The Lion King (Hans Zimmer, Elton John, and Tim Rice)
(1994)
Scores to Disney animated films have this habit of winning the Oscar when there are other scores that are a great deal more deserving also nominated, such as The Little Mermaid beating Born on the Fourth of July, and Aladdin beating Basic Instinct. Such is the case with The Lion King, and really, there isn’t much of a score to enjoy– like most Disney soundtracks, The Lion King soundtrack consists mainly of songs.
There are a couple of good instrumental pieces, most notably “This Land”, played mostly on strings with a light chorus, and then ends with some more African chanting, and “To Die For”, performed by horns and brass with yet more African chanting.
However, the main quality of the music is the wonderful songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice, three of the following were up for the Best Song Oscar, and one of which won. I enjoyed them all – especially “Circle of Life”, featuring a glorious African chorus and vocals by Carmen Twillie. “Hakuna Matata” is another great one, performed by Nathan Lane and Ernine Sabella, who play Timon and Pumbaa (a meerkat and a warthog). “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won the Oscar; I’d personally have opted for one of the other two.
“I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” is also pretty good, again featuring African choral segments and vocals by Jason Weaver and Rowan Atkinson. “Be Prepared” was O.K, but Jeremy Irons isn’t the best singer.
It’s not a bad score at all, but it falls short of Zimmer’s best works. Although I enjoyed it a great deal more than I enjoyed any previous Disney scores (except Beauty and the Beast), I just don’t really think that, being up against “Forrest Gump” and “The Shawshank Redemption”, it deserved to win the Oscar. Zimmer has written some far better, and more award worthy scores.
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Track Listing
1 – Circle of Life (Performed by Carmen Twillie)
2 – I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (Performed by Jason Weaver with Rowan Atkinson and Laura Williams)
3 – Be Prepared (Performed by Jeremy Irons with Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings)
4 – Hakuna Matata (Performed by Nathan Lane and Ernine Sabella with Jason Weaver and Joseph Williams)
5 – Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Performed by Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky with Nathan Lane, ernine Sabella, and Kristle Edwards)
6 – This Land
7 – … To Die For
8 – Under the Stars
9 – King of Pride Rock
10 – Circle of Life (Performed by Elton John)
11 – I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (Performed by Elton John)
12 – Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Performed by Elton John)
Credits
Score Composed by Hans Zimmer
Songs by Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics)
Orchestrations by Bruce Fowler and Nick Glennie-Smith
Orchestra Conducted by Nick Glennie-Smith
Recorded & Mixed by Jay Rifkin
Music Edited by Adam Smalley
Produced by Hans Zimmer, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, and Chris Thomas
Awards
Academy Award for Best Original Score – Winner
Academy Award for Best Original Song – Winner (for ‘Can You Feel the Love
Tonight’)
Academy Award for Best Original Song – nominee (for ‘Hakuna Matata’)
Academy Award for Best Original Song – nominee (for ‘Circle of Life’)
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score – Winner
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song – Winner (for ‘Can You Feel the Love
Tonight’)
Grammy Award for Best Score – nominee
Grammy Award for Best Song – nominee (for ‘Circle of Life’)
Grammy Award for Best Song – nominee (for ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’)
Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music (BAFTA) – nominee
Insert Notes
Contains a list of credits and the lyrics to the songs.
All artwork and images are Copyright © The Walt Disney Company
