12 Best Film Adaptations Of Shakespeare's Tragedies
3. The Lion King
Based On: Hamlet
Adaptation:
Before anything else let's deal with the elephant in the room; yes, The Lion King is a loose adaptation of Hamlet. It only really uses the play as a starting point though, since aside from an uncle killing his brother, a king and the king's son conversing with his father's spirit, the similarities more or less end there. At least everyone doesn't die this time.
A much-loved Disney movie, it's a testament to The Lion King's quality that it lives up to the hype.
The Lion King is a truly wonderful movie; thanks to its incredible songs, beautiful animation and gripping story it'll be an important part of many childhoods but there's a lot for the parents to enjoy as well.
The film presents a surprisingly dark and seriously moving story that's richly woven together from Shakespearean, Classical and African influences. It's a powerful and relatable coming-of-age story that'll probably leave many viewers in tears and despite being a film about talking animals, it's a human story that will speak to everyone.
The MVP of the film is Jeremy Irons, who's completely brilliant as the film's hateful villain Scar (an equivalent of Claudius. Although the second half of the film feels a little rushed (perhaps the film would've benefited from a longer running time), this is still a delightful Disney film that remains a true classic and easily one of the best traditionally-animated films of all time.