Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty T he Lion King is a timeless classic. It’s a movie t hat has maintained relevance over several decades. T he original was released in 1994, earning $968.5 million at t he box office. 25 years later, one of t he most popular animated films in modern history is t aking a victory lap — this t ime with superstars like Beyoncé and Donald Glover t aking t he reigns starring as Nala and Simba. Even for superstars like Bey and Gambino, t hose are pretty heavy paw prints t o fill. A history 25 years deep makes a film like t his almost fail-proof. Millennials and Gen Z alike have experienced t he original along with several of its renditions in Lion King 2 , and 1 ½ . Yes in t hat order. T here was even an animated series made t hat ran for 85 episodes between 1995 and 1999. Essentially, Lion King fans are adults, and some even have children. Either way, we’re more t han happy t o dive into some nostalgia while introducing t he 2000s babies t o a classic. T he Lion King has returned t o unsurprisingly great reviews. “Breathtaking,” “beautiful,” “visually immaculate,” and “stunning” were just a few words used t o describe viewers’ cinematic experience. However, reviews weren’t 100% positive. In t his adaption of t he film t he creators used CGI t echnology. CGI stands for computer-generated imagery, and while films like Avatar t ook t he concept and made incredible work, t his t ype of animation didn’t necessarily bode well when t he primary characters are animals. When lions start speaking English, it’s a little difficult t o just run with it no matter how powerful t he imagery is. As one viewer put it, t he movie was a landmark visual experience, but it t urns out t hat, emotionally, lions just can’t necessarily bring it home. #TheLionKing is a landmark *visual* experience. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I think it’s going to change how we look at movies forever. As an *emotional* experience, though…I’ll put it this way: It turns out lions can’t really emote. — Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) July 10, 2019 Beyond t he film itself, reviews came in strong for t he cultural awareness shown in t he film’s musical efforts. T he soundtrack entitled The Lion King: T he Gift was produced by none other t han Beyoncé herself. Needless t o say, t he Queen made sure t he soundtrack was outfitted with its proper African roots in combination with several other genres, according t o a statement by Queen Bey. “This is a new experience of storytelling,” she said. “I wanted t o do more t han find a collection of songs t hat were inspired by t he film. It is a mixture of genres and collaboration t hat isn’t one sound. It is influenced by everything from R&B, pop, hip hop and Afro Beat.” T he only way t o get a feel for t he film is t o see it yourself. Lion King hits theaters on July 18th, and if you’re like me you’ll be first in line for t ickets. I mean, who doesn’t want t o see Simba put t he paws on Scar one more t ime?
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The Genius Marketing Behind ‘The Lion King’
