The Lion King

For collectible movie items, enter the movie, actor, director, etc. in the box below

(Keyword) Select a Category Accessories Antiques Art Baby Books Business & Industrial Cameras & Photo Cars, Trucks, Parts Clothing Coins Collectibles Computers Consumer Electronics Dolls & Bears DVDs & Movies Hobbies & Crafts Home & Garden Jewelry & Gems Motorcycles Music Musical Instruments Networking & IT PDA's Pottery & Glass Real Estate Sporting Goods Sporting Memorabilia Stamps Tickets Tools Toys Travel TV Video Games Watches Miscellaneous

 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 --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition.

 DVD features

How good-looking is the 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

 Family Fun, Michael Trotman

"A Must-Buy for your family DVD collection." --This text refers to the DVD edition.

 Today, Gene Shalit

"Spectacular story, music, and animation." --This text refers to the DVD edition.

 The Digital Bits, Bill Hunt

"The family crowd and casual fans will, of course, be blown away by the sheer volume of content here..." --This text refers to the DVD edition.

 IGN.com, Andy Patrizio

Overall Score 10 out of 10. --This text refers to the DVD edition.

 DVDTalk.com, Aaron Beierle

"Lion King finally gets a release on DVD and certainly, I have no problems giving this release my highest recommendation." --This text refers to the DVD edition.