Lion King roars loudest in Disney's jungle

When "The Little Mermaid" emerged on the screen in the beginning of this decade, I thought no more sap could be sucked from the tree of melodrama and tender, touching moments. But because the kids I was babysitting had decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, I decided to give it a shot. It was sappy, but good sap. All the sentiments were there, the good winning out against evil, love conquering all and all that stuff -- but, hey, it's a Disney movie. The mermaids were versatile, the visuals amazing and the supporting roles amusing. Never again would I turn up my supposedly cinematically mature nose to animated features.

Since "Mermaid," Disney's feature-length cartoons have not only gotten better, but also have become more accessible to the over-11 crowd. They're complex, sometimes violent, sometimes a little bit sexy and faster paced than a Nike commercial. Financially, each film since "Mermaid" has outdone the last. "Aladdin" set an all-time world box office record for animated movies by topping the $220 million mark.

Disney's most recent animated feature, "The Lion King," should be no exception to the trend. It is by far the most visually complex. Since the technological breakthroughs in computer animation first seen in "Jurassic Park," animation has taken on new levels and "The Lion King" is its witness.

Its originality rests in its being the first Disney film to be based on original source material, and being set in an environment populated entirely by animals. An animated Africa provides the stunning backdrop, accompanied by a soothing yet slightly irritating soundtrack by Academy Award winning lyricist Tim Rice and pop legend Elton John.

The story revolves around Simba, a future lion king who frets around his father's kingdom impatient about becoming the king of the jungle. His father, King Mufasa (played with the regal voice of James Earl Jones), teaches his son, somewhat incorrectly, about the Circle of Life ("we eat the antelopes, but when we die we dissolve into the soil and then the antelopes eat the grass that rises from it" -- basically saying that the antelopes are a kind of predator -- wrong!). Conflict starts when the power-hungry brother of Mufasa, Scar (played with the pretentious voicing of Jeremy Irons) starts planning the death of Mufasa and Simba so he can rule the kingdom. Scar teams with some hyenas, played hilariously by comedians Cheech Martin and Whoopi Goldberg, to complete his goal. In a breathtaking scene of stampeding wildebeests (here can be seen the contributions of computer animation), violence corrupts the picture-perfect world of Disney. Simba is spared, but he leaves the kingdom out of guilt for the impetuous situation.

While on the run, Simba meets two sidekicks, a meerkat and a warthog, who teach him the rules of a worry-free life. When an old friend appears on the scene to point out Simba's responsibility to be the new king, Simba returns to the kingdom to settle the score with Scar.

All of this is pretty exciting, especially for a Disney film. Despite the violence that may disturb the young viewer, the film is solid.

Note to the little kiddies: there are a couple of deaths in the film, one tastefully done, one not so tastefully implied, so be forewarned. Yet, they're not that bad. Life is not a bowl of cherries, and a Disney film need not necessarily be one either. There are only five songs, yet, according to film critic Terrence Rafferty of the New Yorker, they "provide ideal opportunities to take the kids to the bathroom, the candy counter or the shrink." The opening song sounds a lot like the African tunes of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (who has worked a lot with Paul Simon) if it's not really them, but I think it is, so they're not too hard to swallow.

"The Lion King" is a film that takes off from a moving start. Despite some ecological "paintings of accuracy" -- all these animals dancing around to honor the birth of Simba, are in fact, prey, you know, lion FOOD, the movie is actually pretty solid, animatedly speaking. Also with Matthew Broderick, Robert Guillaume (television's Benson), and "With Honors'" Moira Kelly.