Lion King Trilogy [Blu-ray]
DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:
The Lion King (1994): One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub’s journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, the son of the powerful King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub’s happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon the meerkat (voiced by Nathan Lane), he and lives a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. Borrowing elements from Hamlet, classical mythology, and African folk tales, The Lion King tells its mythic coming-of-age tale with a combination of spectacular visuals and lively music, featuring light, rhythmic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer. Embraced by children and adults alike, the film also spawned hit songs (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “The Circle of Life”) and a hit Broadway musical. In late 2002, The Lion King was re-released in the large-screen IMAX format.
The Lion King 2 – Simba’s Pride (1998):Darrell Rooney directed this direct-to-video sequel to Disney’s 1994 The Lion King, which climaxed with Simba (voice of Matthew Broderick) enthroned as the ruling king of beasts following the death of the evil Scar. With the spirited tune He Lives in You, Simba and his mate Nala (Moira Kelly) issue a triumphant announcement of the birth of Lion Princess Kiara (Neve Campbell)! Given to misadventures and mischief, Kiara wanders into the forbidden Outlands, the haunt of Scar’s exiled minions, and there she encounters another mischievous cub, Kovu (Jason Marsden), son of lioness Zira (Suzanne Pleshette), once a close friend of the late Scar and now the leader of the exiles. Zira plots against Kiara, drawing her son into her scheme. Kovu has divided loyalties as his love for Kiara deepens. Several original characters (and original voices) from the 1994 film return.
The Lion King 3 – Hakuna Matata (2004):Ten years after The Lion King shot to the top at the box office and first introduced the characters of Simba (Matthew Broderick) and his pals Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), Disney presented this retelling of the Academy Award winning animated musical. Switching the perspective to that of meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa, The Lion King 1 1/2 puts a new spin on the events of the original film. This time around, the comic duo are conveniently at the center of much of the story. Along with returning castmembers Moira Kelly, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chech Marin, The Simpsons’ Julie Kavner and Seinfeld’s Jerry Stiller lend their voices to newcomer characters Timon’s Mom and Uncle Max, respectively. The straight-to-video film also features the never-before-heard song “That’s All I Need.”
It is creative, and that’s alone enough to rocket it to the top of the Disney sequel heap.-Tim Brayton
This may become known as the gold standard for straight-to-video cartoon releases.-Larry Carroll
DVD Wholesale Main Features
Format: Import
Language: Dutch (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch
Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
Audio Description: English, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese
Region: Region C/3, Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR-Not Rated
Studio: Disney Ent.
DVD Release Date: September 30, 2016
Run Time: 235.00 minutes
ASIN: B01A9R6JKI
