I think it should be mentioned that the sequel to Kingdom Hearts(which features Simba as a summon) will have a actual Lion King world. The creator of Kingdom Hearts II, Tetsuya Nomura, has told people in numerous interviews of The Lion King being featured as a stage in Kingdom Hearts II, whereas in Kingdom Hearts 1, the idea for Lion King to be a stage was denied. Hopefully this can get Lion King fans to check it out in the game which will be released this Winter.

The Lion King 1½ took home five trophies at last night's DVD Exclusive Awards in Los Angeles. The direct-to-video "in-between-quel" earned the award for Best Animated DVD Movie Premiere, as well as Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing honors for a DVD premiere. One of the film's lead personalities, sarcastic meerkat Timon (voiced by Nathan Lane, animated by Alexis Stadermann), was commended as Best Animated Character Performance.

First off, the bonus lithograph pictured on the Disney Store website is the same one that came with the DVD. It comes in a large envelope almost as nice (maybe nicer than) the litho itself. I own the original DVD release of SP but this one actually looks clearer onscreen. I don't know if it's possible that the quality could be better than the original DVD release but I swear it looks better—for example, during the opening as the sun is rising I see details on the elephants I don't remember seeing before, such as the actual folds of skin whereas in the original DVD all I saw were silhouettes. The colors in general appear a little less intense than the original DVD release—in general the film is "not so orange".

I did see the aforementioned change in Kovu's facial expression during the one instant in the Crocodile Attack screen. Why that was done beats me...he gasps straight at the camera for a split second before turning his head to the left at which point the animation looks identical to the original release. Also I noticed how the screen fades a little faster right after the Upendi sequence so we don't see Kiara and Kovu going from walking to the beat of the song to a regular walk. I had to skim through most of the movie (a bit busy today :) so if there are any other miniscule changes I did not see them—it'll have to wait either until tomorrow when I get to actually watch the film and maybe for sharper eyes than mine.

Chapters are all the same except that the chapter entitled "Alligator Attack" is now called "Crocodile Attack". Menu pages are nice, not nearly as fun as TLK 1.5 but also no horrific 3D animation to deal with as per TLK:SE. The "Matter-Of-Facts" option is a bit annoying turned on—it supposed to be a pop up of interesting facts you can choose to have on while watching the film. A great idea, except for the fact the pop ups block virtually the entire screen!

"One by One" short is an uplifting sequence, using a longer, modified version of the song One by One, about kids escaping their rather depressing town to go to the surrounding veldt to fly kites. "Find out why" shorts are fun but there's only five of them—I recall quite a few more shorts existed during the One Saturday Morning run. The Timon and Pumbaa's virtual tour is possibly the least interesting of the three virtual tours and here we finally get subjected to some bad 3D animation, including the duo's new pet elephant Gertie (and yes, eventually she starts talking). Rafiki's challenge is a gourd shuffling game that plays for about five rounds. Pride Land Games consist of three games (two mathematical, one a shape game) that are extremely basic. Of all the bonus features, in fact, the Proud of Simba's Pride is by FAR the most interesting. We get to see some of the storyboards, character model sheets, and hear a few lines that never made the film, including one by Mufasa (or more accurately perhaps Mufasa's ghost) where he blames Simba for the war between the Pridelanders and Outlanders. Also, it made me respect what is still my least favorite of the TLK trilogy a little bit more when I learned how some of the things we see in the film were done intentionally to invoke a deeper meaning. For example, the animators explain how during the original we always see Pride Rock from the right but in the sequel it is nearly always shown from the left to cue in viewers that this is a different story to be viewed from a different perspective. They also try to explain some of Simba's behavior during the sequel that I had previously considered irrational. As I said, in all it made me respect TLK 2 just a bit more.

So in conclusion: the film looks a bit better and cleaner to me and the bonus features, with the exception of the Proud of Simba's Pride featurette, are disappointing. Which leads me to the question: Where are the deleted scenes? I could've sworn I had read somewhere that some of the pencil tests that have been floating around online for years (i.e., Vitani and Nuka's introductions, Zira's suicide) would be included here. I even played the games and did the safari in the hopes that maybe we would get them as rewards at the end. But there is no sign of these at all. So if someone else figures out that they are on the disc and how to get them, let the rest of us know, OK?

In the original VHS (and I'm assuming, the original DVD) version, Kovu jerks his head back and screams at one point. In the new DVD he turns and looks at Kiara, with the same backing scream. IMHO, it doesn't fit as well, but it's another one of those little odd changes that we'll never discover the purpose of. It's only about a second, so if you'd not seen the original recently, you'd probably not notice it.


(Screen captures by Thiago M.; commentary by Shoka)


The other change I noticed is right after Upendi. In the original, there is a short section right after the song where we see Kovu and Kiara walking back towards Pride Rock, singing "In Upendi" over and over, until they eventually finish, and their step, which was going to the beat, relaxes back into normal walking. In the DVD, the relax back into normal walking is no longer there, it's cut out. Before that happens, it fades off to the next scene.

The movie is live action and the story revolves around a group of lions, and two lion cubs, whose curiousity about the world outside leads them into a journey of discovery.

One of the lionesses, Suzuki, questions aloud about the purpose of being a lion, and her youthful mind leads her to make some unwise decisions about her life.

All New One By One Animated Short
From the Makers of The Lion King.

Find Out Why Game
Ever wonder why we sneeze? Or how an airplane flies? Timon has a few creative ideas, but Pumbaa has some more believable explanations for fascinating scientific phenomena.

Proud Of Simba's Pride
A Making-of featurette that highlights the seeds of the story, the development of the new characters, the African roots of the music and more!

Rafiki's Challenge
Rafiki's three gourd monty game, the classic shell game with a fun twist!

Lots About Lions
Learn more about "big cats," the animals that were the role models for Simba, Kiara and the rest of the pride.

Pride Land Games
Using their math skills, kids can help Timon and Pumbaa gather grubs for the feast and arrange rocks so Kiara and Kovu can get around the crocodiles!

Disney's Song Selection
Skip to your favorite song or play them all! Display the lyrics with the click of a button.

Music Videos
THX Certified
And More!

Video:
Widescreen 1.66:1 Color (Anamorphic)

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
ENGLISH: DTS 5.1 [CC]
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo

I was watching Disc 2 of the Lion King SE DVD, more specifically The Story.  They showed clips of the director following the drawn storyline, and got to the part where Simba comes to tell Nala about the Elephant Graveyard.  I saw "Sarafina" in a caption underneath one of the pictures, so I rewound a few clips ahead and paused it.  It seems that she actually did have more lines before the movie was completed.  The two captions that I saw vividly (one right after another) are:

SARAFINA: Nala, you just had a bath!

and

SARAFINA: Try and stay clean for once!

I think these two lines alone let us see a little bit more of her personality, and Nala's as well.

Apart from the alligators in the "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" sequence, there were several other changes I noticed. The waterfalls in the "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" scene are no longer blurs, they are drawn as running water. Don Hahn explained during promotional interviews for the IMAX release that they tried a special effect on the waterfall at the last minute, and it didn't turn out right, but it was so close to the release date that they didn't have time to fix it. Also, the ending credits no longer scroll by like a vertical marquee, they are shown in frames. The original end credits only showed stopped frames up until the "Busa" theme ended and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" began.

And here's some mistakes:

The book sleeve opening DVD cover lists the deleted scenes as "Bug Football", "Hakuna Matata" and "Warthog Rhapsody". There is no "Warthog Rhapsody" included on the disc; it was replaced by Timon and Pumbaa's version of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight".

UPDATE: The "Warthog Rhapsody" sequence is in fact present on the disc. Go to "North America", then "Burbank", and it's on the second page. Thanks to Wishkres and Julie Schroeder for pointing this out!

And in the "Making of the 'Circle of Life' Video" (by the Disney Channel "Circle of Stars"), Hilary Duff claims that the original song was so "perfect and wonderful" and she is glad that the new track stays true to the original but only adds "the flavor of their voices". Unless she is referring to the Elton John version of "Circle of Life", which I highly doubt, then she has never even heard the original song. The version in the new music video is the same as that in Elton John's version, with the same lyrics and beats, and it is not in any way like the original film version. And then she says that "Lion King is like her favorite movie"... sure, Hilary, whatever you say.

The Disney Channel "Circle of Stars" music video will appear on "Disney Mania 2", coming out this spring. The original "Disney Mania" included "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (by S-Club), "Circle of Life" (by Ronan Keating), "Hakuna Matata" (by Baha Men) and "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" (by Aaron Carter).

I got my Lion King dvd yesterday, and i still haven't got time to watch everything (hey, there are more than 3 hours of bonus!), but I can give some opinions.

As spotted by many others before me, I noticed the new crocodiles on the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence. I'd rather see the original ones.

On the Morning Report sequence, it's clear the voice difference between the 'old' and the 'new' Simba. Although it's not THE voice, it's still a great sequence. But, again, I'd stay with the original one.

Another slip I noticed, but not on the movie: on the 'international cd covers' bonus, there's no Brazilian cover. Since it's a Brazilian edition of the dvd, I think it could have been included.

When it comes to music, I just LOVED the new version of Circle of Life, sung by Disney's Circle of Stars. It was thrilling to hear a new version of the song of my life. Also, it was great to see Elton John (my fave artist ever), Hans Zimmer (one of the most talented composers I know) and Hakuna Matata by Jimmy Cliff.

The brazilian dvd comes with six postcards with some images from the movie. And man, they're beautiful. I think I'll put one of them on a frame and place it on my desk. If you want, I can scan them and send to you.

To say more, only compliments. The visual, the sound, the colors... everything is so great and beautiful and brilliant. Definetly, the king has returned!

Well, I came home from school today and guess what arrived a day early from the Disney Store and was sitting on my doorstep to distract me from more important work this evening? Yup, the new TLK DVD and VHS. Here are just a few highlights people will soon be finding out on their own if you're interested...

*Inside BOTH the VHS and DVD is a small mini-storybook of TLK 1.5 including new screenshots--with animation that looks VERY similar to Simba's Pride.

*I ordered the collector's set DVD. Very nice. The "booklet" is actually 160 pages long! The first half summarizes the info you'll see on Disc 2 while the second half is the story from "The Art of The Lion King" once again, whough a few new pics in the background.

*The character sketches are nice: big Simba on a hammock, young Simba, Scar, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, Mufasa and Simba, Simba and Nala, and Zazu. All signed by the original artists and come in an equally handsome case. And all come in a paper "frame" that would serve nicely as a mat if you really wanted to frame the sketches!

*Sneak preview of TLK 1.5 at the beginning of the DVD--it's the one with Timon and Pumbaa and the remote.

Now some dirt on the actual movie! First, the BIG question (at least for me)...

*As we all feared, the "Original" TLK version IS just the IMAX version with "The Morning Report" cut out. Meaning it's NOT the original version at all. There is one bright spot though--apparently someone at Disney listened to the fans and added the retreating clouds back into the scene with Mufasa's ghost in BOTH versions :)

*The Morning Report--not as jarring to the flow of the film as I imagined. A LOT of recycled animation and the new animation with young Simba actually looks decent. As with Simba's Pride, Zazu and his movements were exaggerated a bit too much...

*The new Home Theater Remix is AWESOME. 'Nuff said!!!

*The computer animated opening is actually OK, EXCEPT for Zazu. His feathers look like fingers and his head is little squashed. Oy, and is he annoying!

*Deleted scenes include Warthog Rhapsody, Timon and Pumbaa finding Simba, Bug Football, Timon's Hakuna Matata Verse, Timon and Pumbaa singing CYFTLT and the original opening scene. Still, not all the deleted scenes as on the CAV laserdisc...no original CYFTLT version (the one I like), no fight scene and no Scar's reprise. In way though, it's kind of nice that there's still something that makes the CAV unique. For die-hard fans only I guess ;P

*There's actually two ways to navigate Disc 2--by continent (you'll see what I mean) and by "journey"--music, stage, film, etc. The little map in the booklet inside the DVD is a BIG help in finding one's way around.

Bill Elliott was in the top 10 for 220 laps Sunday. He led 115 laps, more than anyone else. Elliott finished 2nd while Jeremy Mayfield finished 3rd.

Here's ahoto of Bill Elliott's number 9 Lion King Dodge intrepi on the race track:
http://www.nascar.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2003/10/05/cup_kansas/elliott.jpg

Here are some post NASCAR race articles from offical driver sites:

ROOOAAAARRRR!!!!! - Bill Elliott proves he’s king of the jungle with a second place finish at Kansas Speedway

http://www.billelliott.com/viewheadline.php?id=1849

Small photos are are at
http://www.billelliott.com/photos/2003/100503/index.html


ROOOAAAARRRR!!!!! - Jeremy Mayfield proves he's king of the jungle with a third place finish at Kansas Speedway
http://www.jeremymayfield.com/viewheadline.php?id=1850

Small photos are are
http://www.jeremymayfield.com/photos/2003/100503/index.html

Target is selling the exclusive 2 disc set that includes The Lion King Special Edition Soundtrack and The Rythem of the Pride CDs for $12.99. This CD set includes "The Circle of Life" sung by the "Circle of Stars."

A technical glitch about the Lion King Platinum Edition has been mentioned on several DVD sites an a few forums. I am able to confirm the glitch.

It looks like the audio drop at the end of the pouncing sequence when I'm watching the original theatrical mix. In fact, the home theater system's text display goes blank, then redisplays [Dolby Digital 3/2.1] again. Weird huh? I only miss one short phrase from Mufasa: "That's" in "That's very good."

Went to the Premiere at El Capitain last nite.............
Was incredible,The whole outside red carpet was transformed with a rock backgroud and LK feel. A real lion cub, Simba, romped around our feet. The party was in a huge tent and was incridible but the highlight was the live giraffe outside the tent entrance and sitting in front of Chich Marin in the theater where Elton John performed 2 songs from the movie LIVE!!! Very cool....star studded....shook hands and hobnobed with Dennis Quaid, Forrest Whitiker,Blair Underwood, Jeff Bridges, Dan Hahn, Hilary Duff and a bunch of other kid stars like me and went home with the Special addition mag, platinum edition DVD & stuffed animal.
It was a memory of a lifetime I'm excited to be a part of.......
Thanks for all the great info....(More than my Publicist...hehehe)

Toys R us know has all The Lion King toys,figures and The Lion King sing along songs tape&DVD..The toys are: My Singing Simba,Cradleing Cub Nala,pride pals beanies with characters:Simba,Nala,Pumbaa and Adult Simba,Ready to Roar Simba,Circle of life Figures set,Simbas andventure figure pack,(i think thats what it was called) prices:Ready to roar Simba:$19.99,Singing Simba:$29.99,Soft purring Simba and Nala:$9.99 each,Feed me Pumbaa:$15.99, cradleing Cub Nala:$15.99, pride pals beanies:$5.99 each,figure packs:$9.99 each.
And they had a poster and a promo with DVD cover on it...and they where playing Lion King music...

MickeyMouseboy at UltimateDisney.com's forum says: "the disney store is carrying the Limited Edition Lion King Soundtrack with lenticular cover like they did for the lilo & Stitch Limited Edition soundtrack :) $15.99"

Christian from my.lionking.org wrote on animated-movies.net: "the new soundtrack CD also includes a special edition of 'Rhythm of the Pridelands.' I'm not sure if all copies of the soundtrack have the extra CD so if you want to make sure yours does before you buy one just check to make sure it says '2 CD' on the front left spine. The whole thing is packaged very nice, with nice liner notes and new art on each disc and apparently the first CD also acts as a CD-ROM with special features."

Ah one last thing; All disny dvd (until now) released in brazil are all encoded for the region 1 too! (i know it because i have an american playstation 2 and it runs all dvds of disney, but all another it shows a mensage of wrong region)

FYI, there will be a Worldwide DVD Debut of Walt Disney Pictures' THE LION KING Friday, October 3 at Hollywood's Historic El Capitan Theater

Here's a copy of the offical press release http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030929/lam092_1.html

If we're lucky, Yahoo and some other news sites should post some pictures of the event.

• DVD Town
• The Digital Bits
• Home Theater Forum (the video quality gets a 6 out of 5!)
• IGN.com (get a load of the quote about the "mini-storybook for The Lion King 1 1/2")
• The Man Room
• DVD Toons
• LaughingPlace.com (soundtrack review)

Visit your local Wal-Mart Photo Center on October 11th to get a complimentary photo taken with a life-size cutout of characters from The Lion King.

I have just been informed that The Lion King on Broadway in Toronto, Canada has been extended one final time until Jan 04 2004 The Lion King must close to make way for new productions. This is your FINAL opportunity to see The Lion King on Broadway at the Princess of Wales Theatre. For tickets and reservations call (416)-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333 long distance toll free or order online at www.mirvish.com. THIS IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY!!! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!!!!

"Disney has not restored the original theatrical version, per se; you can watch the film either with or without the new tune, but it is still the animation is still of the IMAX'd variety only."

"...where are the real trailers?" Apparently, both the Region 1 and UK DVD set don't have trailers.

I thought I would let you know I was in Target tonight and there is a complete set of Lion King Christmas ornaments on the shelves by Enesco. I found four individually boxed "regular size" ornaments which include one mini ornament in the box. Price on the "regular" ornament with mini is $6.99. They also have a boxed set of all the mini ornaments and the minis can be purchased separately as well. Boxed set of minis is $5.99 and the individual minis were $1.99.

There is also a large water globe which plays "Circle of Life" priced at $15.99.

Kellogg's is now selling The Lion King: Special Edition Corn Flakes boxes with both Young Simba and Big Simba in various grocery stores. Here is a scan of the Young Simba box:
http://www.shakiraholics.com/uyycornflakes.jpg (front)
http://www.shakiraholics.com/uyycornflakes2.jpg (back)
http://www.shakiraholics.com/uyycornflakes3.jpg (spoon offer - side of box)

Also, Blue Bunny now has Lion King ice cream cups called Mini-Triples. They're chocolate ice cream cups filled with fudge, marshmellow, and candy bits. They also sell the ice cream in single large tubs called Triplets. Here is a scan of the Mini-Triplets ice cream box:
http://www.shakiraholics.com/minitriples.jpg (box)
http://www.shakiraholics.com/minitriples2.jpg (an actual ice cream cup, yes it was a pain to scan!)

Blue Bunny's website has more information on the ice cream. Their Disney Ice Cream page can be found here:
http://www.bluebunny.com/products/disney_detail.cfm?cat=Disney%20Ice%20Cream

And, I've also scanned the cover of Disney Adventure's The Lion King special issue magazine. It can be found here:
http://www.shakiraholics.com/disadventures.jpg

FYI: Amazon.co.uk is running a new promotion: order the Lion King Special Edition and recieve a FREE "Simba" soft toy.*

Fine Print:
*Offer for a limited time only and subject to availability. Information correct at time of posting. A limit of one soft toy per customer order. This offer is only available to customers who order The Lion King Special Edition on DVD (ASIN B0000AOWLW) or video (ASIN B0000AOWLX).

(new picture, product information page)

MovieGuide.nl biedt de echte DVD-liefhebber de unieke kans om de speciale uitvoering van Disney's bekroonde "The Lion King" op DVD nu al online te bestellen met een aantrekkelijke korting.

Voor slechts € 14,- (excl. €3,95 handlingverzendkosten) wordt de DVD op uiterlijk woensdagochtend 15 oktober bij jou thuis bezorgd worden.

1. Circle of Life / Carmen Twillie
2. I Just Can't Wait to Be King / Rowan Atkinson
3. Be Prepared / Cheech Marin
4. Hakuna Matata / Ernie Sabella
5. Can You Feel the Love Tonight / Ernie Sabella
6. The Morning Report / Jeff Bennett
7. This Land
8. ...to Die For
9. Under the Stars [Instrumental
10. King of Pride Rock
11. Circle of Life / Elton John
12. I Just Can't Wait to Be King / Elton John
13. Can You Feel the Love Tonight (End Title) / Elton John
14. Can You Feel the Love Tonight / Elton John

Rob Jongmans, senior vice president with Buena Vista Home Entertainment Europe reiterates the importance of the special edition: "The Lion King created the biggest entertainment phenomenon ever in its initial release and we are confident that this success will be unsurpassed when it is released." Peet continues: "The Lion King is still the biggest animated film in terms of video sales and the intention with the Platinum titles is to make the biggest splash we can. We've genuinely tried to pull out all the stops to make this one of the best DVDs ever."

Whilst that might be considered to be quite a claim, it doesn't appear to be an unrealistic one. Certainly the DVD is far and away above what might be expected for most aniamted films, even most live-action classics. The disc comes with the original theatrical version of the film as well as a new, re-mastered edit that features The Morning Report, an all-new song composed by Elton John and Tim Rice, that arrives with a never before seen aniamted sequence featuring Zazu, the feathered emissary to the king. And as you will see, the list of extra features doesn't stop there.

Exclusive Mail-in Offer from Keebler, Mini Talkin' Lion King Cookies Jars. Found on the packages of Keeber's Grahams ( Original ) Gramcrackers. You can buy Timon, Pumba or Simba for $4.99 plus 2 UPC symbols, or the entire set for $12.99 plus 4 UPC symbols. Each cookie jar is appoximstely 6" inches high, and designed to fit together as a set.

The original version of The Lion King, with no remixing, no tinkering and no new song, will also be included in the DVD.

"The purists out there can see the movie exactly as it was in 1994," Hahn says. "Those who enjoy seeing new innovations can sing a new song."

Ho thinks he knows which you'll choose.

"Nine out of 10 people will prefer the home theater mix," Ho predicts. "I mean, the wildebeests feel like they're stampeding over your head."

They're also at Wal-Mart and they're some back to school items for kids. The 3D rubber things are Backpack clips, and the big package in the middle are magnets that you punch out of a sheet. On the other image, those are (obviously) pencils with plastic, character tops. I have one of each and there's also a stationary set with a tin pencil case, a Simba note pad, pencils, erasers and sharpeners. They're products of Disney Hallmark, I've never heard of it yet but with at least the word Disney they seem like worthy-of must haves.

Disney Places High Hopes on Lion King DVD

Brandweek reports that Disney is investing a whopping $200 million in overall marketing support in October for the DVD debut of The Lion King--a budget that eclipses the outlay for most theatrical releases, with McDonald's, Kellog, Hasbro and Wal-Mart in tow. Support will cover three DVDs, including the Platinum Edition and the spring 2004 launch of Lion King 1 1/2: Hakuna Matata and Lion King 2: Simba's Pride.

In a week, we can pre-order The Lion King Collector's Gift Set and recieve free lithos.

"the change should take about a week but they will now be offereing the Lithos with a preorder of the Gift Set"

   I don't know if this move only affects DisneyStore.com or if it includes the retail Disney Stores.  Either way, this is great news for folks who want to buy the Lion King Gift Box Set and the free lithographs.

Disney supervising animator Andreas Deja recently chatted with the Los Angeles Zoo View, explaining that "I go to the Zoo every other month. We learned this from the old guys. We all worshipped the old animators who worked on the classics, whether it's Bambi or Lady and the Tramp. In talking to them, we asked how they did it, and they all said, 'We went to the Zoo.' Walt Disney always said, if you don't know the real thing, you absolutely cannot caircature and animated it. I draw at the Zoo regularly, because you never know when you're going to be assigned a penguin or a hippo, so it's good to already have basic knowledge."

For the 1994 film The Lion King, Deja was assigned Scar, the villainous uncle to the adorable lion cub, Simba. "We start out drawing a lot of lions as we see them, and then add human elements to it. I had Jeremy Irons to work with, who did the voice of Scar. The dark eyes, dark rings on his eyes, the way his mouth is shaped, the nose, the thin upper lip--I was able to incorporate some of that into Scar." He did it well enough that when he first showed Irons video of Scar, Deja says the actor touched his own mouth and said, "My God, he looks like me!" Andreas Deja adds that it is vitally important for animators to correctly illustrate an animal's movements. "If you want to draw a deer that takes a step, you have to know what's involved, where the bones are. You have to analyze all that. When you look at a lion walk, there's all that weight. When he puts the weight onto one leg and then onto the other, that shifting of weight. That all has to be in the animation." Deja concludes that he is glad Scar was a lion, not a tiger. "We do 24 drawings a second. To get the stripes in the right place every time would be very difficult!"

I couldn't find anything about this on www.lionking.org, so I just figured I'd alert you to this just in case nobody else has bothered to do so. I was just watching the recently released Scandinavian DVD version of The Jungle Book 2, and to my great surprise, among the "previews" (you know, the ones Disney always make you watch before the menu comes up) was an actual trailer for "The Lion King 3 - Hakuna Matata" (I guess this is the official title then, not TLK 1.5). New animation and everything. It consisted of footage from TLK (the _real_ TLK that is) with the silhouettes of Timon and Pumbaa popping up in front of it, talking about the movie. Then Timon picks up a remote control and fast-forwards to the part where they come in, and they get into a discussion (Pumbaa insists they have to watch the film from the beginning). Eventually Timon rewinds it and promises that they'll go all the way back to _before_ the beginning.

The Lion King looks and sounds incredible. This could very well be the animated equivalent of FotR EE. There will be multiple audio mixes, something Disney is calling the "enhanced home theater mix," which I'm betting is Dolby Digital EX. The extras will be great, particularly the new scene, called Morning Report, and a great outtake.

Apparently Disney was going to give Elton John's Can You Feel The Love Tonight to Timon and Pumbaa, until John saw an early cut of the movie and said to the producers "I can't imagine what were you thinking having Timon and Pumbaa sing that song." They quickly agreed and shifted the song to the two lions. The outtake will show the original pencil drawings and have the audio of the two singing the song, very badly, I might add.

This past weekend, domestic box office receipts for Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo rose up another US$4.4 million, with totals now passing US$313 million. That makes Finding Nemo the highest-grossing animated feature film ever by about $200,000. The previous record has been held for almost a decade by another Disney feature -- The Lion King.

It's great news for Pixar Animation Studios, which also saw Finding Nemo open with the strongest weekend receipts ever for an animated movie -- $70.6 million. The $313 mark also puts the movie in the number one spot for the year.

Major Marketing Push Behind Lion King DVD

A full page ad in this week's Hollywood Reporter (p. 28 of the July 29-Aug.4 issue) gives us a glimpse at the Timon & Pumbaa's Virtual Safari feature and reveals that the Mouse House is backing up the October 7 release of "Disney's most requested DVD title" with a $150 million marketing campaign. That's more than the production budget for Treasure Planet or Pirates of the Caribbean! Simba is likely to keep roaring at the top of the all-time video sales chart for a long, long time...

Ultimate Disney has put together a 2-page set of captures previewing more Lion King DVD extra features, specifically the new "Circle of Life" music video performed by "The Disney Channel's Circle of Stars"--Hilary Duff, Christy Romano, A.J. Trauth, Orlando Brown, Tahj Mowry, Kyla Pratt, and Anneliese Van Der Pol.

Pixar's "Finding Nemo" (distributed by Disney) surpassed the $300 million mark this weekend at the US box office. The only other animated feature in history to do that was Lion King. The total domestic gross thus far for Nemo is an estimated $303,796,000m vs. Lion King's $312,855,561m.* (The Lion King figure is the total gross from its two theatrical releases here in the U.S. in June and September of 1994 and does not include its IMAX re-release gross.) This makes Nemo the fastest animated feature to pass the $300m mark as it took Lion King the two releases combined to reach the mark whereas Nemo has accomplished this in just 52 days. It also seems increasingly likely that Nemo will surpass Lion King's total gross before the end of its run making it the #1 animated movie of all time.

(I figure a really angry Lion King fanatic - I am one but I'm not angry because I love Nemo too - might argue tthat ajusted for ticket price inflation Lion King would still win so this means nothing; however, if inflated, the #1 animated feature of all time is not Lion King nor Finding Nemo: rather, still Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And you know as well as I do that when they look at how successful films are most Average Joe Six Packs will look at the list uninflated rather than inflated.)

Just thought it might be worth mentioning on your site that after 9 years Simba has found a true challenger for the throne in Nemo

MickeyMouseboy from UltimateDisney.com's forum told me that The local Disney Stores have started taking preorders for The Lion King since the 15.

Luke from UltimateDisney.com says:

"Disney will be running a Buy 3 Get 1 Free Promotion from September 9 through the end of December, similar to last year's. No word yet on what will be offered as a free selection, but shipping is $1.99 like last year."

"Dodge and Disney are all about establishing an emotional connection to families, so this partnership was a natural for us," said Julie Roehm, Director, Dodge Communications. "The Caravan and 'The Lion King' are also the originals in their respective categories and have set the benchmarks that others now follow. It's the king of the minivans celebrating the king of the DVDs."

As with the "Monsters, Inc." advertising campaign, Dodge will integrate Lion King characters into unique broadcast, print and online creative in support of the Dodge Caravan and the release of "The Lion King: Special Edition" DVD. Advertising will break in late September. In addition, Lion King characters will also appear on the No. 9 and No. 19 Dodge Intrepid race cars of NASCAR drivers Bill Elliott and Jeremy Mayfield at Kansas Speedway, Oct. 3-5.

Zazu lyrics are in black
Mufasa lyrics are in red
Simba lyrics are in blue

Chimps are going ape, giraffes remain above it all
Elephants remember, though just what I can't recall
Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the banks
Showed interest in my nest egg but I quickly said "No thanks!"
We haven't paid the hornbills and the vultures have a hunch
Not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch

This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar, and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report

What are you doing son?
Pouncing.
Let an old pro show you how it's done.

The buffalo have got a beef
About this season's grass
     Stay low
Warthogs have been thwarted
     to the ground
In attempts to save their gas
     Okay, stay low to the ground, right... yeah...
Flamingoes in the pink and
Chasing secretary birds
     Shh... not a sound
Saffron is this season's color
Seen in all the herds
Moving down the rank and file
     Take it slow...
To near the bottom rung
Far too many beetles are
     ...and pounce!
Quite frankly in the dung

This is the morning report
Gives you the long and the short
Every grunt, roar, and snort
Not a tale I distort
On the morning report

In addition, a special Enhanced Home Theater sound mix has been created for the first time on this DVD release, that is specially designed to "envelop the listener in the sound" and enhance the emotional impact of the film. You will be able to choose to view either the original theatrical version of the film or the new special edition version (with the new musical number, Morning Report, created by the original filmmakers). And, for BOTH versions of the film, you will be able to choose to listen to either the original theatrical audio, or the new Enhanced Home Theater mix.

"The Toronto production of Disney's The Lion King will end its run at the Princess of Wales Theatre Sept. 28, after more than three years and 1,300 performances."

What is interesting is that co-director Aaron Blaise was the supervising animator for Young Nala in The Lion King. Also, composer Mark Mancina worked on The Lion King's Music (" Just Can't Wait to Be King"), The Rythm of The Pride Lands, and The Lion King Musical. The voice of Denahi is Jason Raize from the Lion King Musical. Jason Raize played Adult Simba from the Original Broadway Cast.

I found out that one of the writers of Brother Bear and the supervising animator Broose Johnson also animated Young Simba from the Lion King.

OVERVIEW

Everyone's favorite movie characters are hopping on their skateboards and taking it to the streets as they do ollies through the world of Disney's "The Lion King," catch big air in the jungle of Disney's "Tarzan®" and become a rail-grinding Woody in Walt Disney Pictures' presentation of Pixar Animation Studios' "Toy Story 2." Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure is the only game that allows players to test their skateboarding skills in these large and imaginative worlds while incorporating Activision's powerful Tony Hawk's Pro Skater® 4 game engine. Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure lets players perform skating tricks just like the pros – but as their own unique create-a-skater kid or favorite character. Players skate using non-traditional boards like bamboo rafts and frying pans, solving puzzles as they go.

FEATURES

• Create a skater — Players design their own game character then send him or her through both real world and movie locales. Secret areas and collectibles can be found throughout all the levels.
• Movie locations — Fans enter the worlds of Disney's "The Lion King," Disney's "Tarzan" and Walt Disney Pictures' presentation of Pixar Animation Studios' "Toy Story 2" as they skate and solve puzzles in many of the exciting places they have seen in the movies such as Pride Rock, Tarzan's Treehouse, Pizza Planet and more.
• Movie characters — For the first time ever, gamers can skate as 12 different characters from Walt Disney Pictures' presentation of Pixar Animation Studios' "Toy Story 2," Disney's "Tarzan" and Disney's "The Lion King," such as Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Young Tarzan and Simba. Plus, 15 non-playable Disney friends and foes interact with players throughout their adventure.
• Pro Moves — Gamers can skate like the best, incorporating sweet tricks like ollies, rail grinds, spins and other expert balance moves. They can also try their stuff on traditional skateboards, Victorian mirrors, frying pans and other cool foot rides. Tricks can be pulled off of any of the surfaces in each world, such as grinding on dominoes in Andy's Room, spinning a board off trees in the Jungle Treehouse, and ollieing over bones in the Elephant Graveyard.
• Multiple modes — Fans can practice tricks in Free Skate Mode, complete goals in Adventure Mode and compete against friends in split-screen two-player mode. Multiple difficulty settings make it fun for everyone.

It's been shown at this year's e3 and the game will come out this summer. The only problem is that it's already getting bad reviews, as people hate it as they said it is a ripoff to Tony Hawk Pro Skater. The thing is, this game has more of an adventure with skateboarding while THPS was mainly gather points and unlock movies, etc. So who knows how bad or good this game will be.

I went to FYE (For Your Entertainment) at the local mall and preorder is available for The Lion King. If you preorder at any FYE, you will also receive a special collector's Simba coin when the movie is picked up. I know you can also order online at fye.com, but I'm not sure if that free gift is available online as well.

Apparently HMV in Canada is also giving out Pumbaa bobbleheads for preorders (again, available for pickup once the video is released).

The discs stop working after a change in color renders them unreadable. They start off red, but when they are taken out of the package, exposure to oxygen turns the coating black and makes it impenetrable by a DVD laser.

Buena Vista hopes the technology will let it crack a wider rental market, since it can sell the DVDs in stores or almost anywhere without setting up a system to get the discs back.

The discs work perfectly for the two-day viewing window, said Flexplay Technologies, Inc., the private company which developed the technology using material from General Electric Co.

Disney Fills 'Lion' Gaps with '1 1/2'

The Hollywood Reporter officially announces that the Walt Disney Co.'s pint-size Lion King will return in a home video version next spring to bridge the action from the original 1994 animated feature and the 1998 direct-to-video sequel "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride."

"The Lion King 1 1/2", due in early spring 2004, will offer an "irreverent, edgy, humorous back story" to the original told from the perspectives of characters Timon and Pumba, who are again voiced by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, respectively.

Matthew Broderick will reprise his role as Simba, while Elton John and Tim Rice return with the new song "Meerkat Rhapsody."

Disney has high hopes for "Lion King 1 1/2", which will not carry a subtitle in the fashion of "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride". The original "Lion King" will be out in a first-ever Disney DVD two-disc set October 7 with a new John-Rice song, "Morning Report," and loads of special features. That will be followed by "Lion King 1 1/2" and then a special-edition DVD version of "Simba's Pride" in fall 2004.

Slipping the video premiere of "Lion King 1 1/2" between the "Lion King" and "Simba's Pride" rerelease "reflects a philosophy that the property is bigger than any one channel" of release, said Robert Chapek, president of Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment unit.

"Lion King 1 1/2" will be marketed to the broadest possible audience, from "anyone who bought the original 'Lion King' plus anyone who's come into the marketplace since then," Chapek said. Ad spending and marketing campaigns have not been defined, but they will reflect the importance of the franchise, he added.

Disney also will attempt to hook new consumers on the original's two-disc DVD with surround sound that is being specifically designed and mixed for home theater systems.

"This is going to be a whole new experience for consumers who have 'The Lion King' on VHS already," Chapek said. "The theatrical mixes are certainly optimal for theaters, but home theaters are set up differently. So our philosophy was, a movie like this deserves special customized mix for (DTS) 5.1 customized home channels, and that's exactly what we did."

The yearlong publicity and advertising effort also will be boosted by a new wave of licensed merchandise to create in-store displays and keep the franchise visible to consumers, he said.

"The Lion King 1 1/2" DVD will also provide music videos, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes views of how the movie was made and two featurettes: "Timon - The Early Years," a mockumentary tracing Timon's childhood through tongue-in-cheek interviews with family and friends; and "Disney's Funniest Moments," highlighting Disney animated characters from the Seven Dwarfs to Brother Bear.

Two games also will be included: a virtual safari "backlot tour" through the Pridelands and a Lion King trivia game in the format of a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" parody.

- Beginning next year, Disney will release two Platinum Editions every year, in March and October. Titles will be available for two years, then put on moratorium for only five years. That way, Disney can release all its animated titles on DVD by 2007, when the company expects HD-DVD to be available. Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Peter Pan are also being added the Platinum Collection.

Pre-order by October 6, 2003, and get our exclusive set of 4 Bonus Lithographs in a collectible portfolio. Plus, add our exclusive 5 1/2'' H Simba and Rafiki Mini Plush and collectible pin! Offer expires October 6, 2003, or while supplies last. Available to own October 7, 2003.

DVD preorder: If you remember the Beauty and the Beast preorder promotion the Lion King release will be very similar, with a preorder special edition pin, in June.

Special Edition soundtrack: As predicted a Special Edition soundtrack will be released. There also there will be a multi disc set which includes the new Special Edition soundtrack with the Rhythm of the Pridelands and Return to Pride Rock CD's all in one package. Release should be in September.

DVD Read and Sing Alongs: There will be a special Lion King read along and sing along DVD released in April by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. These DVD's include lots of features including a learning function to translate key vocabulary words in 5 languages. Visit www.DVDReadAlong.com for more info.

Games: I saw a poster with a new Lion King game to be released, the cover was the same design as the IMAX poster (ya know the red one). Also there will be a new skateboarding game in which you can ride as your favorite Disney character, very interesting how Simba looks on a skateboard. No dates included here.

"According to Disney, The Lion King will be presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen, the original animation ratio, and not over-matted to 1.85:1."

I was browsing around on www.dvdempire.com when I saw something under their " Lion King, The: Special Edition" information page:

Collectible Packaging Opens Like A Book

I don't know how official that information is, but I thought I'd let you know. It looks like the Lion King DVD won't be in Amary Keep cases?

According to Play.com, The Lion King's Special Edition will run 89 minutes long, only one minute longer than the Original Theatrical Release--the only difference between the two being the whole new song and animation for "The Morning Report".

Second Guess on Morning Report Scene
In response to yesterday's article, 'Joel' notes that while The Lion King's Special Edition might only be one minute longer, the new song and animation are more than likely several minutes long. "Here is a copy of the current dialogue from the movie. Now, read the lyrics to Morning Report. You will notice that the two are very similar. Hence, what the difference in length means is that by the time Disney removes the dialogue, and inserts the song, the remaining time difference is only a minute. The song is one minute longer than the dialogue."

The Lion King Special Edition DVD Collector's Gift Set includes everything from the Special Edition, with the addition of five exclusive character portrait drawings, signed and sketched by the original animators and The Lion King Special Edition book - the ultimate companion piece to the DVD experience!

In the deleted scenes of the October 7 DVD, Elton John talks about how his song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" was to be originally sung by Timon and Pumbaa, but he said it was so horrible, he offered other suggestions, which led to the song being performed by Simba. the deleted scenes include original sketches of the warthog and meerkat performing it. The DVD also offers interviews with John, producer Don Hahn, Disney animation chief Roy Disney and others.

Compare the above page to thier description of the Lion King DVD - Special Editon on http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?userid=2WPV7LGL2P&EAN=786936217421

The Special Edition 2 disc DVD set sells for $22.48 USD. Most online stores are selling the Lion King for about $19.95 to $22.50. Also interesting is that both products have different UPC codes. I haven't heard any official or unofficial word on this 2 pack, multi-item Lion King VHS or DVD set. Because the UPC codes are different, these two sets must be different. I haven't seen any mention of the Multi-Item set anywhere else.

The circle of life for Disney's The Lion King is now complete," writes the newspaper. "The still-reigning top animated feature of all time, with $313 million at the box office and 31 million VHS copies sold, is finally coming to DVD as a two-disc set on October 7. Another member of Disney's cartoon royalty--a two-disc set of 1959's Sleeping Beauty--will make its DVD debut on September 9.

• "The Lion King Personality Profile"
• "Rafiki's Three Gourd Monty"
• "Timon's Grab-A-Grub"
• "Pumbaa's Sound Sensations"

For those of you who may have been wondering why Olivier put "Hakuna Matata" as being a deleted scene, the reason is that Hakuna Matata was originally much longer than the version that appeared in the film. The Hakuna Matata Deleted Scene section on the DVD will have the parts of the Hakuna Matata sequence that were cut out of the film.

• New Elton John/Tim Rice song, "Morning Report"
• Deleted scenes
• 3D animation created exclusively for the DVD menus and games
• Redrawn characters with more facial details
• Enhanced backgrounds with more color saturation
• Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with Enhanced Home Theater (EHT)

DVD Features:

   * Languages: English
   * Subtitles: None
   * Screen Format: Widescreen (1.85:1)
* Sound: DTS 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

Additional Features: Disc One

   * Closed-captioned
   * THX-certified
   * Two versions of the film: The Special Edition that includes the 
all-new song The Morning Report and the original theatrical release
   * The making of The Morning Report
   * The Lion King Personality Profile game
   * Rafiki's Three Gourd Monty game
   * All-new music video
   * Sing along track
   * Timon's Grab-A-Grub game
   * Pumbaa's Sound Sensations game
   * Deleted scenes: Bug Football, Hakuna Matata and Warthog Rhapsody


Additional Features: Disc Two

   * Virtual Safari with tour guides Timon and Pumbaa
   * Disney Animals - learn how real animals inspired these animated Lion 
King characters hosted by Roy Disney
   * Storymaking Magic - the fascinating origin and influences behind the 
story of The Lion King
   * Behind the scenes of the award-winning Broadway hit musical
   * Exclusive interview with writer/artist/director Julie Taymor
   * Explore masks, costumes, people and puppets
   * Behind-the-scenes footage
   * Character design
   * Computer design
   * African art inspiration
   * Exclusive interviews with Sir Elton John and Tim Rice
   * Lion King music videos
   * African influence
   * Much, much more!

Features:

Two versions of the film: The Special Edition that includes the all-
new song The Morning Report and the original theatrical release
The making of The Morning Report
The Lion King Personality Profile game
Rafiki's Three Gourd Monty game
All-new music video
Sing along track
Timon's Grab-A-Grub game
Pumbaa's Sound Sensations game
Deleted scenes: Bug Football, Hakuna Matata and Warthog Rhapsody
Additional Features: Disc Two
Virtual Safari with tour guides Timon and Pumbaa 
Disney Animals - learn how real animals inspired these animated Lion 
King characters hosted by Roy Disney
Storymaking Magic - the fascinating origin and influences behind the 
story of The Lion King
Behind the scenes of the award-winning Broadway hit musical
Exclusive interview with writer/artist/director Julie Taymor
Explore masks, costumes, people and puppets
Behind-the-scenes footage
Character design
Computer design
African art inspiration
Exclusive interviews with Sir Elton John and Tim Rice 
Lion King music videos
African influence
Much, much more!

1. The Lion King - Special Edition
2. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (Widescreen Edition)
3. 8 Mile (Widescreen Edition)
4. Friends - The Complete Third Season
5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
6. Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Miniseries) (Director's Cut Special Edition)
7. The Day the Earth Stood Still
8. 8 Mile (Full Screen Edition)
9. The Beatles Anthology
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Fourth Season

BestBuy.com says, "Pre-order Disney's The Lion King on DVD on Monday, March 17!" I suspect that other sites like Amazon.com will allow people to pre-order the Platinum Edition tomorrow as well. I am assuming that Disney will release the official artwork and features list within a few days or weeks on Disney.com.

I hate the cover. Scar doesn't have his scar. I still believe that the DVD cover will look like the VHS cover. Since adult Simba isn't on the VHS cover, we shouldn't expect him be on the DVD cover.

The cover art on ultimatedisney.com is inconsistent with covers of Snow White and The Beauty and the Beast because:

The background has no sparkles or no any other special effects The correct wording of the text at the bottom should read: FEATURING AN ALL-NEW MUSICAL SEQUENCE, not No silver bars at the top and bottom; instead, the bars are gold.

We'll need to wait until Disney releases the official cover art. I believe that Disney will release the cover art and features list at the same time. Since Disney is still looking for old video footage, they can't release a list of features and the artwork.

The Bay Area will finally have a chance to see what all the fuss was about when Disney's ``The Lion King'' comes to San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre next year as part of the newly announced Best of Broadway season.

Based on the 1994 animated Disney film, the stage version of ``The Lion King'' won Tony Awards in 1998 for best musical and for director Julie Taymor (the first woman ever to win best director), who reinvented the film as a dynamic stage extravaganza with life-size puppets. The show also won Tonys for its sets, costumes (Taymor again), lights and choreography (by Garth Fagan).

Bay Area fans of ``The Lion King,'' both young and old, have waited patiently for nearly four years for the tour to arrive, and they'll have to wait a little longer. The show is scheduled to open in the winter of 2004.

It's an interesting article. Kallay inteviewed producer Don Hahn, Co- directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. There are also some interesting disucions about techincal topics such as aspect ratios and test screenings about the 1994 film and the Imax versions.

CJ: Have you had any involvement with the upcoming Lion King DVD?

DH: I have, actually. We're working on it very hard. At this point we're pulling together interviews and going through our closets and getting our video field trips. We found this great video of La Boheme recording music in South Africa for the movie, and interviews with Hans Zimmer and Elton.

CJ: The Lion King laserdisc was one of the greatest ever made. I would guess that the commentary will come over from that, right?

DH: Yes, we'll use that literally. What was great about that commentary is that it was done back in 1994 or 1995, so the movie was very fresh. I think a lot of the elements from the laserdisc were fantastic. We want to pull those over, but we also want to pull in elements like Julie Taymor's take on The Lion King and talk about it with some perspective of the years gone by now.

Enesco will develop seasonal and everyday giftware products for The Lion King property for the mass market, as well as giftware and tabletop merchandise based on the other Disney properties for the specialty retail channel and the mass market.

The initial Lion King offering will be available to retailers in mid-summer in advance of the DVD release in October. The Disney offering will be distributed in the U.S. and Mexico.

Walt Disney Picture's "The Lion King" is the biggest animated feature film of all time and the "circle of life" will continues with Hasbro's all new line of adorable and interactive plush toys, figures and play sets. Hasbro brings to kids the movie's most memorable lines, the wacky characters, and the touching moments of Simba's much-loved coming-of-age story. These items are recommended for ages two and up and all are available in the fall.

"Happy Valentines Day!!! Sorry that I haven't been writing in my diary lately but I have been so busy recording my album. Today I actually recorded a Disney All-Star version of "Circle of Life" which will be part of the Special Edition DVD release of "The Lion King". I'm singing this song together with Raven, Orlando, Christy Romano, Anneliese, Kylah Pratt, AJ Trauth and Tia, Tamara and Tahj Mowry. We're also shooting a music video for that song on Tuesday which should be pretty cool. I've been rehearsing my new songs almost everyday and can't wait till my record comes out in September."

I read Jake Lipson 's response to my January 26 post of the Lion King Special Edition Soundtrack. It seems that I got the release dates of Beauty and the Beast's Special Edition Soundtrack confused. I think the Lion King Special Edition Soundtrack hasn't been released yet because the song "Morning Report" wasn't finished before December.

I'm hoping that Disney will release The Special Edition Soundtrack sometime this year.

Disney is now running a contest to win 8 (yes, 8) free tickets to The Lion King in New York City with a backstage tour following the performance. Transportation and hotels are also provided in the prize package. And if you loose the grand prize, they've also got a "Simba Prize Pack" and a "Nala Prize Pack" to give away, too. For more, go here:

http://disney.go.com/disneytheatrical/lionking/sweeps/imax/index.html

I've looking at some Beauty and The Beast products on Amazon.com. Amazon.com is selling a Special Edition soundtrack that has music from the Platinum Edition of the film. This CD was released after the Platinum Edition came out. I hope that Disney will release a Special Edition soundtrack for the Lion King as well. We could see the "Morning Report" on the soundtrack and possibly an early version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and maybe another demo song.

Contrary to your post, the Special Edition soundtrack for Beauty and the Beast was released in December 2001, immidately prior its IMAX debut, and the original CD was pulled out of print upon its release. The reason this soundtrack was released was to allow for the new Human Again sequence to be represented on the soundtrack. I had expected a repackaging o the Lion King soundtrack in 2002, but it probably didn't happen because Morning Report was not put into the IMAX version. (This is because Morning Report wasn't finished by the date, so they just IMAXed the original version.)  But I too am expecting a Special Edition soundtrack re-release prior or coinciding with the release of the Special Edition cut on DVD. (Wishful thinking says I hope they also include Timon's Hula song, but I doubt it.) In addition to Morning Report, I would expect it to include the newly re-recorded Circle of Life ussed in the IMAX cut (as opposed to the original 1994 version of CoL) as welll as the updated versions of asny other songs they re-recorded for the IMAX release (I haven't seen the IMAX version yet so can't comment there except for CoL which has been publicly stated as re-recorded and definitly sounds different than usual in the first IMAX trailer.) Therefore I would advise anyone who wants but does not own the original soundtrack to go out and get it in order to maintain the original recordings.

In your News and Sequels section, it says in the "Special Edition Soundtrack" article that there is a re-recorded version of Circle of Life in IMAX. I thought that there would be, because I read it out of a post in a forum... but I saw the IMAX release of TLK and listened very closely and paid close attention to everything that was modified from the original 1994 release. The "Circle of Life" sequence was not re-recorded. It is the exact same thing on the soundtrack. Just wanted to let you know.

Although not much is there yet, a couple things are noteable. First, you can view the trailer for the DVD (as seen on the 101 Dalmatians II DVD), and second, there's a screensaver. Opening the screensaver once downloaded reveals the DVD release date to be as I pradicted: OCTOBER 7TH, 2003. This is official and confirmed!! No specs yet, though; let's hope for 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen versions of both the new Special Edition and original theatrical cut.

Also, if I do say so myself, the character montage on the web site is very beautiful and I would love if it were to be translated to the DVD cover. It's certianly better than the VHS cover, but still not my dream cover.

I'd expect a press release and cover art very, very soon. Beauty and the Beast was announced a bit later last year, but with the website launched and trailers already being slapped in front of Disney DVD releases, I'd expect it a little sooner this time around.

I was looking at Amazon.com and saw that they are taking pre-orders for "The Lion King Dvd Read-Along". It will be released on January 28. It should have a storybook, songs, and games. The cover mentions "5 languages." I imagine that this product is for young children who are learning to read.

The spect ratio will be full scree, 1:33 : 1.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000087EY0/qid=1043187451/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-4076554-6658325?v=glance&s=dvd#product-details

Amazon.com shows coverart similar to the Original Soundtrack coverart.

Coverart featuring Simba, Timon and Pumba is at: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5548026&cart=135508711&style=movie

Description from CD Universe:

This is a read-along version of the classic Disney movie. Wild Africa is the setting for this 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").

Best Buy mentions that "Lion King: Circle Of Life Sing Along Songs" in DVD format will be out on April 1, 2003 - April Fool's day?

Synopsis from http://www.bestbuy.com/movies/ProductInfo.asp?e=11206686&m=270&cat=&scat=:

Each episode of Disney's Sing Along Songs collects songs and classic scenes from the archives of the Walt Disney studios, offering them in a sequence younger viewers will probably enjoy. Most of the classic Disney characters make appearances in these thematically collected videos. This particular episode collects the songs from The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Aristocats, and many others. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

As seen on http://animated-movies.squareworld.com/News.html

New Lion King Scene Revealed 'Justin' [from www.justinwilliams.co.uk] writes that "the trailer, on a second viewing (it's 3:01 minutes long!) names the addition-- 'a brand new song, The Morning Report'. Trailer has just 00:06 seconds of new footage during the voice over of the above fact."

The Lion King Is Special--But Not Platinum

Buena Vista has just confirmed with the Digital Bits that The Lion King: Special Edition is on the way. "And that's exactly what they're calling it. The good news, of course, is that The Lion King is coming to DVD and it's going to be a special edition. What's the bad news? Well... we're a little surprised that they're not calling it The Lion King: Platinum Edition. Does this mean the Platinum line is a casualty of Eisnerian cutbacks after only two titles? Are we just reading too much into this? We'll see..." Screenshots from a teaser for this October release are now up at DVD Toons (http://www.dvdtoons.com/news/333).

Disney is calling the 2-disk set: "The Lion King: Special Edition" in the advertismentss. The disc set will have the Platinum Edition on the cover; i.e. it's part of the Platinum line. Digital Bits has misinterpreted the info.

Digital Bits is just confused. "Beauty and the Beast" was advertised the same way as a "Special Edition", but that's apparently referring to the FILM, because God forbid Disney releases the original theatrical cuts of films. (Like "Star Wars: Special Edition".)

But no need to panic, the DVD is still going to be a "Platinum Edition."

Digital Bits says:

"...Based on the number of retailers who have been e-mailing us on this, we're pretty sure this will be released as the The Lion King: Platinum Edition in November or December..."

I don't believe them. I think that Disney will release The Lion King in October. "Snow White" and "Beauty and The Beast" have been released in October.

Jake says: "The Lion King WILL be released as a Platinum Edition DVD. 'Special Edition' refers to the new cut of the film with the new animation and new musical sequence 'The Morning Report.' Special Edition refers to an edited cut of the film a la the Star Wars Trilogy Special Editions, and Platinum Edition refers to the DVD. Since it is being advertised as a Special Edition, it is almost certian that the SE cut will be the default cut on the DVD and that a cut claiming to be the original theatrical version will be on the disc as a seperate cut..."

From the description on mouseshoppe.com: http://www.mouseshoppe.com/product.cfm?ProductID=2491

"...The Lion King: A Giant Leap offers an exciting look at the technological innovations that allowed the animators to return to their original images and then enhance them for a bigger screen, as well as showcasing the development of the unique and luxuriant artwork behind the film, inspired by the majestic landscapes of the African savannah."

The book is a hardcover book containing 128 pages.

I believe that Disney should release DVD details about the Lion King DVD in the second half of Febuary.

Disney has released their Platinum Edition DVDs during the 2nd Tuesday in October. We could see the Lion King in stores on October 14.

Christopher Finch recently wrote a book called "The Lion King: A Giant Leap" (with an introduction by producer Don Hahn.) It's been published by Disney's inprint Hyperion, and can be ordered here.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078685393X/qid=1042464005/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-9541223-1032129

I haven't ordered it, so I don't know what it is, but I would assume it's being a making of book, most likely tied to the IMAX release, since it carries the IMAX poster as its cover.

Also: The Beauty and the Beast DVD specs were announced in a press release in late February/early March of last year, so Lion King's info shouldn't be too far off. I'm expecting the first or second Tuesday of October as the release date; let's just hope they keep it the original, un-enhanced theatrical cut at its 1.66:1 original aspect ratio; BATB was presented at 1.85:1 when in fact its OAR is also 1.66:1, and the "original theatrical cut" on that disc is just the SE cut minus Human Again.

And, if Disney decides to reissue Simba's Pride on DVD this fall too - which I have a feeling they will - that announcement shouldn't be too far off either.

"Disney Feature Animation is finishing the "Morning Report" sequence as we speak and it WILL be included in the Lion King special edition DVD. you can find a trailer with this anouncement on the 101 Dalmatians 2 [Patch's London Adventure] DVD."

Posted by Anonymous:
"The Lion King platinum edition ... will feautue the new animted song sequence ... "The morning report"...

Posted by Alameda:
"It wasn't included for the IMAX release because the segment wasn't finished. ....Disney is hoping to boost the DVD sales with this new adition."

'Jicin' from Simba's Kingdom (http://www.simbaskingdom.org/) corrects that "it is already officially confirmed there will indeed be new scene in TLK on DvD. I don't know if it will be the 'Morning Report' though. The only thing that was certain that it would be a 'Broadway' song." 'Tom' adds that "a representative from BVHE Netherlands told me that Lion King would [indeed] get a new sequence with Zazu that was already in the musical."

"Currently in production for release in 2004 is the Disney video premiere of 'The Lion King 1-1/2,' in which the story of the original film is seen from a whole new perspective - through the eyes of Timon and Pumbaa."

Producer Don Hahn told the OC Register that "we debated [adding new scenes]. Essentially, we decided to leave it alone. We said, let's just do the restoration." So the colors are sharper and the details more detailed, and the soundtrack has been remixed. Eager to capitalize on the film's success, Disney has also produced a wealth of tie-in products for the film, shooting documentary footage in Africa and an interview with soundtrack composer Elton John for inclusion in a DVD release next fall. "The list [of DVD extras] is a mile long," Hahn said, before confirming that the next Disney animated hit to get the Imax treatment would be Aladdin.

"The latest edition of MouseHole indicates that the large screen version of the movie includes a "complete overhaul of the Ghost of Mufasa scene: many more layers were added to the animation to give it a very ghostly look." Also, the controversial scene in which the "special effects" animators jokingly spelt out S-F-X or S-E-X in the sky went through a "cosmetic change" to put an end to the rumors. Other than that, "most changes are small such as animating more detail on all the animals at the end of 'Circle of Life.' Close-ups on the lions required the redrawing of the whiskers so they weren't so thick on the big screen. They look like hairlines now and are MUCH thinner than the lines used to draw the characters."

Why abandon the IMAX re-releases for Disney's older films? Because, to be honest, it cost a lot of money to reformat these 10-years old (and older) pictures for large screen theaters. Not to mention all the time and the money that has to be poured into cleaning up these films. Redrawing and/or replacing awkward pieces of animation which - when shown on a 10 story tall screen - look just awful.

Mind you, clean up work has already been completed on the IMAX version of "Aladdin." And I'm told that Disney's animators are still hard at work on all the repairs that need to be made to "The Little Mermaid" before that 1989 film can look beautiful on large format screens.

But that doesn't guarantee that either of these two films will ever be shown in the IMAX format. A lot depends on how the large format version of "The Lion King" does this holiday season. So - if you want to see Ariel and/or the Genie on the really big screen - make sure you drag all of your friends and family to see "The Lion King" in IMAX.