Hakuna Matata...Wait, WHAT!?!?!?

Movies are great, aren't they?

A good movie might make you laugh until your stomach hurts, cry in the middle of a movie theater, or, scare you spitless. (Okay. I'll take this moment to point out...I don't like being scared during movies. :p)

Today, my friend and I headed off to "Lion King" in 3D. "These are some expensive glasses!" I laughed. We went, for one reason, to get the 3D glasses so we could be, uh, official nerds. So, to fulfill the "nerdy home schooler" part of me, here's my review of "Lion King" in 3-D.

The Movie in General...
"Lion King" is an exciting mix of singing, fun characters, the bad guys (DUN DUN DUN...), action and a little romance. Since I hadn't seen the movie for several years I couldn't remember everything that happened, so I was able to enjoy it as if I'd only seen it once or twice. I didn't lose interest in the storyline and found myself laughing and nearly crying in different scenes.


First of all, let's get the 3-D affects out of the way...
I really enjoyed the 3D effects although there weren't very many things that really popped out, and I can't remember any animal turds or bugs flying into our face. But when that little meerkat dude and the warthog started singing, I thought, "What in the world!?"


The Worldview...
The little animals were singing, "Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase / Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze / It means no worries for the rest of your days!" I whispered to my friend, "What world do they live in!?"


I contained myself but was inwardly freaking out about the worldivew of this song. There were a bunch of cute preschoolers sitting several rows behind us...and they were learning that they should leave their pasts behind, and live a life of NO WORRIES? What kind of planet would those poor kids grow up in? Were they going to run around for the rest of their life searching for this alleged "problem-free philsophy"!?


That's why I was relieved when an adult Simba told the spastic monkey Rafiki, "I know what I have to do. But going back will mean facing my past. I've been running from it for so long." Whew! That was a relief. I'd seen "Lion King" when I was a kid, but worldviews didn't pop out at me when I was nine years old. They're more subtle, and sneak into your mind... if you're careful, you won't notice, even if you're a teenager or an adult. Timon is half right when he tells us to, "put your past behind you." But we can't put our past behind us until we've made our wrongs right. Until we've forgiven those who have wronged us.


More About the Worldview... (Ze Application!)
Rafiki tells Simba his father lives in him. As Simba looks into his reflection, Mufasa's spirit? ghost? appears. "Simba," he says, "you have forgotten me." "No!" Simba says. "How could I?" This made me think of God...it made me think of how we can go to church and read our Bibles, and yet, God still comes to us and says, "You have forgotten Me." We say, "How could I? *insert excuses here*." "You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. [I interpret this as, "You are more than a carefree teenager...or however old Simba's supposed to be] You must take your place in the Circle of Life." Okay, that's not exactly what God would tell us, but what can I say? I'm quoting a Disney movie where cartoons are talking to each other. Anyway, I think God might say something like, "You have forgotten who I Am and so forgotten who you are. You are my child. Look to the cross and there you will find who you are. Look to me and you will know what you are to become." "Remember who you are," Mufasa continues. "You are my son, the one true king. Remember..." God is our King. Are you His child? Don't forget! Remember!


Other Good Stuffs...
A slightly rebellious Simba learns many important lessons, despite a detour that encourages him to live a carefree life (like I said, what world is that!?). He grows up to face his past and embrace his destiny as king of...the other animals, I guess. When Simba disobeys his father, Mufasa shows his disappointment, but also his love. King Mufasa teaches his young son and the audience that, "There's more to being a king than getting your way all the time." There's more to life than struggling to get your way, even if it means rebelling against your parents or other authorities. Or against God. Mufasa's wisdom pays off - he's loved by most of his people, unlike Scar. Even though Simba and Nyala think Zazu is a bore, they go back to help him when the hyenas have him pinned down.


The End
I really enjoyed seeing "Lion King" today. You might think I'm kind of freaking out about the whole "worldview" thing. But I really like "Lion King" and I'm not trying to say, "HEY! Don't go see that movie!" No, I'm no saying that all. I'm just saying be careful! It's good to be discerning when you read books and movies, especially if they are from a secular source. As it turns out, "Lion King" is a great movie and it doesn't seem to be putting across bad morals - in fact, just the opposite! I do think, however, discussions and consideration about movies aren't bad at all. :)


If you see "Lion King" in 3D - enjoy!

P.S. On a side note, my family is now watching a documentary on, "The Crash of 29." I just realised ("realise" spelt British) that it's NOT about a CAR crash, it's about the stock market crash...wow...)

Please share your thoughts on, "Lion King" if you saw it!

Can't think of an epic signature today,
"Klarabelle"