The Lion King Awakens The Nostalgia Of Our Childhood
Disney takes a certain pleasure in playing with our nostalgia, by making remakes of those films which seduced children in the 90s, like that of The Lion King . Some call this period the “Disney Renaissance”.
Audiences certainly go to the movies to immerse themselves in the past, even if sometimes they come out disappointed because the remake doesn’t measure up. The Lion King is the last of the Disney remakes to hit the screens. It is also one of the films most appreciated by these children who have become adults. It is inspired by the work of Hamlet of Shakespeare in more modern.
The period between 1989 and 1999 was a glorious time for Disney Studios. During these years films were released which are classics today such as Mulan, Tarzan, Hercules, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and, of course, The Lion King .
Disney gave their productions a turning point by making high-quality films that even adults could enjoy. They came to a time when new technologies were still in their infancy. But the technology had advanced enough that the magic of animation reached new heights.
The bulk of children’s visual entertainment still came from this type of production. The internet was still a fantasy of the future and the cinema experience was an exciting and unparalleled experience.
Of all these films, The Lion King is one of Disney’s greatest successes. This film is on everyone’s lips, nobody can hate it and we can only surrender to it. This fascination has led it to become a musical work that continues to fill theaters. Of course, the Disney studios wanted to take advantage of this success again with a remake.
But what does this new version of the classic mean? What are the new features of this reissue?
Why a remake of The Lion King ?
To answer this question, in this specific case, we could mention only one reason: profitability. Indeed, this film was very profitable. however, things are a bit more complex. It’s true that viewers rushed to see a new take on a classic from their childhood. However, it is also certain that audiences tend to be very critical of remakes. And this, sometimes unfairly.
The film we are telling you about here also has a peculiarity. In some remakes of Disney classics, we give more creative freedom to the filmmakers because the original version of the film is not unanimous. There are always differences of opinion among the public. However, with The Lion King of 1994, there is absolute unanimity. For some it is one of the best Disney movies. For others, it is by far the best film of all categories.
Thus, nostalgia and absolute fidelity work against all creative freedom. In other words, The Lion King becomes, in a way, untouchable. It is no longer possible to modify, change or embellish it. Anything added, even if the intention is good, will be subject to criticism.
Reasons for a Lion King version 2019
The reasons that can lead to making a remake are very diverse. They range from telling the story from another point of view to updating its values, or even intentionally distancing from the original. The interesting point here is that The Lion King from 1994 is itself a remake. Indeed, it is an adaptation of the work of Hamlet by Shakespeare. The Lion King was thus inspired by this work and transferred it to the animal kingdom.
After seeing the 2019 version, we realize that its creators were very aware of the difficulty of reproducing this classic. So they remained very faithful – even too much – to the original. In this sense, we ask ourselves why did you do a remake? Was it nostalgia? The desire to send adults back to their childhood, to the “Disney Renaissance”? Or maybe the only reason is economic?
In any case, the film has achieved its goal. The public goes to the cinema and lets itself be carried away by the nostalgic element. This nostalgia is perfectly supported by the soundtrack which takes up the unforgettable themes of the original.
Likewise, it is an enjoyable film with great visual quality, but one that we will probably forget in a few years. Maybe it was superfluous because it shows almost nothing new. But maybe we didn’t want anything new either. Apart can be a sweet journey into our earliest childhood.
Hamlet’s Footprint
As we have already mentioned, The Lion King was inspired by the work of Hamlet. The similarities are more than obvious. However, they are staged in a more tender tone and closer to the infantile audience. Note that Hamlet was absolutely innovative in his time. Indeed, he deepened the characters and psychological aspects, which broke with tradition. This tragedy has greatly influenced world literature and it is now a classic.
The Lion King , in addition to taking the work as a reference, focuses on the emotions, feelings and motivations of his characters. He thus traces a story which, although told by animals, seems deeply human to us.
Shakespeare didn’t just talk about revenge in Hamlet . He also broke down human nature by drawing a few characters that gave rise to endless analyzes from very different perspectives. In The Lion King , we get to know Mufasa better and deepen the relationship between father and son. This greatly justifies revenge and helps to gain empathy from the childish audience.
Thus, The Lion King is not only similar to Hamlet in its plot, but also in the very role it plays in the collective imagination and in the Disney studios. It brings together theater, comedy, music and makes us participate in the tragedy of the death of a loved one.
The Lion King gives a deeper take on the characters, leaving aside the overly childish outlook that characterized animated films and reaching a larger adult audience as well.
The Lion King (2019): the importance of our planet
While it hardly changes the original plotline, The Lion King of 2019 does feature a certain rhetoric that, while present in the 1990s, has been refreshed and valued. We are talking about the latent message throughout the film. Several characters make this message explicit. It is about the use we make of the resources and the value of nature.
The cycle of life is the key to the film. For example, Mufasa explains to Simba the importance of understanding that all beings are fundamental. Whether it is animals or plants. If greed ends up corrupting us and we begin to abuse the resources the earth gives us, the cycle is broken and, with it, life becomes impossible.
Lions could be the “strong” animals, since they are the ones that feed on other herbivorous animals. However, Mufasa stresses the importance that their bodies, after death, end up nourishing the soil on which the plants grow, and which in turn, will be eaten by herbivores.
Thus, if everyone contributes and if everyone does not abuse their condition, life will be harmonious and possible, even if it can sometimes seem unfair.
The link between Scar and the climate emergency
Scar will be the character who embodies greed, corruption for power and the desire to own it all. He doesn’t care that the rest of the animals in his kingdom are starving, that plants no longer grow on Earth… So, we see how Scar contributes to the destruction of his own world.
This message draws a clear parallel with our planet. Like the climate emergency in which we find ourselves today. But also with the problems that arise from an unequal and abusive distribution of resources. Without distancing itself from the original, the remake picks up a message and transfers it to our nearest reality. It makes the audience identify with what they see on screen.
The Lion King will always be the classic of Disney classics, and probably in a few years we won’t even remember this new adaptation. We probably won’t see it hundreds of times like we did with the first version.
However, this does not take anything away from the nostalgia that seizes us during its viewing, reminding us of our childhood. He makes you want to see the original again and leads us to sing his songs. For many people, these songs are part of the soundtrack of our life.
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