The Lion King

The Lion King is primarily about guilt and redemption. Simba, a young lion cub and heir to his father's throne, is led to believe that he was the cause of the king's death. The trauma caused by this is so great that Simba goes into exile, attempting to find peace-of-mind through anonymity in the company of a warthog and a meerkat. But it's never that easy to escape the past...

The "Hamlet" parallels are all there for the discerning adult to note. Mufasa, king of the lions, is killed by a treacherous brother who subsequently takes over the rule of the kingdom. Simba, the beloved son, is wracked by guilt and impotence until the ghost of his father gives him instruction on what actions he should take. Death, something not really touched on in the last three animated Disney tales, is very much at the forefront of The Lion King. In a scene that could disturb younger viewers, Mufasa's demise is shown. It is a chilling moment that is reminiscent of a certain incident in Bambi. The film also contains a fair share of violence, including a rather graphic battle between two lions. Parents should carefully consider before automatically taking a child of, say, under seven years of age, to this movie.

After three animated motion pictures centered upon the love of two people from different worlds, The Lion King's focus is different. This time around, the love story (between Simba and the lioness Nala) is a subplot. The film is most concerned with its young hero's coming-of-age, and the responsibilities that arrive with adulthood - including the need to confront guilt and its associated fear.

Scar, Simba's treacherous uncle, is the latest in a long line of Disney antagonists. Gone is the buffoonery that has marked the recent trio of Ursula, Gaston, and Jafar. Scar is a sinister figure, given to acid remarks and cunning villainy. The cold-hearted manner in which he causes Mufasa's death lets us know that this is not a lion to be trifled with.

An all-star cast was selected to supply The Lion King's voices. Jeremy Irons, with his dry British accent, is a critical element of Scar's personality. James Earl Jones lends his booming bass to Mufasa, truly a lord of the jungle. Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin play a pair of laughing hyenas, Rowan Atkinson uses his vocal talents for a sour-tongued bird, and Moira Kelly's Nala is the sole significant female character. Matthew Broderick, with his rather nondescript voice, is the adult Simba, with Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the cub.

The animation, as expected from any Disney film, is superior. As usual, as much attention is given to small background details as to foreground principals. Lighting and color are used to highlight the shifting tone of the picture (the sunny warmth of Mufasa's kingdom to the dreary barrenness of Scar's), and the animators have never lost sight that their subjects are not human.

Since 1989's The Little Mermaid, the musical element of any Disney animated picture has been nearly as important as the visual one (the three previous movies have garnered a total of twelve Grammy awards). With the songwriting team of Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (replaced following his death by Tim Rice) in charge, the soundtracks for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin have become huge commercial successes. For The Lion King, Menken is absent. The songs here are by Elton John and Tim Rice, with the score coming from composer Hans Zimmer.

Two of the five John/Rice songs are rather unimpressive ("I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata"), one is decent ("Be Prepared"), and two are quite good ("Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"). "Circle of Life," the opening number, is a visual extravaganza that may be the most astounding sequence dver in any animated film. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is The Lion King's love song, although it leaves you wondering if either Matthew Broderick or Moira Kelly can sing, since the song vocals of Simba and Nala are supplied by Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky, respectively.

The soundtrack weakness of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin - a dull score - has been rectified in The Lion King. Hans Zimmer, using a style similar to the one he employed for The Power of One, brings an African flavor to his music, and incorporates the five songs seamlessly.

With each new animated release, Disney seems to be expanding its already-broad horizons a little more. The Lion King is the most mature (in more than one sense) of these films, and there clearly has been a conscious effort to please adults as much as children. Happily, for those of us who generally stay far away from "cartoons," they have succeeded.

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Ratatouille

A rat named Remy dreams of being a great chef despite his family's wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the city of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau.

Despite the apparent dangers of being an unwanted visitor in the kitchen at one of Paris' most exclusive restaurants, Remy forms an unlikely partnership with Linguini, the garbage boy, who inadvertently discovers Remy's amazing talents. They strik a deal, ultimately setting into motion a hilarious and exciting chain of extraordinary events that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down.

Remy finds himself torn between following his dreams or returning forever to his previous existence as a rat. He learns the truth about friendship, family and having no choice but to be who he really is -- a rat who wants to be a chef.

Bambi

1. A miracle in the woods

In the depth of the forest, dawn was breaking. Trees grew so thickly here, that the morning first rays of sunlight could hardly break trough. The air was still and blue with mist. The faint, silvery sound of a distant waterfall was the only noise to be heard.

A few drowsy birds were just beginning to greet the new day as a huge old owl swooped silently towards the hollow tree where he made his home. The world was waking up all around him. A little wood-mouse slipped out of her nest to wash her face in a dewdrop. Three baby sparrows cheeped shrilly as their mother brought them their first meal of the day: A cluster of berries. And with every second, the pale sunbeams grew brighter.

The young rabbit Thumper, who was always the first of his family to arise, was waking up slowly, yawning and scratching as he did every morning. But the owl was ready for bed. With a sigh he alighted on a branch, waddled into his hole, and fluffed up his feathers. His drowsy eyes dipped shut, and he fall asleep. He didn't get to stay asleep very long. A bluebird darted trough the air to perch on the tree next to the owl's. He twittered, and flew off. From every corner, animals popped out of their hiding places and raced after her. Mrs. Quail moved swiftly along the forest floor, her babies trailing after her as if they were on a string.

Thumper's sisters burst out of their house, tumbling over each other and their brother in their anxiety to get to the thicket first. Thumper dashed to the foot of the owl's tree and began drumming frantically on the ground with his right foot. "Wake up! Wake up!" he hollered at the top of his lungs.

The owl shook himself irritably and squinted down at Thumper. "Oh, what now?" he groaned.

"Wake up, Friend Owl!" the little rabbit persisted.

"Why? What's going on around here, anyway?"

"It's happened! The new prince is born!" shouted Thumper. "We're going to see him! Come on, you'd better hurry up!" And he dashed into the underbrush after his sisters. "The new prince!" The owl gave his feathers a hasty preening and soared into the air.

The prince was a tiny fawn, only two hours old. When the animals reached the thicket where he had been born, he was curled up, sound asleep, next to his mother's warm side. He didn't even stir as the creatures of the forest gathered into a circle around him. "Oh, my!" said Mrs. Raccoon with a wistful sigh. "Isn't he just the most-"

"Oh, my! Beautiful!" echoed hushed maternal voices from all around the circle. "Yes, indeed," said the owl from a bough overhead. "This is, em, quite an occasion. Yes, sir. It isn't every day a prince is born."

He bent low in a courtly bow to the fawn's mother. "You are to be congratulated." "Thank you," said the prince's mother quietly. She leaned over and gave her baby a loving nudge. "Wake up," she whispered. "Come on, dear. We have company."

Slowly, slowly the tiny fawn's head lifted. He stared wonderingly at the creatures standing in front of him.

"Hello, Prince!" squeaked a mouse timidly. At once a chorus of greetings sprang up, and the owl let out a loud "hoo-hoo" so loud that the fawn turned away and burrowed his face into his mother's side. Then he gathered up his courage and peeked out again. And this time he managed a shy smile.

"Look!" called Thumper excitedly. "He's trying to get up!"

He was, but it wasn't working very well. Try as he might, the fawn couldn't get his slender legs to work together. "He's kinda wobbly, isn't he?" noted Thumper.

"Thumper!" gasped Mrs. Rabbit. She gave a flustered smile at the fawn's mother. Thumper scowled. "But he is," he muttered, kicking at the ground in embarrassment. "Aren't you?" he asked the fawn. The fawn nodded eagerly. He hadn't understood a word. The owl chuckled. "Looks to me like he's getting kind of sleepy," he said. "I think it's time we all left."

There was a murmur of protest from the younger animals. But the owl leaned over and fixed such a schoolmasterish glare on the crowd that they began to melt into the woods without another word. Only Thumper still lingered in the thicket. "Whatcha gonna call him?" he asked the fawn's mother when everyone else had left.

She smiled at him. "Well, I think I'll call him Bambi," she answered. Thumper frowned thoughtfully, as if the choice were up to him. "Bambi," he repeated, trying it out.

"Bambi. Yup, I guess that'll do all right." And he hopped off to find his family. Bambi's mother glanced down at her baby, who was sound asleep again.

"Bambi," she murmured tenderly. "My little Bambi."

As the mother and child settled down together, high on the hill above the thicket the Great Prince of the Forest kept watch.

2. Exploring the forest

"Walking already, well, what do you know?" commented the gray squirrel as Bambi and his mother strolled through the forest. Bambi was three days old now. As far as he was concerned, he was the best walker the forest had ever seen, though sometimes his legs did get tangled. And he was proud that so many of the forest creatures had gotten the chance to see him.

He had met Mrs. Quail and her babies scurrying through the underbrush as though they were late for an appointment. He had met Mrs. Possum and her babies, all hanging jauntily upside down from a tree branch. He had met Mr. Mole, who had popped up right under Bambi's nose. "Good mornin'," Mr. Mole had said politely. "Nice, sunny day." He had squinted up at the bright sky, winced a little, and returned with relief to his tunneling. The curious little fawn tried to follow the mole's path, but wound up tumbling over some reeds as his mother and the rabbit family looked on.

"He doesn't walk very well, does he?" asked Thumper with interest.

"Thumper!" scolded his mother. "What did your father tell you this morning?"

Thumper sighed. "If you can't say somethin' nice... Don't say nothin' at all,'" he muttered, frowning down at the ground.

Bambi's mother leaned over and nuzzled Bambi's shoulder a little. "Come on, Bambi," she urged gently. "Get up. Try again." "Come on! Come on!" squealed Thumper and his sisters excitedly. "Get up! Get up! You can do it!"

And after he'd managed to sort his legs out, Bambi pranced happily off after his new friends. But, trying to follow the little rabbits, the young deer had difficulties with a large log lying across the path.

"C'mon, you can do it," encouraged Thumper.

"Hop over it. Like this." All the bunnies chimed in as they leapt back and forth over the log, "Hop over it! Hop over it!"

Bambi stepped back to gather momentum, but his hop landed him smack-dab on top of the log.

"You didn't hop far enough," said Thumper wisely.

Bambi finally got all of himself over the log, but in the process his legs became tangled once more, causing the bunnies all to scatter just in case he might fall on them.

3. Learning to speak

Along the path, Bambi and his companions came upon a flock of delighted finches who had discovered a bush full of delicious wild berries.

Bambi looked inquiringly at Thumper.

"Those are birds," Thumper told him.

"B-burr?" Bambi repeated.

He hadn't had the faintest idea that the word was going to pop out of him, and neither had the rabbits. "Hey! He talked!" yelled Thumper. "He's trying to say 'bird'!"

"Burr!" Bambi said again.

"Huh-uh." Thumper never missed the chance to be instructive. He clambered up onto a rock and looked Bambi in the eye. "Say Bir-d;" he ordered.

"Burr," Bambi said.

"'Bir-duh!" insisted Thumper.

This conversation had taken the finches' attention off the berries. Now they got into the act, too. "Say bird!" they peeped excitedly, darting around and around Bambi's head. "Say bird! Saybirdsaybirdsaybirdsaybird!"

"BIRD!"

shouted Bambi-so loudly that the little rabbits and finches were scattered helter-skelter. "Bird!" he repeated in delight. Thumper's sisters ran back to tell their mother the news. "He talked! He talked, Mama; the young prince said 'bird.'

"Bird, bird, bird, bird, bird," sang Bambi happily.

Just then another flying creature fluttered slowly toward Bambi and perched on the fawn's tail. Bambi twisted around to stare at it. "Bird!" he exclaimed happily. "It's not a bird," Thumper corrected him. "It's a butterfly."

"B-butterfly?" Bambi turned around to see the butterfly again. Now it, too, was gone.

But over by the rocks the ground seemed to be covered with butterflies! He raced over to them. "Butterfly! Butterfly!" he caroled joyfully.

"No, they're flowers! Pretty flowers! See?" Thumper buried his nose in a bunch of yellow petals and sniffed appreciatively. "Pretty fl . . ." Bambi's voice trailed off as he, too, began to sniff the flowers. When he raised his head, he was nose-to-nose with a baby skunk.

"Flower!" said Bambi proudly.

"M-me?" The skunk's eyes widened.

He was interrupted by peals of laughter.

"No, no, no, no, no!" gurgled Thumper, rolling around and pounding the ground deliriously. "That's not a flower! He's just a little..."

"Oh, that's all right!" the baby skunk interrupted hastily. He beamed shyly up at Bambi.

"He can call me a flower if he wants to. I don't mind."

"Pretty!" Bambi piped again. "Pretty flower!"

From the look of pure, grateful devotion the baby skunk gave him, it was clear that Bambi had made a friend for life.

4. The thunderstorm

Bambi and Thumper were making their way back to their mothers when a huge crack of thunder sounded directly overhead. Startled, Bambi turned to Thumper. Was this some kind of new game, too? But for once Thumper was looking a little uncertain. "I... I think I'd better go home now," he said uneasily, and vanished into the underbrush.

CRACK! came the thunder again, and a bolt of lightning sizzled in the sky. Bambi dashed, terrified, after his mother as the first raindrops began to fall.

Back at the thicket, Bambi and his mother lay down, listening to the sound of the rain. Bambi yawned, ready for sleep, but just couldn't take his eyes off the falling raindrops.

The wood mouse scurried along toward her home, stopping under toadstools whenever she could. A mother robin landed on her nest and quickly covered her three drenched fledglings with her wings. It was dark now, but flashes of lightning kept illuminating the forest with eerie clarity.

Thumper and the other rabbits huddled together under the roots of a tree and stared out fearfully at the storm. High up in his hollow tree, the owl grumbled a little and turned his back on the weather. And as the storm passed, Bambi fell asleep beside his mother.

5. On the meadow

Mother, what are we going to do today?" asked Bambi as he followed her through the forest. It was still so early that he could barely see her through the mist. "I'm going to take you to the meadow," his mother replied.

Bambi paused to sniff curiously along the way, then scampered after his mother again. "Meadow? What's the meadow?" he asked.

"It's a very wonderful place," his mother told him.

"Then why haven't we been there before?" asked Bambi.

"You weren't big enough," his mother replied. They were coming up to a shallow stream now, and she showed him where to cross. The instant they were across, Bambi began chattering away again.

"Mother, you know what? Thumper told me we're not the only deer in the forest!"

"Well, he's right," said his mother. "There are many deer in the forest besides us."

"Then why don't I ever see them?" asked the little fawn plaintively.

"You will, sometime." Bambi was excited. "Today? On the meadow?"

"Perhaps," his mother told him. "Hush, now. We're almost there." And she led him up over a little hill.

Bambi had never seen anything like the sight that greeted him on the other side. Stretching out in front of him was what looked like a whole world's worth of long, golden-green grass studded with wildflowers. On one side of the meadow a marshy pond so unlike the rushing streams Bambi knew from the forest was reflecting the peach-colored light in the dawn sky. And the sky! Before this, Bambi had only caught glimpses of the sky through the trees. Out here, why, it's bigger than everything! he marveled. And I never knew the sun was as big as that, or as round! "The meadow!" he cried exultingly, and raced down the slope toward it. "No, Bambi! Wait!" In his mother's voice was a note Bambi had never heard before. She streaked ahead of him, wheeled around, and planted herself in his path.

"You must never rush out on the meadow," she panted. "There might be danger!" Then, more gently: "Out there, we are unprotected. The meadow is wide and open, and there are no trees or bushes to hide us. So we have to be very careful. Wait here."

Chastened, Bambi shrank back into the underbrush.

"I'll go out first," his mother continued. "And if the meadow is safe, I'll call you."

Only Bambi's frightened brown eyes could be seen as he huddled down in the brush and stared at his mother. Slowly and carefully, she stepped out onto the meadow and gazed across its expanse. Then she looked back at her son. "Come on, Bambi," she called. "It's all right."

Bambi crept timidly out toward her. His heart was pounding. "Come on!" his mother called. He walked hesitantly in her direction, then began to leap more courageously when suddenly she bounded away. Startled, Bambi froze in his tracks, and then he realized that she was playing. He burst into laughter and dashed after her. There was so much room for running on the meadow, and so much to look at! Butterflies brighter than any Bambi had seen in the forest floated leisurely above the flowers. In the sky birds soared and dove for the sheer fun of it, and in the grass Bambi found the rabbits nibbling clover.

Bambi took a mouthful but was interrupted by Thumper. "No, no, not that green stuff. Just eat the blossoms - that's the good stuff." "Thumper!!" his mother called sternly. "What did your father tell you?" "About what?"

"About eating the blossoms and leaving the greens," reminded his mother.

"Oh, that one." Thumper cleared his throat. " 'Eating greens is a special treat... It makes long ears . . . And great big feet.' But it sure is awful stuff to eat!" he added so just Bambi could hear. "I made that last part up myself."

Bambi had chased a frog to the pond's edge when he noticed something strange. He had two reflections in the water. Hmmm. Maybe that's just the way things happen on the meadow, he thought as he bent closer to the pond's surface. To his surprise, only one of the reflections moved. The other stayed still, staring mischievously at him.

Slowly Bambi lifted his head. There, standing next to him, was another fawn. A long-lashed, delicate-looking fawn who giggled when their eyes met.

She giggled again and stepped toward him. Bambi scrambled backwards hastily. Then, as the other fawn took another step in his direction, he turned and dashed back toward the spot where he'd last seen his mother.

To his surprise, she was standing next to another doe. "Bambi, this is your aunt Ena," she said as Bambi rushed toward her. "And that's little Faline."

But Bambi didn't want anything to do with little Faline. Wide-eyed and timid, he drew back behind his mother and peeked out from around one of her legs. For a third time, Faline giggled. "He's kind of bashful, isn't he, Mama?" she asked merrily.

"Well, maybe he wouldn't be if you'd say hello," her mother replied.

"Hello, Bambi," Faline said boldly. Bambi retreated even farther behind his mother. "I said, hello!"

"Aren't you going to answer her?" asked Bambi's mother.

Scowling, he shook his head.

"You're not afraid, are you?" asked his mother, and he shook his head again. "Well, then, go ahead!" And she pushed him with her nose. "Go on, say hello," she told him firmly, in a motherly, no-nonsense voice. Bambi cleared his throat. He pawed the ground a little. Then he glowered up at Faline.

"H'lo," he croaked.

That was all it took. The silly young Faline giggled and danced around Bambi, who was so shy and confused by her that he fell into a small pond. Faline darted in and out of the pond's cattails, giving Bambi little kisses on his cheeks. Finally, forgetting his shyness, Bambi gave a surprising whoop and charged after her.
 

Lady and the Tramp

            Lady and the Tramp represented two "firsts" for Disney: It was the studio's first Cinemascope animated feature, and it was their first full-length cartoon based on an original story rather than an established "classic". Lady is the pampered female dog belonging to Jim Dear and Darling. When her human masters bring a baby into the house, Lady feels she's being eased out; and when Darling's insufferable Aunt Sarah introduces her nasty twin Siamese cats into the fold, Lady is certain that she's no longer welcome. The cats wreak all manner of havoc, for which Lady is blamed. After the poor dog is fitted with a muzzle, Lady escapes from the house, only to run across the path of the Tramp, a raffish male dog from the "wrong" side of town. The Tramp helps Lady remove her muzzle, then takes her out on a night on the town, culminating in a romantic spaghetti dinner, courtesy of a pair of dog-loving Italian waiters. After their idyllic evening together, Lady decides that it's her duty to protect Darling's baby from those duplicitous Siamese felines. On her way home, Lady is captured and thrown in the dog pound. Here she learns from a loose-living mutt named Peg that The Tramp is a canine rake. Disillusioned, Lady is more than happy to be returned to her humans, even though it means that she'll be chained up at the insistence of Aunt Sarah. Tramp comes into Lady's yard to apologize, but she wants no part of him. Suddenly, a huge, vicious rat breaks into the house, threatening the baby. Lady breaks loose, and together with Tramp, runs into the house to protect the infant. When the dust settles, it appears to Aunt Sarah that Tramp has tried to attack the child. That's when Lady's faithful friends Jock the bloodhound and Trusty the scottie swing into action, rescuing Tramp from the dogcatcher. Once Jim Dear and Darling are convinced that Tramp is a hero, he is invited to stay...and come next Christmas, there's a whole flock of little Ladies and Tramps gathered around the family. Beyond the usual excellent animation and visual effects, the principal selling card of Lady and the Tramp is its music. Many of the songs were performed and co-written by Peggy Lee, who years after the film's 1955 theatrical issue, successfully sued Disney for her fair share of residuals from the videocassette release.