Disney Makes A Male Movie

As I write this, I am listening to the soundtrack of Disney's new animated movie "The Lion King." I bought it days before the movie opened in theaters here last night. Perhaps I had a hunch that I would love this movie.

I listen not only because Elton John's music and Tim Rice's lyrics are so enjoyable and smart, but because I am reminded of the best movie I have seen in a long time. I want to go see it again as soon as possible.

"The Lion King" is the story of a young lion named Simba who, through the example and inspiration of his father, the king, learns the importance of bravery and responsibility. Simba's father Mufasa tells his son that one day he will assume his position as the king of Pride Rock, the range in Africa where the lions live in harmony with many other species of animals.

When Simba asks his father what will happen when he is no longer king, Mufasa explains that he will always be with his son to offer guidance. Even after death, Mufasa explains that he will take his place among the other past lion kings as a start in the sky, always looking down over his son.

What struck me most about "The Lion King" was that of Disney's recent string of blockbuster animated movies, it is the fist which I think will be better received by men than women. "The Lion King," unlike "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," and "Aladdin" has a male protagonist and is not, as the other three films were, essentially a romance. All four movies are, of course, imbued with the overriding, hallmark Disney morality themes of good versus evil, etc. But "The Lion King" is the first to focus on the relationship between a father a son.

My girlfriend, with whom I saw "The Lion King" remarked that she was disappointed by the lack of a dominant romantic plot. "There wasn't any kissing!" she said after I told her how much I enjoyed the movie.

My reaction was the exact opposite. I'm glad that Disney decided to forego the romance and replace it with something more powerful. Fathers' relationships with their sons are some of the most difficult and complex around. Emotions are not expressed as freely or as often as they should be. Sometimes important feelings are never shared.

"The Lion King" includes a highly successful examination of the often painful, always powerful emotions inherent in a father's relationship with his son. The movie does not skirt, but rather unabashedly examines all the feelings of love, inadequacy, pride, frustration, ambition, and the myriad other emotions that are present in every son's relationship with his father.

This makes "The Lion King" Disney's first male movie. Women will enjoy this movie, but many of the inherently and at time exclusively male themes will not right as true for them. This is why my girlfriend wonders why I cried the whole way through and why I am so eager to see "The Lion King" again.