Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521473
SUMMER 2024 35 When The Lion King opened in theaters 30 years ago, it revolutionized the landscapes of both animation and cinema by proving how powerful a well-told and artfully executed animated film could be. The $45-million movie was one of the highest- grossing films of 1994, enabling Disney to have a $1-billion year, the first studio in the U.S. and Canada to reach this milestone (this with the average movie ticket coming in at just $4.13). It went on to earn numerous awards, including two Oscars for its music, the Annie for Best Animated Film, and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy. It has inspired a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, direct-to- video sequels, animated TV series, a photorealistic animated remake, and more. And in 2016 it was selected for preserva- tion in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for its "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance." "I believe The Lion King stands out as one of the most emotional and beloved of the Disney animation classics," says Linda Woolverton, who wrote the initial draft of the screenplay. "We created a universal, epic film centered on the relationship between two generations and the acceptance of one's place in the world." As a musical with an all-animal cast, The Lion King was much riskier than the other Disney movie in production at the same time: Pocahontas. "I don't think anybody knew it was going to be the bar-setting film," says the movie's Assistant Effects Animator Dan Lund, noting that it "didn't have all the Disney stuff. No one changed clothes, there was no [gown]—what are people going to dress up like for Halloween?" The release date was also a gamble. "Summer always seemed to be for movies like Jaws and Close Encounters," says Lund. "[But] Forrest Gump and The Lion King swapped first and second place all summer long. We played in theaters all the way through New Year's," and so for each holiday, the poster would be remade with relevant festive accents. As for The Lion King's staying power decades beyond that initial year, it can be attributed to several elements, from the complexity of the characters to the embrace of new-at- the-time CGI. SUMMER 2024 35 Images courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios.