Another Friday, another film score! This week, we watched Disney’s The Lion King (2019)!

I remember when The Lion King (1994) came out, and the music was so different from Disney’s previous animated releases. The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, & Aladdin all had hints of different cultures in their music (Caribbean, French, and Arabic, respectively), but The Lion King took it a step further.

While the songs on the soundtrack are fun and catchy (thanks to Elton John and Tim Rice), it’s Hans Zimmer’s score that struck me the most.

When Disney made the live-action movie in 2019, I was so glad to see that Hans Zimmer was back in the composer’s seat! Adding music by Pharrell and Beyoncé was exciting, but I loved that they brought Elton John back in as well. And having Jon Favreau direct the movie was comforting!

That final scene between Simba and Scar leads to many revelations. But when the score lifts, and Simba climbs Pride Rock, I can’t help but pump my fist in the air while choking back tears! It’s a powerful track that helps finish the story, bringing it back to where it all begin. You know, the “circle of life” and all that! Omigosh, I love that scene so much!

Kudos to Hans Zimmer and his amazing talent of composing epic cinematic scores!