Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff directed the 1994 American animated feature film The Lion King. It was produced by Don Hahn for Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie is the 32nd film in the history of Disney animated features. The story is inspired by the Shakespeare play Hamlet. The film’s budget was $79 million; it grossed over $783 million at the box office. It was the highest grossing film the year of its release, and the twenty-fourth highest grossing film of all time.
The Lion King features the voice talents of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Niketa Calame, Moira Kelly, Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings. The movie received four Academy Award nominations and won two; Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Elton John and Tim Rice wrote the five original songs, and Hans Zimmer wrote the film’s score.
Controversy also surrounded The Lion King; the movie bears similarities with a Japanese anime television show from the 1960s called Kimba the White Lion.
