Based on the 1994 film of the same name, the Lion King returns to live action 25 years later to thrill thousands of spectators with the explosive power of its message. Directed by Jon Favreau, who has signed other Disney remakes starting with the “Jungle Book” and who, to direct the new Disney adventure, has combined the techniques of live action cinema with realistic computer-generated images-photos, taking inspiration as well as from the 1994 film also from the BBC documentaries, from the Broadway musical and from a trip he made to Africa.
Not only animated films for children, the story of Simba has become a true classic over the years and has won over audiences of all ages with its memorable dialogues and the extraordinary soundtrack signed by Tim Rice, Elton John and Hans Zimmer.The Story
Cub Simba has great admiration for his father, King Mufasa. But not everyone in the kingdom of the savannah celebrates the arrival of the little heir. Scar, Mufasa’s brother and previous heir to the throne, has very different plans and the dramatic battle for the Rock of the Kings ends with Simba’s exile. With the help of a curious couple of new friends, Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and a warthog whose motto is in the now well-known African phrase Hakuna Matata, which means “without worries”, Simba will have to learn to grow and understand how to recover. which is due to him by right. The Lion King as Hamlet
Among the most fascinating and complex themes of the film, there is certainly the question of Power, as Mufasa’s words suggest in the opening scene of the film: “While others seek what they can take, a true king seeks what he can give” .
Approached several times to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Lion King re-proposes the great Hamletic dilemma seen through the slight gaze of little Simba , divided between the instinct to flee and the call to his responsibilities as King.
The period of regency of a King, rises and sets like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on your father and rise with you as the new King!
If in the Shakespearean tragedy the conflict is incurable, the story of Simba is instead an ascending parable, a coming-of-age story, where the protagonist finds the possibility of redemption in the characters he meets and in the experiences he lives. Haunted by the ghosts of the past, Simba embarks on a journey to discover the self , which passes through spaces and times that exemplify the stages of life: from the hakuna matata typical of adolescence to the choice of returning to fight, as it presupposes entry into life. adult. Hakuna matata
“When the world turns its back on you, all you have to do is turn your back on it too”. These are the words that Timon addresses to the young Simba to encourage him to leave behind his painful past and live according to the non-rules of hakuna matata, an expression that Disney has inherited from the Swahili language and which in Italian translates as “Without thoughts”. In fact, Hakuna Matata represents a real philosophy of life , an invitation to look to tomorrow with optimism and confidence , trying to accept the past and its wounds with a joyful hymn to freedom.
Hakuna Matata
almost seems like poetry
Hakuna Matata
all frenzy
without thoughts
your life will be
whoever wants to live
in freedom
Hakuna Matata The circle of life
Composed in 1994 by Elton John and Tim Rice, the song “The circle of life” opens the opening scene of the film with a tribute to life as a circle. Typical of many African cultures, the cyclical conception of life is one of the fundamental meanings to understand the story of Simba and his family. By “circle of life” we mean the cycle of existence of all living beings, which presupposes the full acceptance of the mystery of life, which is made up of birth, growth and death. In the delicate balance of the world, nature and living beings become one, connected only by a thin thread that must be kept and protected in respect of all forms of life, as Mufasa reminds little Simba in the opening scene.
Being king means more than doing what you want. Everything you see coexists thanks to a delicate balance. As a king, you must understand this balance and respect all creatures, from the little ant to the hopping antelope. When we die, our bodies become grass, and the antelopes eat grass, and so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life
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