Orchestrated by Bruce Fowler and Nick Glennie-Smith

Conducted by Nick Glennie-Smith

Produced by Hans Zimmer, Jay Rifkin, and Mark Mancina

Release Date: July 13, 1994

            Walt Disney Records
 

     The Lion King was Hans Zimmer's first (and so far only) score to a Disney animated film. A score that broke the constant pairing of Alan Menken and Tim Rice (through The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin), Zimmer and Co. generated a score that is considered one of the best of the modern animated films, but also one of the worst offenders album-wise, with only four score tracks and a running time that is under fifty minutes. As such, The Lion King stands as one of the better scores for an animated Disney film, but you would only get a hint of that from this album.

     The CD centers mainly around the musical numbers which, surprisingly, while The Lion King has its fair share of good songs, there are plenty of less-than-stellar efforts on here as well. The opening song, Circle of Life, is a good indication of the stylistic direction of the music, and being the centerpiece song it performs its duties admirably. This was at a time when Lebo M was a new entity in the Zimmer fold and his work is as pleasantly African as it has ever been. The next song, I Just Can't Wait to Be King doesn't strike the right chords for me, though it is interesting for the fact you get to experience Rowan Atkinson's ability to "sing". The next song tosses Jeremy Iron's eager, yet unfulfilling, attempts to lend a delightfully evil performance to Be Prepared. It isn't until track four with Hakuna Matata that the fun factor kicks in again, but even so, it's still not up to other Disney songs of this type from either before or after.

     The obligatory love song is just that, obligatory. Still, one must give kudos to those involved for trying something different, even though it doesn't work out that well. Thankfully the four Zimmer score tracks follow thereafter. Scored in an approach similar to The Prince of Egypt, Zimmer proves he can handle animation just as well as anybody, though the short shrift his music receives on this CD leaves the listener wanting more (especially missing are the signature Zimmer finale cues). The last three tracks round out reprises of the three main songs, only this time performed by Elton John, the enjoyment of which largely depends on your feelings towards him.