MOVIE REVIEW

The Disney Magic is still present in The Lion King, a story about a lion (the King
of the Jungle) who has to struggle with his self-identity before he finally finds it.
Disney apparently re-released this summer movie again in the fall apparently
because it only grossed $300 million or so. Talk about having a formula for
making "magic" movies.

Simba (Matthew Broderick), the lion in question, runs away as a cub after
believing that he is responsible for his father's death (guilt trip (pun intended)
provided courtesy of evil Uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons)). Scar takes over the lion
kingdom and forms an alliance with the hyenas, who consequently begin to abuse
the privileges given to them. Meanwhile Simba befriends Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella),
a wart hog, and Timon (Nathan Lane), a meerkat, and learns all about Hakuna
Matata.

The time then comes for Simba to confront his past when he runs across Nala (his
childhood companion and bethrothed voiced by Moira Kelly, who also manages to
pin him down quite easily---you can guess what position they'd like), Rafiki
(Robert Guillaume) the baboon, and the ghost of his father Mufasa (James Earl
Jones). He returns back to his kingdom and confronts Scar. Scar attempts to kill
Simba the way he murdered Mufasa. But the good guys always win.

This is, in some ways, a rip-off of The Jungle Book, but the animation is
excellent---each year Disney animation seems to get better and better and this is
the best animation I've seen from Disney. The music is decent for the most part.
This movie is a must-see.
IN MANAGEMENT VIEW:

Disney’s animated feature The Lion King is presented as a vehicle for fostering
undergraduate management and organizational behavior students’ experiential
learning and application of fundamental leadership concepts (bases of power and
leader skills, traits, and behaviors) and more complex leadership themes (a leader’s
need to overcome self-doubt, a group’s overdependence on its leader, a leader’s
spirituality, the consequences of abdicating responsibility, and the impact of allies
and enemies on a leader). Questions based on the movie are provided to prompt
group discussion and individual reflection about leadership.