by Harvs » February 20th, 2011, 8:53 am
Simba is a wonderful character, but I don't think he's the best hero in cinema. I think Moses and Kovu are on a higher level than he is, which is to be understandable if you think about it. While Simba starts and ends a hero, Kovu starts a villain and ends a hero. While Simba chooses to stay in the jungle instead of facing his past, Moses goes back to Egypt. But I digress. Simba is obviously my favorite character, and it's a shame that his popularity has been limited mostly to his cute and... "hotness"? Once again, I digress. Simba's inner conflict clashes with his hopes and dreams of living beside his father forever. His dreams are shattered to oblivion and he is thrown into, what I consider, the most heartbreaking moment in all of cinema. Bambi's mother's death has nothing on Mufasa's death. And this scene leads to ultimately the greatest "no" in animated history (the best "no"s belonging to Darth Vader and Frodo Baggins.) As human beings, we naturally want things to go our way, in which case, we love the word "yes". But whenever we hear the word "no" that automatically creates drama and a point of interest for us. Simba's desperate cry for help is no different. Facing his own flesh and blood, Simba remains to this day the quintessential household name.
"A film should engage, not distract. expand, not contract. Inform, not retract. Redefine, not reenact."
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