The Lion King is a 1994 American animated
epic musical film produced by
Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by
Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the
Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The story takes place in a kingdom of
lions in
Africa, and was influenced by
William Shakespeare's
Hamlet. The film was produced during a period known as the
Disney Renaissance.
The Lion King was directed by
Roger Allers and
Rob Minkoff, produced by
Don Hahn, and has a screenplay credited to
Irene Mecchi,
Jonathan Roberts and
Linda Woolverton. Its original songs were written by composer
Elton John and lyricist
Tim Rice, and original scores were written by
Hans Zimmer. The film features an
ensemble voice cast that includes
Matthew Broderick,
James Earl Jones,
Jeremy Irons,
Jonathan Taylor Thomas,
Moira Kelly,
Nathan Lane,
Ernie Sabella,
Rowan Atkinson,
Robert Guillaume,
Madge Sinclair,
Whoopi Goldberg,
Cheech Marin, and
Jim Cummings.