new song, "Morning Report," and never-before-seen animation, giving you even more of this award-winning masterpiece -- the greatest animated adventure of all time. An unforgettable story, breathtaking animation, beloved characters, and Academy Award(R)-winning music (Best Original Score, 1994; Best Song, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight") set the stage for the adventures of Simba, the feisty lion cub who "just can't wait to be king." But his envious Uncle Scar has plans for his own ascent to the throne, and he forces Simba's exile from the kingdom. Alone and adrift, Simba soon joins the escapades of a hilarious meerkat named Timon and his warmhearted warthog pal, Pumbaa. Adopting their carefree lifestyle of "Hakuna Matata," Simba ignores his real responsibilities until he realizes his destiny and returns to the Pride Lands to claim his place in the "Circle of Life." Now extensively restored and remastered -- experience THE LION KING like never before, from its magnificent musical opening over breathtaking African vistas to its emotional climax. The all-star vocal talents -- including Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Ernie Sabella -- rip-roaring comedy, and uplifting messages of courage, loyalty, and hope make this timeless tale entertainment for all ages.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, buy it., September 29, 2003

By	Gaijin "on the rock that spews lava.." (Hilo, HI United States) - See all my reviews

Disney's The Lion King is finally available on DVD. Considered the cream of the crop of all the Disney animated features by many, it is definitely worth owning. I don't think I'll go into the story, which I'm sure most of you know. Chances are you've already seen the movie and are just waiting to own it on a piece of media that won't rot like your VHS tape that probably fell apart by now. Even if Disney released a sub par release of this movie, you'd buy it.
Luckily, this is one of the best releases ever.

Video and Audio is supreme in this release. Especially vibrant is the 5.1 sound. Of all the older Disney releases, this one benefits the most I think, with the powerful music and sound effects present in this release. Hearing James Earl Jones as Mufasa blaring in thunderous 5.1 sound is quite amazing. Likewise the excellent music, such as the opening Circle of Life. Present in this release is the original theatrical version as well as a version with new music/song. I actually didn't care for the new song, but some may. The extras are quite numerous, contained on a second DVD and are mentioned in Amazon's product details...I haven't had the time to go through them yet, so I cannot comment on the extras. I just watched the movie again. To be honest, the movie would be worth it as a single disc release so I'm happy as it is.

Some interesting trivia for some of the people who are not aware of it is that The Lion King seemed to be heavily "influenced" by an old Japanese anime, Kimba The White Lion. Those wishing to see the "similarities" would do well to check out that series as it has also been released on DVD. Carbon copying aside, I do love the Lion King. It still manages to grab you whether you are 4 years old or 40. Two thumbs up!!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars probably THE BEST ANIMATED FILM !, October 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lion King (A Walt Disney Masterpiece) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

After the movie Little Mermaid came out, Disney would make 3 other animated masterpieces: Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, that would change the way we looked at animated films, somthing new, something wonderful.But of all these 4 great animated films, in my opinion The Lion King was the greatest. The music was just, beautiful, and Scar was probably the most EVIL Disney villain the was ever drawn on a piece of paper.You hated him, but you almost liked him, because he was so great. But probably the best part of the movie was Simba's pal's Pumbaa and Timon, the BEST Disney characters EVER!!! The scene where Timon was doing the hula, I thought I was going to die from laughing. Anybody from toddler to 10 year old to 60 year from boy to old woman to teenager and so forth will, without a doubt, LOVE this movie, everyone.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars LION KING NO LONGER PRESERVED IN HISTORY!, December 5, 2006

By	beatfan - See all my reviews

I am a great fan and admirer of Disney animation. As a child, I would watch the movies of the new generation (starting with The Little Mermaid) religiously and enjoy the songs and characters. As an adult, I appreciate them even more for their moving storylines and deep meanings. To preserve these movies in my collection, I re-purchased certain limited edition DVD's even though I already had all of the VHS. The Lion King was no exception. However, I doubt that I will ever watch the DVD release again...

Many viewers may not notice this, and some may not even care, but I cringed when I found this out: When The Lion King was released to IMAX theatres a couple of years ago, the animators decided to "enhance" the film experience, partly because the film's dimensions would now have to accomodate a larger format screen. What started out as a few color touch-ups and brush-ups ended up a RE-ANIMATION of some of the scenes.

Let's start with the opening castle logo: It used to be blue/white, and now, it's black/orange. OK, Disney is constanly changing its image and wanted to match it to the color scheme of the IMAX release. That's understandable...

What about the "Just Can't Wait to be King" sequence? The CROCODILES with the birds in their mouths have completely been re-animated! This may sound stupid, but I never forgot how the original crocs looked; that image was imprinted in my mind all this time. When I saw the ugly green things with the deformed noses they put in now, I was surprised.

But that's not all...Watch the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" sequence. Remember the part when Nala and Simba are climbing down to the waterfalls to get a drink? That whole background is now completely changed! Everything from the waterfalls, to the rock, to the colors is different.

The part where Mufasa re-appears in the clouds has been re-animated, though that's not as butchered as the other parts I just mentioned. When Simba falls down in despair and blows away the petals and moss in the wind, they fly to Rafiki. The movement and patterns of that has been re-drawn.

Supposedly, the Disney team thought these would make the IMAX experience better. At least they promised us the original theatrical version on the DVD, so rest assure, you'll see the first animation... Oh no, wait, that's gone too! Their idea of the original version is the same re-animated scenes minus the "Morning Report" song. Everything that you remember about the movie is now gone.

I think that when a movie is released and experiences as big of a success as The Lion King did, it goes down in history and should be respectfully preserved. It's one thing to change something for a re-release and call it a "Special Edition" version, but it's another to tamper with the original film in terms of its animation and exclude the first animation altogether. It's not so much what they changed, but the principle of the thing.

FINAL THOUGHT: The original 11-year old film is now gone! The only way you can see the actual animation is to watch your old VHS tape or laser disc. Both the Special Edition and the Theatrical are the changed versions on the DVD. When the Lion King comes out many years from now as a 25th edition or whatever, it's hard to say if that will mean 25 years after the 1995 release or the IMAX re-release. History has now been altered!