The Lion King

Simba himself temporarilly joins the protagonists' party, all of whom are transformed into wild animal versions of themselves.(Sora is a black lion cub, Donald Duck is a less anthromorphic, Zazu-esque bird, and Goofy, a tortoise.). Stone. Simba makes a third appearance in the series in Kingdom Hearts II, along with many other characters from the The Lion King. Skinner, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Roger W. Simba makes an appearance in the PlayStation 2 game Kingdom Hearts as well as Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a summon. Rogers, James A. However, the first game was criticized for being too difficult, even for seasoned gamers. Roberts, John W.

Both games received an enthusiastic reception from players and critics alike. Current members of the board of directors of McDonald's are: Hall Adams, Edward Brennan, Robert Eckert, Enrique Hernandez, Richard Lenny, Walter Massey, Andrew McKenna, Cary McMillan, Michael J. A third game was published in 2004 simply called "The Lion King" for GBA but was in fact a game based on the third move with Timon and Pumbaa as the playable characters. Similar "Hamburger U" training schools have been set up around the world. The second was published in 2000 by Activision and was released on Playstation and Game Boy Color. Adjacent to the building is a McDonald's-themed hotel. The first was published in 1994 by Virgin and was released on SNES, Game Boy, Sega Megadrive, Game Gear, PC and Amiga. In Oak Brook, Illinois, where the company headquarters is located, is the first Hamburger University, a school for future executive managers of regional franchises.

Two video games based on the film have been released. including a McCafé in Orlando, Florida. When Littlefoot is crying over his mother, an old reptile gives him advice, mentioning "The Great Circle of Life." In the last part of the movie, Littlefoot's mother's ghost appears to him in cloud form and speaks to him; similar to how Mufasa speaks to Simba. The concept has recently been introduced into the U.S. The Land Before Time has a few concepts that were apparently borrowed for use in The Lion King. There are 22 McCafés in Hong Kong. The story can therefore be dismissed as an urban legend. The concept was introduced in Australia in 1993 and has been successful in several other countries, including Brazil, Israel, Chile, Panama, New Zealand, Colombia, France, Italy, Singapore, the Philippines and most recently Canada.

However, although the scene can provoke laughter and confusion, the scene was not actually removed. House coffee blends are sold both normally and in tins for home brewing. To some, the story goes, this looks like the lionesses were crying toilet paper, causing the audience to laugh at an inappropriate moment. The menu boasts the standard bistro fare, including paninis, coffee and espresso drinks, and baked goods and pastries, and all menu items are available for take-out. When Mufasa dies, the lionesses cry over his dead body: this is enacted using a Japanese bunraku puppet mourning technique in which ribbons flow out of the eyes to symbolize tears. Dine-in patrons forego the plastic trays and paper wrappers for the more elegant china plates and stainless steel silverware. It has been said part of a scene was removed from the American version of The Lion King stage musical. With comfortable leather chairs and couches, natural wood accents, and bistro style tables, the ambience is that of a typical modern coffee shop.

In July 2004 the family filed suit, seeking $1.6 million in royalties. The McCafé is a bistro-like restaurant concept by McDonald's Corporation in an effort to gain a share of the ever popular and expanding gourmet coffee market, to avoid losing market share to companies such as Starbucks. The use of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" has led to disputes between Disney and the family of South African Solomon Linda, who composed the song (originally titled "Mbube") in 1939. Other restaurants in similarly sensitive settings have muted décor and blend into existing architecture. During the restoration of the film for IMAX and DVD, the frames were altered to not include the word. It features indoor fountains, marble walls and floors. An examination of the actual frames in question supports this latter claim, as the lower part of the alleged "E" is indeed astray. Possibly in an effort for European nations to become more accepting of the McDonald's concept, the first McDonald's in Italy, opened 1986 near the Spanish Steps in Rome, is widely heralded as the most luxurious McDonald's restaurant.

According to Disney, however, it is supposed to read "SFX" (a common abbreviation of "special effects"), and was a sort of innocent "signature" signed by the effects animation team to the work they did. McDonald's has often faced organized campaigns claiming it would threaten its surroundings, particularly in historic locations. In one scene of the movie it appears as if animators had embedded the word "sex" into several frames of animation, which conservative activist Donald Wildmon asserted was a subliminal message intended to promote sexual promiscuity. However useful the standard design may have been in popularizing McDonald's and making the company's restaurants instantly recognizable, it is not always possible, or appropriate, for all restaurant locations. The Lion King, in particular, because of Vogler's involvement and its near-perfect adherence to mythic structure, was cited as a major culprit of the trend. The company introduced the Drive-Thru in 1975, following the lead of competitor Wendy's, rapidly adding it to existing restaurants wherever this was feasible. There was backlash by critics who felt that Vogler's treatises on story structre--which actually only codified basic mythic structure--was an industry-wide attempt at making all films formulaic. However, the potential of sit-down restaurants was clear from the beginning, and the company switched to a new standard design for sit-down restaurants in 1967, upon which current standalone restaurants are still based.

At the time of the film's release, studios were clamoring to utilize Vogler's theories on applying mythic structure to screenplays to streamline story development. The company's early franchises were built to a standard pattern that did not offer seating; this was in part to prevent loitering. The contribution of Vogler itself raised controversy. The first McDonald's was not a restaurant at all, but a walk-up hamburger stand. The Hamlet argument appears to have been promoted by Disney personnel after the Kimba controversy started. McDonald's remains a target of anti-globalization protesters worldwide. Vogler claims that several further ideas were suggested to Disney but not incorporated into the movie, including possibly a fight of young Simba with some dangerous animal to mark his transition from a child to mature hero. His theory ("Golden Arches" theory) seemed to have been disproved when NATO bombed Serbia in 1999, although it was pointed out in The Economist that NATO itself has no McDonald's.

Much of Hamlet's plot has no parallel in The Lion King, however. Thomas Friedman suggested that no countries with McDonald's had gone to war with each other. Later, at the urging of his father's ghost, the prince recalls his duty (although Hamlet vacillates between action and inaction) and ultimately returns from exile to kill his uncle (but Hamlet was not in exile at the time, and Simba does not kill Scar). The Economist magazine uses the "Big Mac index" (the price of a Big Mac) as an informal measure of purchasing power parity among world currencies. The rightful heir does not avenge his father's death (Simba to Hamlet). McDonald's has become emblematic of globalization, sometimes referred as the "Mcdonaldization" of society. Relationship between the two plots includes: The brother to the king (Scar to Mufasa; Claudius to King Hamlet) kills the king (this occurs before the play Hamlet begins). When environmentally damaging packaging and waste produced by the company's restaurants became a public concern, McDonald's started a joint project with Friends of the Earth to eliminate the use of polystyrene containers and to reduce the amount of waste produced.

In fact, Christopher Vogler in his book The Writer's Journey, Second Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers (ISBN 0941188701) describes how Disney approached him with a copy of Hamlet asking how to improve the plot of The Lion King by incorporating ideas from Shakespeare. In most cases, McDonald's quickly became accepted, and was no longer seen as a foreign institution. There are recurring assertions of a resemblance to Shakespeare's Hamlet. By popularizing the idea of a quick restaurant meal, the study suggests, McDonald's led to the easing or elimination of various taboos, such as that on eating while walking in Japan. The family of Osamu Tezuka, Kimba's creator, have not filed suit against Disney. When it opened in Hong Kong in 1975, McDonald's was the first restaurant to consistently offer clean restrooms, driving customers to demand the same of other restaurants and institutions. Disney's official stance is that any resemblances are a coincidence, and the directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff claim they were well into the development process before someone pointed out the Kimba similarity. Among the findings were that McDonald's had solved the problem of losing face for many customers (who might be embarrassed when someone else ordered a more expensive item in a restaurant; as the food at McDonald's is all similarly priced, this ceased to be an issue).

Most characters in Kimba have an analogue in The Lion King, and various individual scenes are nearly identical in composition and camera angle. Watson) looked at the impact McDonald's had had on East Asia, and Hong Kong in particular. The Lion King bears a striking resemblance to a famous Japanese animated television show, Kimba the White Lion [2], and claims have been made that The Lion King was inspired by it. A group of anthropologists in a study entitled Golden Arches East (Stanford University Press, 1998, edited by James L. The Lion King was claimed to be the first animated Disney movie to be based on an original story, although the accuracy of this has become disputed. Some observers have suggested that many of McDonald's innovations have become commonplace and are no longer seen as such, and that the company should be given credit for increasing the standard of service in markets it enters. Also, in the "Hakuna Matata" number, the characters sing in a jungle surrounding, lit by spotlights that follow them from the sky. Several other people later similarly ate only at McDonald's for a month, but by choosing menu items more judiciously (Spurlock ate everything on the menu at least once, always accepted upsizing requests of Mcdonald's employees, and continued to eat after he was full) and exercising frequently, showed no ill effects.

For instance, the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" number transitions from a background of natural savannah to abstact blue and pink African tribal patterns the instant the singing begins--and just as quickly back out of it when the music ends. They also began a practice of putting all nutritional information for all menu items in light grey small print on the reverse of their tray liners. The film's look changes drastically from the "realistic" world of the drama and the stylized world of the musical numbers. Subsequent to the showing of the film at the Sundance Film Festival, but before its cinematic release, McDonald's phased out its Supersize meal option and began offering several healthier menu items, though no link to the film was cited in this decision. With six major musical numbers (including a repeated "Circle of Life" at film's beginning and end), The Lion King is heavily influenced by American musical theater. For 30 days Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald's (supersizing whenever asked) and by the end of the month Spurlock reported mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and had gained 24.5 pounds (11.11 kg). Computers also aided in the implementation of a classic Disney animation technique called "multiplaning" that was prominently featued in Bambi. Also in 2004, Morgan Spurlock's documentary film Super Size Me produced negative publicity for McDonald's, with allegations that McDonald's food was contributing heavily to the [5] epidemic of obesity in American society, and failing to provide nutritional information about its food for its customers.

Similar multiplication occurs in the "Be Prepared" musical number with identical marching hyenas. This was especially controversial as the report was made within weeks of a British Government report stating that the present generation may be the first to die before their parents due to spiraling obesity in the British population. Several distinct wildebeast chracters were drawn into a computer program, multiplied into the hundreds, and given randomized paths down a mountainside to simulate the real, unpredictable movement of a herd. In June 2004, the UK's Private Eye reported that McDonald's was handing out meal vouchers, balloons, and toys to children in pediatric wards. The most notable use of computer-aided animation is in the famous "wildebeast stampede" sequence. In fact the product was sliced, pre-fried, sometimes had dextrose added, was then frozen, shipped, and re-fried and then had salt added. Significant use of computer-aided designed help the filmmakers on use the old story structure in new, visual ways. A McDonald's print ad stated that "after selecting certain potatoes" "we peel them, slice them, fry them and that's it." It showed a picture of a potato in a McDonald's fries box.

This is seen in classic films such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film), Bambi, and Cinderella (1950 movie). In 2003, a ruling by the UK Advertising Standards Authority determined that the corporation had acted in breach of the codes of practice in describing how its french fries were prepared. Although not specifically based on any previous film, The Lion King borrows the archetypical Disney story of an orphan battling a villain (usually a relative) for control of his or her birthright. While the book does mention other fast-food chains, it focuses primarily on McDonald's. The Renaissance featured a return to traditional Disney standard storytelling modes and motifs, a reliance on ever-expanding filmmaking technology, and a strong influence of musical theater. Among the critiques are allegations that McDonald's (along with other companies within the fast-food industry) uses its political influence to increase their own profits at the expense of the health of the nation and the social conditions of its workers. To many, The Lion King represents the peak of the late 1980's to mid 1990's Disney Renaissance in animation. Also in 2001, Eric Schlosser's book Fast Food Nation included scathing criticism of McDonald's' business practices.

. This is thought to be one of the largest fines imposed on a company for breaking laws relating to child working conditions. The CD itself is difficult to obtain, but it has been sighted on eBay, and high-quality downloads of the tracks can be found online. In July 2001, McDonald's was fined £12,400 by British magistrates for illegally employing and over-working child labor in one of its London restaurants. The CD is titled The Lion King Complete Score or Lion King Expanded Score and was first mentioned on Hans-Zimmer.com. Other legal battles include:. The quality is not what one would expect from an official Disney CD, as the tracks were recorded at a slower rate than normal, many of the tracks are in monaural and the tracks are not ordered correctly with their appearance in the film, but it has been a relief to many fans that the music had been placed into CD form. In one noteworthy case, McDonald's sued a Scottish café owner called McDonald, even though the business in question dated back over a century.

It was assumed that the vast amounts of missing score had been lost, but relatively recently a bootleg CD containing all of the missing score has come to light. It has threatened many foodservice businesses with legal action unless they drop the Mc or Mac from their trading name. The tracks included were pieced together from various parts of the film and therefore not entirely representative of the scenes linked to them. McDonald's has also been criticized for its approach to preserving its image and copyrights. The official soundtrack released by Disney contained very little of Hans Zimmer's instrumental score. see McLibel case. Rhythm of the Pridelands was printed in a very limited quantity, and as such has become something of a collectors item. The libel charge and fine were overturned in an appeals case.

Several songs featured on the album would later have incarnations in other Lion King-oriented projects, such as the stage musical or the direct-to-video sequels. Government, which subsequently introduced legislation to change the libel laws to remedy the defects highlighted by the ECHR judgment. The album -- with many tracks composed by Lebo M -- focused primarily on the African influences of the film's original music, with most songs being sung either partially or entirely in various African languages. The ECHR ruled against the U.K. On 28 February 1995, Disney released an album entitled Rhythm of the Pridelands, which featured songs and performances inspired by, but not featured in, the film. libel law breached the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression. More recently, with the making of the Special Edition and its extra song, "The Morning Report", newer CDs include this track:. Government in the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that the lack of access to legal aid and the heavy burden of proof that lay with them to prove their claims (rather than McDonald's, the claimants, having to prove that the claims were false) under U.K.

In most international releases of the CD, Elton John's versions were removed except for the bottom one, and an additional track, "Hyenas" (instrumental by Hans Zimmer) was included. Steel and Morris then made a separate but related claim against the U.K. In the original United States version, this CD had the following tracks:. High Court, and were awarded £60,000 damages, which later was reduced to £40,000 by the Court of Appeal. A soundtrack CD was sold separately from the film. McDonald's won the case in the U.K. For instance, Jason Weaver sang for Jonathan Taylor-Thomas as the young Simba, and Joseph Williams sang for Matthew Broderick as the adult Simba. In the high profile McLibel Trial, McDonald's took two anti-McDonald's campaigners, Helen Steel and Dave Morris, to court for a trial lasting two and a half years—the longest in English legal history and part of a 20-year battle—after the pair distributed leaflets critical of the company in London's streets.

Also, very few of the voice actors in the movie were able to do their own singing, and a majority of the songs were done by vocal doubles. McDonald's' historic tendency towards promoting high-calorie foods such as French fries has earned it the nickname "the starchy arches". Aside from the John/Rice songs, the incidental music was by Hans Zimmer with additional material arranged by Lebo M. McDonald's has been the target of criticism for allegations of exploitation of entry-level workers, use of sweatshop labor to produce "happy meal" toys, ecological damage caused by agricultural production and industrial processing of its products, selling unhealthy food, production of packaging waste, exploitative advertising (especially targeted at children, minorities, and low-income people), and contributing to suffering and exploitation of livestock. The Lion King was nominated for the following Tony Awards in 1997:. Urban legends about the company and its food are plentiful and it is often the target of unusual lawsuits. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical. Even though its foreign franchise locations are usually locally owned and use locally-produced foods, the company is seen as a symbol of American domination of economic resources.

International productions of the show are now playing in London, England; Melbourne, Australia; Hamburg, Germany; Tokyo, Japan; and Scheveningen, Netherlands. As the world's largest restaurant chain, McDonald's also finds itself a target for external criticism. The tour version is very similar to the original Broadway production; however, certain scenic elements which rise out of the stage floor (such as Pride Rock, the stampede, and the grasslands) were converted to less costly configurations for the touring productions. Its moves to protect its reputation and trademarks have at times been seen as heavy-handed. touring productions. At the same time, its global reach and broadly standard product line and level of service have led to McDonald's becoming the target of anti-globalization protests, and as the highest-profile fast food company, it is often blamed for obesity and excessive packaging waste. There are currently two U.S. As one of the world's largest and best recognized franchise systems, it must endeavour to successfully deal with matters of internal cohesion between the interests of its franchisees and that of the franchisor.

In June of 2006, the Broadway production will move to the Minskoff Theater to make way for the musical version of Mary Poppins. Some of these are unique to franchising. A version later opened in London, and another in Toronto, playing there until January 2004. McDonald's faces varying problems. The stage show first opened on July 31st, 1997 in Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre, and was an instant and tremendous success, moving permanently to the New Amsterdam Theater on Broadway in New York that October.
. The movie was also adapted into an award-winning Broadway stage musical with the same title, directed by Julie Taymor, featuring actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The book also states that McDonald's is the largest private operator of playgrounds in the U.S., as well as the single largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes.
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The Lion King II: Simba's Pride was re-released in a 2 disc Special Edition on August 31, 2004. According to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (2001), nearly one in eight workers in the US has at some time been employed by McDonald's. A boxed set of the three films (in double-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. McDonald's trains its franchisees and others at Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois. By means of seamless branching, the movie could be viewed either with or without the extra scene. However, in the UK the business model does not remain as concurrent with the global model with less than 30% of restaurants franchised and the majority under the ownership of the company itself. Among the extra features on the disc was an extended version of one scene, where a short conversation has been replaced with a complete song, "The Morning Report", which was originally written for the stage musical (see below). As a condition of the franchise agreement, the Corporation owns the property on which most McDonald's franchises are located.

The DVD release featured a remastered version of the film created for the IMAX release. In addition to ordinary franchise fees, supplies, and percentage of sales, McDonald's also collects rent, partially linked to sales. On October 7, 2003, the original film was released as The Lion King: 2-Disc Special Edition, part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of DVDs. The McDonald's Corporation's business model is slightly different from that of most other fast-food chains. A second direct-to-video sequel (or perhaps midquel), The Lion King 1½ (also known as The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata), was released on February 10, 2004, and takes place on a parallel time line that interweaves with the original Lion King, but from Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. These were primarily created in the 1970s and 1980s in the USA, but later internationally. A spin-off television series called Timon and Pumbaa focused on the Meerkat and Warthog duo, and implied that the story took place during the mid Twentieth Century through the appearance of humans, human clothing and technology. Some McDonald's in suburban areas and certain cities feature large indoor or outdoor playgrounds, called "McDonald's PlayPlace" or "Playland".

The Lion King was so successful that Disney's television animation arm created a direct-to-video sequel (as it did with numerous other succesful animated films) called The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), focusing on Simba's daughter Kiara. Specially themed restaurants also exist, such as "Rock-and-Roll McDonald's" 1950s themed restaurants. Singing voices. There are also a few locations, located mostly in downtown districts, which offer Walk-Thru service in place of Drive-Thru. (See == Controversies == below). In contrast, locations in high-density city neighborhoods often omit drive-through service. The plot also bears similarities to both Shakespeare's play Hamlet and the 1942 Disney animated feature Bambi. In some countries "McDrive" locations near highways offer no counter service or seating.

The official Disney company response, as reported in the Chronicle, was that The Lion King was an original work, and that none of the people involved in creating The Lion King "were aware of Kimba or Tezuka." Animators - or anyone for that matter - not being aware of the creator of "Kimba the White Lion" and other works such as Atom Boy (Astro Boy) is very hard to believe indeed. The Drive-Thru, Auto-Mac, or McDrive as it is known in many countries, often has separate stations for placing, paying for, and picking up orders, though the latter two steps are frequently combined. See: Dreamland and Kimba The Lion. Most standalone McDonald's restaurants offer nither counter and drive-through service, with indoor and sometimes outdoor seating. A major point of contention among fans of Japanese anime and in particular Osamu Tezuka - is the fact that many of the characters, key scenes and story are almost identical to "Jungle Taitei" - translated as "The Jungle Emporer" or as we know it - "Kimba the White lion". Revenues for 2004 were US$19.1 billion, with net income at $2.75 billion. Simba and Nala have a baby cub that is presented in a triumphant ceremony mirroring the film's beginning. It also has a subsidiary, Redbox, which in 2003 started as 18-foot wide automated convenience stores, but as of 2005 has focused on DVD rental machines.

In a powerful and beautifully depicted climax, Simba is finally declared the true lion king and leads the Pride Lands back into times of prosperity and glory. Until December 2003 it also owned Donatos Pizza. Scar jumps through the flames to finish Simba off but it is Simba who throws his uncle over the cliff edge and watches as Scar's former hyena allies turn on the dictator, after hearing him tell Simba they were 'the enemy'. In addition, the company operates other restaurant brands, such as Aroma Café, Boston Market, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and has a minority stake in Pret a Manger. There is a climactic battle and Simba is thrown to the edge of the cliff. More than 70 percent of McDonald's restaurants around the world are owned and operated by independent local businesspersons. Simba is surprised at this and Scar attacks once again. Thirty thousand locations serve 51 million customers each day.

Scar begins to slink off when he throws some burning embers into Simba's face. McDonald's brand is in 122 countries around the world. Scar remembers those words; they were the exact words that he used to manipulate Simba after Mufasa died. . Scar attempts to blame everything on the hyenas (who hear this); Simba shows mercy and tells Scar to run away from the kingdom and never return. However, the company today dates its "founding" to the opening of CEO Ray Kroc's first franchised restaurant, the company's ninth, in 1955. The battle begins, and as the lionesses and hyenas fight, Simba does battle with Scar on the summit. The company began in 1940 with a restaurant opened by siblings Dick and Mac McDonald, but it was their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948 that established the principles of the fast-food restaurant.

Simba, enraged at the truth of the murder and how he was played a fool in it, leaps upon Scar and forces the tyrant to publicly confess to his crime. McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the world's largest chain of fast-food restaurants. Just before Scar kills Simba the same way he killed Mufasa, he whispers the awful truth to Simba: that it was he, Scar, who killed Mufasa. In Sedona, Arizona, a McDonalds has the world's only "Green Arches", to fit in with the city's natural look. Scar recalls Mufasa's death and just as the dictator had done to Mufasa, latches into Simba's paws with his claws. In Moscow, Russia, a McDonald's exists that also doubles as a firehouse museum/memorial. Simba slips and hangs onto the rock as Mufasa did years before. In Israel, some McDonald's restauraunts are kosher, although most are not.

Then Scar backs Simba to the edge of the cliff as lightning ignites the kingdom. East Coast Park in Singapore has a skate-thru, together with the main restaurant. Scar remains confident and with his hyenas forces Simba to confess to his responsibility for the death of Mufasa. The McDonalds restaurant in Bray, Ireland, occupies the entire former Town Hall. With the support of Nala who has rallied the lionesses (including Simba's aged and yet still proud mother, the erstwhile Queen Sarabi), Simba confronts his uncle. Sälen in Sweden opened the first ski-through McDonald's in the world. When he arrives, Simba is incensed to find that his once joyful and prosperous kingdom has crumbled into a barren wasteland under King Scar's rule. The restaurant is now closed.

After Rafiki the witch doctor mandrill (referred to as a baboon in the film) shows Simba that Mufasa's spirit still lives on inside him, and Mufasa appears to him as a ghost and demands of him to look inside himself and understand that he is the only rightful king, Simba decides to go back home. Louis, Missouri was a riverboat on the Mississippi River. Although the pair have fallen in love, they part: Nala angry with what she sees as Simba's irresponsibility, and Simba angry with Nala for scorning him. A former McDonald's in St. She urges Simba to return to the Pride Lands and retake his rightful throne, but he refuses, happy with his new "no worries" lifestyle -- and still traumatized by the false belief that he caused his father's death. McDonald's recently won a contract with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to place restaurants in renovated oases, many of which are located over the tollways. After growing up with the pair, the adult Simba encounters his childhood friend, a beautiful and formidable young lioness named Nala, who has fled Scar's dictatorial rule to seek help. A McDonald's near Vinita, Oklahoma is situated above Interstate 44, such that it is possible to eat while cars and trucks pass underneath.

There the cub is saved and befriended by Timon and Pumbaa (a meerkat and warthog respectively), who teach Simba their philosophy of "hakuna matata" (no worries). The building to host the highest (above ground level) McDonald's restaurant is the KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Exhausted, Simba collapses in the desert. The highest elevation McDonald's is located in La Paz, Bolivia, at 3,600 meters (11,800 feet) above sea level. Scar accepts the story, and assumes the throne, becoming the lion king. The lowest elevation McDonald's is located in the village of Ein Bokek in Israel, near the Dead Sea, at 396 meters (1,300 feet) below sea level. In the chase that follows, Simba escapes the hyenas who fear Scar's wrath and lie to him, saying that they captured and killed the young prince. Cheese's) and a McGourmet section where panini and gourmet sundaes are for sale.

Scar manipulates Simba into thinking he is responsible for his father's death by getting caught in a stampede, and advises him to "run away and never return." As a sobbing, devastated Simba runs off, Scar orders his hyena henchmen to kill Simba. It sports two floors, a massive game and arcade area (much like at Chuck E. Scar throws Mufasa back off the rock with the mocking words, "Long live the king." Mufasa is crushed under the hooves of the wildebeest. The world's largest McDonald's is located in Orlando, Florida, USA, off International Drive. Mufasa pleads to Scar for help, who gazes down on his brother and then suddenly latches his sharp claws into Mufasa's paws. Because of this, it is said that "the sun never sets on the Golden Arches," a parody on the old claim "the sun never sets on the British Empire.". As Mufasa climbs higher, he looks up to see Scar standing on the ledge above him. The world's easternmost McDonald's is also located in New Zealand, in the city of Gisborne and the westernmost restaurant is in Western Samoa, as they are the closest to either side of the International Date Line.

However as all hope seems lost, Mufasa makes one last great leap to cling to the rockface. The southernmost franchise is located in Invercargill, New Zealand. Together with his hyenas, he engineers a wildebeest stampede in which Mufasa rescues Simba but he himself is lost in the stampede. The northernmost McDonald's restaurant is located on the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland. Scar allies himself with some starving hyenas in an attempt to overthrow his brother. This resulted in a local company announcing plans to launch its own fast-food chain using the McDonald's name, although the South African High Court eventually ruled in McDonald's favor. Mufasa teaches Simba about the Circle of Life and that everything is connected in a balance. In South Africa, however, McDonald's had to battle against the country's trademark laws, which stated that a registered trademark had to be used within a certain period of time.

However, Mufasa's younger brother Scar is jealous of his nephew's position as heir and so plots to usurp the throne. In 2001, McDonald's lost a 9-year legal action against Frank Yuen of McChina Wok Away, Chinese takeway outlets in various part of the UK. He rules the kingdom with kindness and wisdom. In 1996, McDonalds forced Scottish sandwich shop owner Mary Blair of Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire to drop McMunchies as her trading name. Simba's father, King Mufasa, is the lion king. In 1996, McDonald's lost a legal battle at the Danish Supreme Court to force Allan Pedersen, a mincemeat sandwich vendor, to drop his shop name McAllan. However, the major musical praise focused on Hans Zimmer's score which was supplemented with traditional African music and choir elements arranged by Lebo M, which many critics felt played a crucial role in establishing the grand mythic tone of the African story. In 1994, McDonald's sued a restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica, because of trademark infringement, although it had opened in 1971, before McDonald's entered the Jamaican market.

John performs "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" during the end credits. In 1994, McDonald's successfully forced Elizabeth McCaughey of the San Francisco Bay Area to change the trading name of her coffeeshop McCoffee, which had operated under that name for 17 years. Elton John and Tim Rice wrote five original songs for this film. Pursuing a 26-year legal action against an Illinois restaurant owned by a man named Ronald McDonald (opened in 1956). With hindsight, the film can be seen as marking the peak of the popular success of the late-80s-to-mid-90s "renaissance" of Disney animation. 2006: McDonald's announces that it will include nutritional information on the packaging for all products beginning in March[3] and that its upcoming menu changes will emphasize chicken, salads, and other "fresh foods" rather than hamburgers[4]. The film made $328,541,776 in domestic gross income and $783,841,776 worldwide. 2005: McDonald's opens a Wi-Fi service in select restaurants with Nintendo for Nintendo DS.

Upon general release, the film more than confirmed that suspicion by becoming the most successful film of the year and the most successful animated feature film ever at the time (though with inflation factored in it would be fourth). The practice had earlier been tested, and abandoned, in the U.S. Furthermore, when the film was in limited release in two major theatres, the film did very impressive business which suggested that this "secondary project" promised to be popular. Some restaurants in New Zealand also follow suit. However, as the film was being marketed, the studio noticed that the released teaser, which consisted of the entire opening sequence featuring the song, "Circle of Life", was getting a strongly enthusiastic reaction from audiences. It should become standard practice in all Australian restaurants by 2007. Many of the Disney Feature Animation staffers preferred to work on Pocahontas, thinking that film would be the more prestigious and successful of the two. 2005: Owing in part to competitive pressure, McDonald's Australia begins "Made for you" policy in which the food is cooked after the customer orders (as opposed to the firm's normal procedure since 1948, in which the food is cooked, then sold as needed).

During its production, The Lion King was considered a secondary project to Pocahontas, which was in production at the same time. The experiment is in part motivated by labor costs, since the minimum wage in North Dakota is over 40 percent lower than that in Oregon or Washington. Computer animation was used extensively in the creation of the movie, particularly during the "Circle of Life" and the technologically innovative stampede sequences. The center, located in Fargo, North Dakota takes orders from more than a dozen stores in Oregon and Washington. The film was also the first Disney animated feature to have a non-villain main character die on-screen. 2005: McDonald's experiments with call centers for drive-through orders. Robin Hood featured only anthropomorphized animals who lived like humans, while Bambi featured only unseen human characters; whether this makes The Lion King Walt Disney's first "non-human animals-only" film is open to interpretation, but it is one film that is free of "human elements". 2004: Morgan Spurlock directs and stars in Super Size Me documentary film in which the protagonist eats nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days to the detriment of his health.

The Lion King, though a very humanistic story, remains the only Disney film to lack any trace of human existence. 2003: The firm reports a $126m loss for the fourth quarter [2]. . [1]. Many of the John/Rice tunes became Disney standards or pop hits in their own right, and Zimmer's score also drew substantial praise. market has fallen three percentage points in five years and is now at 15.2 percent. The Lion King is a musical film, with songs written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, and a film score by Hans Zimmer. 2003: According to Technomic, a market research firm, McDonald's' share of the U.S.

Unlike previous Disney animated films, which featured only a select few famous voice actors alongside lesser-known performers, nearly all of the voice acting work for this film was done by well-known actors, including Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Robert Guillaume, Moira Kelly, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings. The campaign was labeled "i'm lovin' it™" and began simultaneously in more than 100 countries around the world. The filmmakers do, however, acknowledge the prominent influences of both Shakespeare's play Hamlet and the 1942 Disney animated feature Bambi. 2003 McDonald's starts a global marketing campaign which promotes a new healthier and higher-quality image. It is frequently alleged that The Lion King was based on Osamu Tezuka's 1960s animated series Kimba the White Lion, although the filmmakers deny this. It announces it is withdrawing from three countries (including Bolivia) and closing 175 underperforming restaurants. The film is about a young lion cub named Simba who learns about his place on the throne of Pride Rock and his role in the circle of life. It responds to the stiff competition from other fast-food restaurants, offering higher quality burgers and more variety, by attempting to move more upmarket by expanding its menu and refitting restaurants.

A digitally retouched and enhanced Special Edition version of the film was released in IMAX format on December 25, 2002. 2002: McDonald's posts its first quarterly loss ($344m) for the last quarter. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to selected cities by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on June 15, 1994, and put into general release on June 24, 1994. 2002: A survey in Restaurants and Institutions Magazine, ranks McDonald's 15th in food quality among hamburger chains, highlighting the company's failure to enforce standards across its franchise network. The Lion King is the thirty-second animated feature in the Disney animated feature canon, and the highest-grossing traditionally animated feature film ever released in the United States. 2001: The FBI reports that employees of Simon Worldwide, a company hired by McDonald's to provide promotion marketing services for Happy Meals and the 'Millionaire'/'Monopoly' contest, stole winning game pieces worth more than $20 million. The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure (developed by Activision). 2000: The company opens its 1000th British store inside the Millennium Dome.

The Lion King (developed by Virgin). 2000: Eric Schlosser publishes Fast Food Nation, a book critical of fast food in general and McDonalds in particular. "The Morning Report" (James Earl Jones, Jeff Bennett, Evan Saucedo). Bové was sentenced to three months in prison for his role in the incident. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (Elton John Remix). had increased import duties on French Roquefort cheese and other European Union products. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight End Title" (Elton John). The incident follows a European Union ban on American meat imports, on the grounds that they use hormone treatments; in response the U.S.

"I Just Can't Wait To Be King" (Elton John). 1999: French leftist activist José Bové and others gain worldwide attention when they destroy a half-built McDonald's franchise in Millau (Aveyron). "Circle Of Life" (Elton John). Only about half of the counts are in McDonald's favour despite enormous legal resources deployed against self-representing defendants. "King Of Pride Rock" (instrumental, by Hans Zimmer). 1997: McDonald's wins the "McLibel" case, in what many consider to be a Pyrrhic victory in terms of the company's image. "Under The Stars" (instrumental, by Hans Zimmer). 1996: The first Indian McDonald's opens.

"To Die For" (instrumental, by Hans Zimmer). At the opening ceremony, the Belarusian militia are accused of brutality toward members of the public hoping to enter the restaurant in Minsk. "This Land" (instrumental, by Hans Zimmer). 1996: First McDonald's opens in Belarus, marking the chain's 100th country. "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" (Joseph Williams, Sally Dworsky, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Kristle Edwards). 1996: Following the end of apartheid, the first McDonald's opens in South Africa. "Hakuna Matata" (Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, Joseph Williams). McDonald's starts conducting market impact studies before granting further franchises.

"Be Prepared" (Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings). Circa 1995: McDonald's receives complaints from franchisees that too many franchises are being granted, leading to competition among franchisees. "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" (Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson, Laura Williams). 1994: The first McDonald's opens in Africa, in Cairo, Egypt. "Circle Of Life" (by Carmen Twillie). and fires three random shots from a .44 Magnum revolver, killing two customers and wounding a third, before taking his own life. Tony Award for Best Orchestrations. 1993: On a sunny afternoon, August 10, 1993, Dion Terres walks into a Kenosha, Wisconsin McDonald's restaurant at 75th Street and Pershing Blvd.

Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (Julie Taymor) WINNER. Along with adjacent buildings, it is later demolished. Tony Award for Best Choreography WINNER (Garth Fagan). 1992: On April 23 the world's largest McDonald's restaurant opens in Beijing, China (over 700 seats). Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical WINNER. They shoot, stab, and beat three employees to death and leave a fourth permanently disabled. Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical (Julie Taymor) WINNER. 1992: Freeman MacNeil, Darren Muise, and Derek Wood, an employee of the McDonald's in Sydney River, Nova Scotia, break into the restaurant after closing, planning to rob the place.

Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical WINNER. She sued in what became known as the McDonald's coffee case. Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Tsidii Le Loka). 1992: Stella Liebeck receives third degree burns from coffee purchased at a McDonald's drive-through. Wright). Unlike other foreign investments, the restaurant accepts rubles, not dollars, and is extremely popular, with waiting lines of several hours common in its early days. Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Samuel E. To overcome Soviet supply problems, the company creates its own supply chain, including farms, within the USSR.

Tony Award for Best Original Score. parent company; a wall display within the restaurant shows the Canadian and Soviet flags. Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. For political reasons, McDonald's Canada is independently responsible for this opening with little input from the U.S. Tony Award for Best Musical WINNER. At the time it is the largest McDonald's in the world (it is still Europe's biggest). News from the underground.") but is generally designated as a minor role. 1990: On January 31, the first Soviet McDonald's opens in Moscow.

This is in contrast to the gopher who also speaks only one line ("Zazu, Sir. Belgrade, Yugoslavia follows in the same year. Nevertheless, the end credits as well as the vast majority of fan material appear to consider her a major character. 1988: McDonald's opens its first restaurant in a communist country, in Győr, Hungary. Her name is never spoken in the movie, and indeed her dialogue consists only of a single line ("Hm, what do you think, Sarabi?"). In keeping with its historic setting near the Spanish Steps, it has a subdued facade and sets new standards for its interior decor. Sarafina - Nala's mother. 1986: McDonald's opens its first outlet in Italy, in Rome.