The Lion King (DVD, 2003, 2-Disc Set, Gift Box w/Book and Signed Drawings)

Disney has truly gone all out with this special two-disc edition of The Lion King.

The Lion King tells the tale of a young lion cub named Simba. His father, Mufasa is king of the Pride Lands, so naturally he is to follow in his father’s footsteps.

But his evil and cruel uncle Scar loathes Simba. Because of Simba’s birth Scars chances of taking over the throne gone. Scar conspires with the hyenas to kill Simba and Mufasa so that he can be the king.

Simba manages to escape scar and his bumbling hyena minions only to face life alone, until he meets up with Pumbaa and Timon, who teach him how to live a carefree life without responsibilities. Simba grows into an adult lion, hiding from his past. Until he unexpectedly runs into his old friend Nala who urges him to return and become the King. He must decide if he should go back and take his place in the circle of life or continue to live with no worries.

This beautifully animated film comes in a 1:66:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The disc includes an English Dolby 5.1 surround sound track and THX certification. A French track is also included in 5.1 surround.

The menu on disc one is divided up into areas. The Elephant Graveyard includes some additional footage and concepts, such as “Bug Football”, an additional Hakuna Matata scene telling Timon’s story and a different concept for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. These are shown with mostly storyboard animation, but it makes them no less interesting. In the Grasslands, there is a fun profile game, where you answer questions to find out which character you are most like. There’s also a making of the song “Morning Report” featurette. Next on the menu is the Tree of Life, which includes the making of the “Circle Of Life” music video and a sing along feature that plays the movie, but includes subtitles for each of the songs. In the Jungle you can find a Grab-a-Grub game and Pumbaa’s sound sensation-a game that tests your skills at matching animals with the sounds they make. Also included are previews for Brother Bear, Special Edition Sleeping Beauty, George Of the Jungle 2, Finding Nemo and others as well as a preview of disc two.

Then on to the second, bonuses disc. Disc two includes a treasure trove of extras. There is a multi-language clip reel that plays through Hakuna Matata, switching from language to language. This is truly a unique feature, and the list of languages is long. It includes Zulu, Italian, Danish, Castilian, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Mandarin, Portuguese, Korean, Hebrew, Finnish and more, with an option to see that countries “favorite scene”. There are numerous featurettes, including Leaps of Faith, which discusses the musical The Lion King and featurettes on animals from the Lion King, including Lions, Hyenas, Meerkats and Warthogs. There’s also a featurette on the adaptation of The Lion King into other languages as well as one on African influence on the movie. Featurettes on the story concept and the film are also included. There are music videos by Elton John and Pumbaa and Timon’s Virtual Safari in 3D.
Whether you buy it for your kids, or for yourself, this 2-disc set really takes the cake. Fun games, a great film and interesting featurettes are only the beginning. Don’t Miss The Lion King, Special Edition. It is truly one of the best DVDs to come from Walt Disney.

Wild Africa is the setting for this animated tale of a young lion cub whose evil uncle usurps his father's crown and lets hyenas overrun the kingdom. Dodging danger and befriending some oddball characters, the cub wanders until the day he's ready to return. Songs by Elton John and featuring the voices of Whoopie Goldberg, Cheech Marin, James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Jeremy Irons. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including 3 for Best Original Song. Academy Awards: 2, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Elton John and Tim Rice: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight").

This is probably my favorite item that I have purchased on e-bay. My daughter, who is now in college, loved this movie as a child. She would set in the backseat on car trips and recite the whole movie word for word including the songs. Even as she grew older when she was sick she would pop it in and watch it to put her to sleep. Sometimes we would watch it together for old times sake. Around Christmas time this past year I made several attempts to buy her a copy of it on dvd since she only had it on VHS. I had no luck. After Christmas while teaching my husband to use e-bay I decided to check again for the movie. Not only did I find it, it was a "buy now" which meant that I could have it right now without the bidding. I enjoy bidding but this was a "I have to have this" kind of thing. This was even better than I hoped for, not only was it "The Lion King" on dvd but it was a limited special edition with signed art by the origional artists, a book, and a second dvd. She liked the origional version better so I was pleased to get the enhanced version and the origional. This was a super special deal at a super price. I cried when I gave it to her because it gave her so much joy. E-bay is a super place where I can always find what I want. Thanks so much.

The item is a very hard to find boxed set at a great price. It includes a 2-dvd set, a small book and lithographs. Lion King is a great Disney movie, one of the best. Try to get your hands on this set, since Lion King doesn't have a Disney Vault release date!

One of the best movies of all time in one of the best DVD sets!
Lots of special fitures and most important - there are 2 versions of the film (one original theater film and the new one with deleted scenes)
No need to explaine - just BUY IT!