The Lion King (Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray / DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) - Hot New Releases Blu-ray & DVD

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Gaijin “on the rock that spews lava..” (Hilo, HI United States) –

  

Disney’s The Lion King is finally available on DVD. Considered the cream of the crop of all the Disney animated features by many, it is definitely worth owning. I don’t think I’ll go into the story, which I’m sure most of you know. Chances are you’ve already seen the movie and are just waiting to own it on a piece of media that won’t rot like your VHS tape that probably fell apart by now. Even if Disney released a sub par release of this movie, you’d buy it.
Luckily, this is one of the best releases ever.

Video and Audio is supreme in this release. Especially vibrant is the 5.1 sound. Of all the older Disney releases, this one benefits the most I think, with the powerful music and sound effects present in this release. Hearing James Earl Jones as Mufasa blaring in thunderous 5.1 sound is quite amazing. Likewise the excellent music, such as the opening Circle of Life. Present in this release is the original theatrical version as well as a version with new music/song. I actually didn’t care for the new song, but some may. The extras are quite numerous, contained on a second DVD and are mentioned in Amazon’s product details…I haven’t had the time to go through them yet, so I cannot comment on the extras. I just watched the movie again. To be honest, the movie would be worth it as a single disc release so I’m happy as it is.

Some interesting trivia for some of the people who are not aware of it is that The Lion King seemed to be heavily “influenced” by an old Japanese anime, Kimba The White Lion. Those wishing to see the “similarities” would do well to check out that series as it has also been released on DVD. Carbon copying aside, I do love the Lion King. It still manages to grab you whether you are 4 years old or 40. Two thumbs up!!

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I’m thrilled that one of the last Disney movies that I’ve really loved is finally out on DVD. I could say a zillion glowing things about this movie that you probably agree with or already know. I have to admit that I do, however, have a slight issue or two with this DVD release.

I know this is going to sound ridiculously funny but there is, quite simply, way too much packed on to this release. “The Lion King” IS an important movie and in time will most certainly be a Disney Classic, if not just a “film classic”, Disney or not. (I think a movie needs to have been around for at least 20 years or so before it can be called “a classic”, and it’s sort of annoying that Disney sticks that word on just about everything they release regardless of whether it’s new or old.) There’s just a lot on here that seems unnecessary.

Let me start with the good stuff: the movie has never looked or sounded better. Great care has been taken to improve an already great film. Make sure you click on “Enhanced Home Theater Mix” to watch the movie if you have more than just a TV hooked up to your DVD player. It sounds a zillion times better than the Dolby 5.1 stereo mix. The commentary is the same as the one that appeared on the laserdisc release. It’s a fun, concise talk that will pretty much supply anyone with what they need to know about “The Lion King.” The behind-the-scenes extras with Elton John are also quite enjoyable and informative, as is the short piece about Julie Taymor, who did the Broadway musical.

Okay, the not-so-great stuff: several documentaries that drone on and on about things most viewers, especially children, won’t care about; a piece featuring footage of real lions eating their prey (that’s something I really didn’t want to see). The menu screens seem a little overwhelming to navigate. Some people might get frustrated, thinking “I don’t care about the rest of the stuff, just let me see the movie!!” Like I said before, there’s just way too much unnecessary stuff on here. The kiddie games that can be played with a remote control and some of the other stuff should have perhaps been released on a separate DVD (maybe as a freebie that you send in for with proof-of-purchase) for diehard fans, thus making this DVD easier to control. I’m sure there will be diehard fans out there that take offense to my statement saying that they didn’t have any trouble navigating. Good for them, I’m happy. All I’m saying is that casual viewers that perhaps don’t use their DVD players on a daily basis might get a bit confused.

The absolute worst thing on here has to be the “Circle Of Life” music video, performed by the Disney Channel “Circle Of Stars.” It’s just rather, well… stupid. There seems to be a disturbing trend on Disney DVD’s of including extremely tired new versions of songs, performed by marginally talented musical outfits. Disney needs to put the kibosh on this immediately! The videos are obviously aimed at children, but to think that kids would enjoy this is a rather insulting thought.

The weird and quite unnecessary carboard sleeve is here, too (just like what was released with “Beauty And The Beast” and “Sleeping Beauty”). The gatefold sleeve opens to reveal just what is on the DVD, which I suppose is really nice to know, if you are standing in a store wondering, but c’mon! This is a Disney DVD and people are going to buy it regardless of whether they know exactly how full of extras it is. It just seems wasteful because the plastic snap case that slides out of the cardboard sleeve is a good enough cover on its own. I’m sure a lot of people just throw this cardboard sleeve away, even though you can tell it wasn’t cheap to produce. Knock off the cardboard sleeve nonsense, and knock off a buck or two off the list price while you’re at it Disney!

Having said all of that, this really is a great DVD release- even with all of the superfluous extras that would take you days to watch.

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