The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994] [DVD]

Disney's 1994 animated feature, The Lion King, was a huge smash in cinemas and continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed stage production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is deposed by a jealous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking and the songs from Tim Rice and Elton John, accompanied by a colourful score, are more palatable than in many recent Disney features. --Tom Keogh

On the DVD: The Lion King Special Edition is a superb restoration: take a look at the serviceable but dull film clips incorporated in the plethora of extras and compare them to the vivid gorgeousness of the film presentation. This special edition also adds a 90-second song ("Morning Report") that originated in the lavish stage musical. To Disney's credit, the original theatrical version is also included, both restored and featuring two 5.1 soundtracks: Dolby Digital and a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, which does sound brighter. As with the Disney Platinum line, everything is thrown into the discs, except an outsider's voice (the rah-rahs of Disney grow tiresome at times). The excellent commentary from the directors and producer, originally on the laser disc, is hidden under the audio set-up menu.

The second disc is organised by 20-minute-ish "journeys" tackling the elements of story, music and so on, including good background on the awkward Shakespearean origins at Disney where it was referred as "Bamlet". The most interesting journey follows the landmark stage production, and the kids should be transfixed by shots of the real African wildlife in the animal journey. Three deleted segments are real curios, including an opening lyric for "Hakuna Matata". Most set-top DVD games are usually pretty thin (DVD-ROM is where it's at), but the Safari game is an exception--the kids should love the roaring animals (in 5.1 Surround, no less). One serious demerit is the needless and complicated second navigation system that is listed by continent but just shows the same features reordered. --Doug Thomas

Two discs containing the following:

Disc 1:

• Two versions of the film:
  Original Theatrical
  Special Edition w/ The Morning Report
  
• Disney’s Enhanced Home Theater Mix – a special 5.1 surround sound mix created specially for the DVD
  
• Audio Commentary with Don Hahn, Roger Allers, and Rob Menkoff.
  
• Grasslands (Zazu)
  
• Making of The Morning Report: a look behind the scenes of animating the new sequence and adding it into the feature
  
• Lion King Personality Profile Game: find out which Lion King character you share the most in common with
  
• Tree Of Life (Rafiki)
  
• "Circle Of Life" Music Video performed by Disney Channel’s Circle Of Stars, including Hillary Duff, Raven Simone, Christy Romano, Orlando Jones, and more.
  
• Sing-Along Track - sing along to your favorite songs, the words pop up on screen.
  
• Disc Two Preview: Get a snapshot of the contents on disc two, including the Virtual Safari, and the various journeys.
  
• Jungle (Timon & Pumbaa)
  Timon’s Grab-A-Grub: Help Timon gather grubs for lunch. The faster you go the more points you get. Play alone or play against someone in the two player mode.
  Pumbaa’s Sound Sensations: This animal matching sound game was created in 5.1 surround sound to showoff your home theater system.
  
• Elephant Graveyard (Bonzai)
  
• Abandoned concepts & deleted scenes; including Bug Football, Hakuna Matata (Timon’s Verse) and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" sung by Timon & Pumbaa

Disc 2:

• Timon & Pumbaa’s Virtual Safari: A cross between The Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones this is one ride you don’t want to miss. Whether you choose to go by boat or by jeep with 5.1 surround sound and 15 minutes of all new animation you won’t be disappointed
  
• Story Journey - Learn where the story of The Lion King came from.
  Story Origins
  Timeless Themes
  The Script Comes To Life
  
• Film Journey - Go behind-the-scenes of making the film. Features Don Hahn, Roger Allers, Rob Menkoff,
  Film Origins
  Production Research Trip
  Art: African Influence
  Reflections
  
• Stage Journey - See how the film became a hit Broadway musical. Features Tom Schumacher, Peter Schneider and Julie Taymor.
  
• Musical Origins
  Julie Taymor
  Screen To Stage
  Musical Texture
  Setting The Stage
  Movement & Performance
  Masks
  Leaps Of Fantasy
  
• Music Journey - Hear the amazing story of how the award winning music came to be. Features Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer, and Lebo M.
  Music Inspiration
  Landmark Songwriting
  Orchestral Color
  Scoring Emotion
  African Influence
  An Audio Sequel
  Full Circle
  
• Animal Journey - Roy Disney introduces us to Disney’s long standing relationship with animals.
  Lions
  Meerkats
  Warthogs
  Hyenas
  Disney & Animals
  
• Non-journey Elements
  
• Original "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" Music Video w/ Elton John
  
• Original "Circle Of Life" Music Video w/ Elton John
  
• Production Design
  
• Character Design including Mufasa, Simba, Scar, Rafiki, Timon & Pumbaa, Zazu, and the Hyenas
  
• Computer Animation
  
• Multi-Language Clip Reel
  
• 16 International sequences
  
• Storyboard to Film Comparison
  
• Animal Kingdom
  
• Animal Kingdom Lodge
  
• International Release
  
• DVD Sound Design
  
• Early Concepts
  
• Galleries: Character Design, Visual Development, Stage Musical, Background Layer Assembly, EFX Animation, and more

There is more to be seen than has ever been seen with Disney’s The Lion King: Special Edition, extensively restored and remastered with a new song, "Morning Report" and never-before-seen animation. In the heart of the Serengeti, experience the majestic coming-of-age tale acclaimed by audiences and critics alike! Featuring the most beloved characters of all time and Academy Award-winning music, Disney’s epic adventure follows the story of Simba, a feisty lion cub who "just can’t wait to be king". Led astray by his ambitious Uncle Scar, Simba adopts a carefree lifestyle with his hilarious companions, Timon and Pumbaa, and forgets his regal responsibilities. But destiny calls and he must decide when the time is right to return to the Pride Lands and reclaim his place in the "Circle of Life".

Be aware, you should ensure your DVD is in a proper Disney blue box - those in clear boxes are inferior seconds and should be avoided. If it doesn't say so in the listing notes, you should always contact the Amazon Marketplace seller to check.