Unit Two: Space

Written Assignment

This essay will explore and analyse Lion Kings visual concepts and design using published works such as: The Fundamentals of Animation by Paul Wells, The Art of The Lion King by Christopher Finch, Art direction for Film and Video by Robert L. Olson, The Filmmakers guide to production design by Vincent LoBrutto and Production Design: Architects of the Screen by Jane Barnwell. These works will give an overview from the eye of film-makers and professionals that offer insight into how concept designs can be used for the purposes of film production. As The Lion King is an animated feature this essay will look at how the designers used the medium to its advantage, how the theme/style sells the story to an audience and how the colour palette is used to display characteristics, mood and emotions throughout the film.

The Lion King was release in 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures as their 32nd animated feature. The film uses its
visuals as a main tool for storytelling. Directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff worked closely alongside their huge team of animators to create this African inspired film. Andy Gaskill, as art director, over saw the whole creative process keeping the films style and design continuous throughout. Chris Sanders, however, was responsible for initially designing the look for the film as production designer. He and his team designed the visual concepts during The Lion Kings pre-production which would what set the style direction the film would take. As an animated feature the restrictions of a physical set are removed and the freedom to tell the story, quite strongly, through visual means can be exploited. Sanders creates a look that greatly represents its African setting and sells that theme to its audience. Paul Wells write about some of Disneys insider rules for their animations in The Fundamentals of Animation. He write One of

the most important stages of production stressed by Disney was layout the scene by scene appearance of the film, taking into account the staging and dramatisation of the narrative in relation to backgrounds and context (Wells, 2006: 50). This
means that the layout has to tell everything about the story so an audience can read it rather than having to be told through dialogue and Sanders designs do just that. The freedom given by being an animation piece meant that Sanders could be quite bold in its stylisation. Originally he intended to have the whole film in a style that reflected traditional African fabric print. Figure 2 is an early piece of concept art that reflects the idea of square, bright coloured print. Considered to be overly stylised the concept became the grand, colour rich background seen in the film today. Even so, the scenery still does its job of setting the film in a beauteous African landscape. It uses the audiences assumed existing knowledge by applying an orange colour palette, using silhouettes and by having other items like the large sun and tall savannah trees. All these elements are associated with Africa and by having them the audience will make the connection. Wells writes about this technique: The use of iconic associative imagery is a useful visual short cut to locate an audience with the immediacy the Disney veterans suggest (Wells, 2006: 50). The Disney veterans suggest that One quick look is all the audience gets keep it simple, direct, like a poster; it must sell an idea. (Wells, 2006, 51). By this principle, any moment can be taken from the film, one cell, and this single image should tell the location, mood and emotion of the scene. The African pattern stylisation that was originally planned did however make it into the film. As written in The Art of The Lion King by Christopher Finch The most obvious example of this is Simbas Cant wait to be King musical number which stands aside from the main thrust of the narrative in that it is imagined as being through the mind of a lion cub. (Finch, 1994: 176). In the scene all the mise-en-scne turns into a surreal setting rich in colour and animal inspired pattern. As Finch states, they use this style to transport the audience into the imagination of Simba and his perhaps naive view of what being King will be like. The film later changes its style again for another song Hakuna Matata and in the following jungle set scenes. This is a more subtle change but it gives the effect of a bountiful jungle and helps place the audience in a more surreal realm again as the

song shows time passing by as Simba matures. The jungle has the same un-reality feel that the earlier song had so it can be said that it demonstrates how Simba is now living the simple, no worries lifestyle in the Jungle that he imagined for himself in the Pride Lands. One of the Disney trademarks in their concept design is their use of colour association to show characteristics of a character. This colourisation spreads into the environment around the character. Jane Barnwell, author of Production Design: Architects of the Screen writes The use of colour in film and television enhances

the images, giving added depth and nuance to plot and character... the psychological effect of colour is important aspect when designing (Barnwell, 2004: 106). Its not enough to just represent realistic colours in film as colour can
be such a powerful tool, as Barnwell writes, psychologically. Purple tends to be a Disney standard to represent a villain whereas Heros are typically warmer tones such as yellow. The Lion King is no exception as it uses this idea to great effect within it. Scar, the villain, has auburn fur and a black mane but in constantly set into a purple environment most notably when Scar is King of Pride Rock all the land is converted to a desolate wasteland, the colour is limited to a blue/purple pallet. The heros however fit into the African colour scheme of brilliant yellows and oranges. Figure 6 is a section of the story board depicting a scene between King Mufasa and Scar. Mufasa is sketched in yellows with a neutral green backdrop whereas Scar lurks in purple tinted rock. The use of colour association means that the audience are aided throughout the film by the use of the colour. The colour shows the mood of the scene and can evoke an emotion such as fear or joy and can guide the audience through a scene so they become drawn into the story.

Chris Sanders, Andy Gaskill and all the design team successfully managed to create this visually stunning and memorable film through the use of production design and visual concepts. Although the film includes all these different components of setting, style and colourisation they are all masterfully tied together to produce the finished film. Sanders and team were able to use colour and style to show character, emotions, setting and also able to take the audience into the minds of the characters. Their attention to detail and strong pre-production work is the reason why The Lion King remains a stunning film almost 17 years on.

Fig 1. Mufasa's Ghost by Chris Sanders. (1993) [Pastels] At: http://fancysomedisneymagic.tumblr.com/post/4247087102/father-concept-art-for-the-lion-king (Accessed on: 20.11.2011) Fig 2. Initial Concept by Chris Sanders. (1993) [Pastels] At: http://www.cartoonjr.com/the-lionking-early-character-sketches-and-storyboard-art/ (Accessed on: 20.11.2011) Fig 3. Cant wait to be King. (1994) From: The Lion King (1994) Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. [film still] USA: Walt Disney Pictures Fig 4. Hakuna Matata. (1994) From: The Lion King (1994) Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. [film still] USA: Walt Disney Pictures Fig 5. Scars Pride Lands. (1994) From: The Lion King (1994) Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. [film still] USA: Walt Disney Pictures Fig 6. Mufasa and Scar in storyboard by Chris Sanders. (1993) [Pen and Pencil] At: http://drawn-tolife.tumblr.com/post/6368898395/the-lion-king-concept-art (Accessed on: 20.11.2011)

Barnwell, Jane. (2004) Production Design: Architects of the Screen. USA: Columbia University Press Wells, Paul. (2006) the Fundamentals of Animation. USA: AVA Publishing Finch, Christopher. (1994) the Art of the Lion King. (3rd ed.) USA: Hyperion

Barnwell, Jane. (2004) Production Design: Architects of the Screen. USA: Columbia University Press Wells, Paul. (2006) the Fundamentals of Animation. USA: AVA Publishing Finch, Christopher. (1994) the Art of The Lion King. (3rd ed.) USA: Hyperion Internet Movie Database. (Date unknown) The Lion King (1994). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/ (Accessed on 18.11.2011). Beck, Jerry. (2005) the Animated Movie Guide. (illustrated ed.)USA: Chicago Review Press Olson, Robert L. (1998) Art Direction for Film and Video. (2nd ed.) USA: Focal Press LoBrutto, Vincent. (2002) the Filmmakers Guide to Production Design. USA: Allworth Press