Why "The Lion King" - the best cartoon in the world

Ideal built composition

Why "The Lion King" - the best cartoon in the world? First of all, because it is ideally built - clearly and correctly. There is nothing superfluous, empty, the striker missed the target. All episodes and details in place, have a meaning and artistic features and organically related to each other. He - as a conscience-designed mechanism, as a result of excellent work which is born and magic.

Talking to young Simba, his father, Mufasa, says: "One day my sun go down." When Mufasa dies and, pursued by guilt and hyenas, Simba runs away from their native land, he is sent to the blood-red sunset: it is, as predicted, the sun Lion King. Growing up, Simba returns home, and this time runs toward the sunrise - Sun King gets up again.

IN film many such pairs of points that rhyme with each other, creating a semantic attraction. "What will my mother?" - says the villain Scar Simba, and this issue begins the expulsion of the hero. "What will my mother ?!" - says the lioness Nala, Simba met the living much later, and this time with this replica of his return begins.

Wildly rushing herd wildebeest, under whose hoofs Mufasa dies, depicted as a rapid aqueous stream: flock runs along the narrow gorge with steep slopes, where the rainy season is bottled water, and a little Simba, like a drowning man is saved by holding sprig. Panic running antelopes here - dramatic metaphor for the uncontrollable chaos of water, flood, though not universal, but it is enough to destroy a small world lion cub and his native pride.

The "Lion King" all the details of work, everything has a meaning, it's not just like that. And to see it, not necessarily to resort to film studies analyzed, "The Lion King" ingeniously It invented and built hard, but speaks in simple cinematic language that is understandable to any audience - adults and to kid. Here matured Simba in anguish flops on the grass in the air vzmetayutsya leaves and flower petals, and the wind brings them to the wise shaman mandrill Rafiki - Rafiki so learns that the head of the heir to the Pride alive, and sent to him search. Each episode is associated with the other and moves the action forward, preparing future events.

The only external static scenes where seemingly nothing happens - when Simba, Timon and Pumbaa are under the night sky and think about the nature of the stars. Timon says that the stars - fireflies is adhered to the firmament. Pumbaa with unexpected insight ingenuous pig hypothesizes incandescent gas balloons for the many millions of miles away from us. And Simba repeats his father said that the stars - are kings of the past, watching us from heaven. Friends raise it to laughter, and here the audience (and with it and Simba) feels that, while Timon with Pumbaa - a great company, Lion among them still a little strange. And that while Hakuna Matata - comfortable philosophy of life, it is not his philosophy. So outwardly uneventful episode, in fact, turns out to be a turning point: at this point the story, culminating rest (all lie relaxed talking about the stars, no one anywhere not in a hurry), begins almost imperceptible at first, but gradually more and more accelerating reverse motion - Simba to return from exile and the restoration of order in the pride.

The plot is based on myth and classical tragedy

The filmmakers admit that they were inspired by "Hamlet." And indeed, the king treacherously murdered by his own brother, the crown prince, having passed through the doubts and uncertainty, decides to take revenge and regain the throne - "The Lion King" can be regarded as a kind of paraphrase Shakespearean tragedy. But even in it clearly visible structure of the ancient myth.

"Look around - Mufasa tells his son. - Everything falls where sunlight - our kingdom. " And where it does not fall - not ours, and it is not necessary to go there. For example, in the northern reaches, where the elephant graveyard, hyenas live and where easily zahazhivaet villain Scar. If Mufasa and Simba are associated with the sun, the scar - the darkness: he is always shown or polusumrake cave or at night, and in the final musical number Be Prepared figure antihero directly fits into sparkling in the night sky crescent. When the sun went down and the king Mufasa was the scar on the land Pride seemed eternal darkness reigned, the herd gone, nature is dead and the bones scattered everywhere - attribute death. Only when defeating the usurper, Simba climbs Rock ancestors and publishes a desperate roar, the clouds dispersed, the sun appears in the sky, nature comes to life again.

We can say that in front of us an ancient story about the change of calendar cycles of nature, about how the day follows night, and fertile seasons are replacing infertile. On Combating solar and lunar character, life and of death. The dying and resurrecting deity of light and fertility (the wise Rafiki says plainly that killed Mufasa lives in Simba, only to have to take him to a place destined leader of Pride).

At the end of "The Lion King", as it should be in fairy-mythological story, the lost harmony as though fully restored. But let's not forget about Hamlet's motives. Simba has passed through the experience of doubt and apathy, and there no quiet confidence of his father (too timidly and guiltily watching his big eyes), nor his power (Simba is not the strongest lion: barely wins Scar weakling, and he himself puts on the shoulder three times lioness Nala - for Mufasa is, of course, even to think impossible). On the one hand, happiness and harmony is restored, but on the other - is the end of this story for some inescapable feeling of precariousness, fragility, loss: everything as before, but not quite. And this barely perceptible duality gives final stories Lion King directly fascinating depth.

compelling characters

Fairy taleLike it or not, the genre template: flat heroes functions operate on easily predictable pattern. But the creators of "The Lion King" managed to combine the fairytale genre with high-quality psychological portrayal of the characters.

All the actors, "The Lion King" has its own full-fledged characters, and that makes them interesting and compelling. Moreover, it makes their personalities - they have, say, free will, and if watching the movie for the first time, it is impossible to guess with certainty what they will do in any given situation. I would be delighted if Nala, Simba met after a long separation? Is Timon and Pumbaa will help Simba in his fight for the pride or the two maverick prefer to stay away, ironically commenting on what is happening? Will Scar, having received authority finally relaxed and happy or so and will continue to whine alone? That is, of course, be delighted, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa and help a friend. But suddenly, when suddenly ...

Behind every hero guessed his personal story, which made him for what he is. We Schram - the story of impotent despair and defeat, in which he may have got his scar. (I do not whether the elder brother to them His reward? That would explain a lot) with the Secretary of Mufasa hornbill Zazu -. Story good-natured and restless careerist, more than anything else craving approval of his superiors. And interest in the fate of Timon and Pumbaa subsequently gave birth to a full-length spin-off of the meerkat and warthog duo and three seasons TV series.

And speaking of characters called a very charismatic actors. Jeremy Irons voiced Scar, Shenzi the hyena - Whoopi Goldberg, Timon and Pumbaa - comedian Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, Zazu - Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), and Mufasa - the voice of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones. Animators even tried to inject some heroes portrait resemblance to the actors voicing them. Therefore, in the face of Scar, there is something from the attractive appearance of evil-Jeremy Irons, and Zaza with his black bushy eyebrows and really ridiculously similar to Mr. Bean.

Realistically depicted animals

To achieve realism in depicting animals, animators studied their behavior, movement, anatomy and psychology. Crew advised the biologist Stuart Sumida, traveler Jim Fowler and trainer David McMillan who came to the site with his lion Poncho - a living model for Mufasa and adult Simba. Initially, the film was planned generalThe Lion King: A Memoir with Don Hahn | Making of the Movie make the most plausible, almost "documentary" pictures of the life of lions in the wild. But then, the concept has changed, the characters and the plot decided to humanize a bit - add animal anthropomorphic traits.

And this is one of the main advantages of "The Lion King" - in perfect equilibrium point found between the authentic image of the animals and their humanization necessary for Disney cartoon. Movement of Mufasa and Scar are who and must be present at the lions, but to convey the nature of the characters, Mufasa motions added heaviness and proud confidence, and scars - lax grace, almost femininity. Anthropomorphization a "Lion King" is achieved more sensitive and accurate surgically strokes hardly disturb zoological likelihood. For example, when the end of the song Hakuna Matata Simba the path goes away, his gait - it is realistic shown the lion's gait, but the animators slightly unfurled his feet in different directions, and it turned out that he hops.

And of course, in the movie played with fascinating correspondence between behavior animals in nature and their role in the plot. Mandrills (living in Central Africa, Old World monkey family monkey close baboons) have on faces characteristic bright color, which have become a ritual Rafiki coloring shaman. Feeling safe, Old World monkey monkey love sometimes for fun bully other animals, including large predators - this feature inspired by the scene of the meeting Simba and Rafiki, Rafiki which acts in the role of the eccentric sage who gives understanding to the young hero, teasing him, and weighing the lungs cuffs. When the lion seizes power in pride, he usually kills the cubs of his predecessor - so that the attempt to kill Scar Simba meets a real animal mores of society. And if you are dissatisfied with the head of a lioness pride, they can overthrow him, taking the side of a new, more attractive to them male - this happens at the end of the film.

Good music

Yes, in the "Lion King" good music, and it is an important circumstance for the Disney cartoon. Five compositions written Elton John, three of them - Circle of Life, Hakuna Matata and Can You Feel the Love Tonight - became hits and competed with each other in the Oscar nomination for Best Song. Won, of course, lyrical Can You Feel the Love Tonight: at the time of the "Oscar" is already ranked fourth in the Billboard charts and Elton John could get over it "Grammy».

Rest of the music written by a young German composer Hans Zimmer, who also awarded the "Oscar" for his work on the film (in the category "Best Original Score"). From that, in general, and began winning ways Zimmer as the main composer of Hollywood blockbusters - then he wrote the music for "Gladiator," "Pearl Harbor," "Pirates of the Caribbean", and almost kinovselennoy DC all movies Christopher Nolan. Curiously, although Hans regularly nominated for the "Oscar" as the best film composer, a statuette for his work on "King Lion" remains his only so far.

But the film is not enough just good music, more importantly, how it is used. Songs in the "Lion King" is not just a plug-in musical numbers, which can be discarded without affecting the plot. All of them are closely woven into the narrative, driven by the action, the characters reveal. Take the song Hakuna Matata, sung by Timon and Pumbaa once after finding Simba. A couple of times interrupted by a short dialogue, it lasts four minutes. This episode helps viewers to move from sadness and horror caused by the death of Mufasa, to a cheerful serenity, balance tragedy humor, introduces us to new friends of the protagonist and allows "on fast forward" to show it adulthood. When song begins, the first time we see Timon and Pumbaa, and Simba - Lion a little scared. When the end - Simba grows into a bearded lion, and Timon and Pumbaa, we have as a family. Even hard to believe that only four hours ago we did not even know Simba the two cranks.

Beautiful and careful drawing

It is believed that in terms of technique picture "The Lion King" was a step back for the Disney animation. Already the early nineties, the animation has sought to upgrade and expand its capabilities, and experiments in this field gradually extend beyond the small studio to the commercial mainstream. Disney himself in 1988, he released an innovative "Roger Rabbit", where among other things very close to the three-dimensional image. A year after "The Lion King" in 1995, will be released "The history of toys"And begin a new era - a three-dimensional computer animation. Against this background, "The Lion King" with its traditional Disney panache, perhaps looks a bit old-fashioned.

Well, so be it. But if it is a lack, in the "Lion King" is compensated Fine craftsmanship and making a careful study of details. 600The Lion King - Production Information animators, 1200 manually traced backs, and this is a case where the result of the efforts are justified.

The stunning beauty of the initial staff - one of the most powerful moments in the history of animation. In a large-scale two-minute scene Mufasa's death for each of the hundreds of antelope galloping spelled out its trajectory. As a result of their race it looks chaotic, unpredictable, which increases the feeling of horror and disaster.

Or here is quite ordinary scene where Simba with Nala pass through two rows stretched out at attention zebras. Zebra like identical and drawn a blueprint. But if you look closely - every little individualized: they have a different position of the feet and variously painted strips. These small and seemingly unnecessary components also make "The Lion King" alive and present.

best cartoon in the world.