The Lion King /

The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Released to theaters on June 15, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures, it is the 32nd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. The story, which was influenced by the Bible stories of Joseph and Moses, the Epic of Sundiata, and the William Shakespeare play Hamlet, takes place in a kingdom of anthropomorphic lions in Africa. The film was the highest grossing animated film of all time until the release of Finding Nemo (a 2003 Disney/Pixar computer-animated film). The Lion King is the sixth highest grossing animated film and continues to be the highest grossing hand drawn animation film in history and belongs to an era known as the Disney Renaissance. The Lion King is the highest grossing 2D animated film of all time in the United States, and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the film for its music and story and has been called one of the best films of all time. During its release in 1994, the film grossed more than $783 million worldwide, becoming the most successful film released that year, and it is currently the 35th highest-grossing feature film ever. A musical film, The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with an original score by Hans Zimmer. Disney later produced two related movies: a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998); and a prequel/parallel, The Lion King 1½ (2004).