<P> The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands; however, after Simba's uncle Scar (Mufasa's jealous younger brother), murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile . Upon maturation living with two wastrels, Simba is given some valuable perspective from his childhood friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King . </P> <P> Development of The Lion King began in 1988 during a meeting between Jeffrey Katzenberg, Roy E. Disney, and Peter Schneider while promoting Oliver & Company in Europe . Thomas Disch wrote a film treatment, and Woolverton developed the first scripts while George Scribner was signed on as director, being later joined by Allers . Production began in 1991 concurrently with Pocahontas, which wound up attracting most of Disney's top animators . Some time after the staff traveled to Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya to research on the film's setting and animals, Scribner left production disagreeing with the decision to turn the film into a musical and was replaced by Minkoff . When Hahn joined the project, he was dissatisfied with the script and the story was promptly rewritten . Nearly 20 minutes of animation sequences were produced at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida . Computer animation was also used in several scenes, most notably in the wildebeest stampede sequence . </P> <P> The Lion King was released on June 15, 1994, to a positive reaction from critics, who praised the film for its music, story, and animation . With a worldwide gross of $766 million, it finished its theatrical run as the highest - grossing release of 1994 and the second highest - grossing film of all time . It is also the highest - grossing traditionally animated film of all time . The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture--Musical or Comedy . The film has led to many derived works, such as a Broadway adaptation; two direct - to - video follow - ups--the sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), and the prequel / parallel, The Lion King 11⁄2 (2004); two television series, Timon and Pumbaa and The Lion Guard; and a 3D re-release, in 2011 . </P> <P> In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A CGI remake of the film directed by Jon Favreau is scheduled for a July 19, 2019 release in the United States . </P>

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