Simba in The Lion King is the hero and is able to relate to other characters very well. His father Mufasa is respected throughout the whole Kingdom and will be generally liked by the audience due to his kind and caring personality which any audience welcomes. He has a very close relationship with his son, who he does his very most to protect. Members of the audience can feel for Mufasa and share the same feelings as Parents understand how important children are to their life. Because of his good relationship with other characters, audiences will grow on this and will relate to Mufasa as a pleasant character. As Simba grows he comes to the reality of his Father’s death and the responsibilities of the family which he carries. This is shown when Simba imagines his father above in the sky and has a very deep and meaningful conversation. A close up angle shot has been used as we see the change of his facial expressions throughout the conversation. The glowing tears clearly point out to the audience he is the hero and the soft rounded looking face evidently notify the audience of his heroic character. Comparing this to Tarzan, Tarzan is a human among all other animals. Nonetheless, his relationship with other characters is very good. He makes friends instantly because of his flexible and compromising character personality. This affects the audience as they are able to see the gentle and humane personality which he has. He is very close to his mother whom he shares everything with and similar to Mufasa does everything to protect her. This shows to the audience his loving and warm personality. However his father Kerchak dislikes him be cause of this, until Tarzan saves Kerchak from the leopard. This is a turning point between the relationship of father and son and how his relationship with his father grows very strong. Tarzan’s persistence to make a good relationship with his father shows a moral that he never gave up and this is picked up on by the audience.
Scar is a very sly and suspicious character for which his sidekicks-Shenzi, Banzai and Ed very much like and respect. Being a villain, he is greedy, selfish and inconsiderate and betraying. In The Lion King after all Scar’s efforts during the fight with Simba, he lies and he chats but still results in him being found out of the truth. After this is revealed Shenzi refuses to forgive him and the only punishment is for him to be killed. This scene has a major effect on the audience as they become conscious of his mind games and brutal force which is used discreetly up until there was no way out. Scar’s clever mind games were able to convince Shenzi, Banzai and Ed as they were cunningly tricked. Until this point, the audience will be surprised as they felt that Scar would not pay the price for his crafty and ingenious tricks. Similar to this in Tarzan, during the first scenes of when we see Clayton, no one or the audience know about his character and his potential threat to others around him. The first sign we get to know of this is when he fries a gunshot into the skies. This shows clear iconography that he has the power and strength of character to kill in a relatively innocent and silent animal community. Audiences realise the unforgiving and unreasonable personality of Clayton-there is no way of talking sense with a character like him-selfish, greedy and totally dominant with a big ego. Clayton is also very wily as he often takes a back seat and watches carefully. This instantly affects the audience as they are thinking that he should have no right to harm and kill members of an innocent community and will relate to Clayton as a horrible and unwelcoming sight. They will be suspicious and be worried about his mental ability and physical personality.
The mise en scene in The Lion King for heroes is always very bright and positive. In the very opening scene we see Simba being lifted into the rising sun. The camera angle used here is a low angle shot; this I very important as Simba is seen very high up and portrays to the audience his level of importance within the film and how he is a good character. In this shot, the sun is very important as the audience can recognise that it can be classed as an icon where it is always shining upon the heroes. Another feature In The Lion King is that the skies are always blue and welcoming. An example of this is hen Simba goes out into the wild for the first time. Once again a low angle shot is used to make Simba look like a heroic character and appeal to the audience. The mise en scene has a big effect on the audience as whenever Simba is present in the scene the mise en scene is without fault and complete. Therefore the audience will be attracted to make them feel relaxed and in a joyful mood. Comparing this to Tarzan, the general mise en scene is wild and green; although the sun is always still shining on Tarzan to make the audience aware he is a good character. However because of the jungle’s characteristics we often see him in shadow. An example of this is when he has turned into an adult and is walking through the jungle. A high camera angle has been incorporated with the effect of the shadows to create suspense, silence and unexpectedness. The shadows on part of Tarzan’s body have an effect on the audience as it makes them feel suspicious about Tarzan and how he may have a slight evil side. Comparing the mise en scene used in both films, The Lion King is more effective as we see the hero in well lit areas and with the sun and blue skies as a typical icon and a convention of the heroes mise en scene. Tarzan however, is not as easily identifiable as the hero because of the jungles typical feature and the stereotypes which it carries-violence, murder and a risk of death.
Scar is first seen in a very dark and dingy cave. This is very effective as the audience is instantly able to understand that he is a nasty and cruel character. In the mise en scene we see green infuriating steam bubbling out into the background. The first shot used is a high angled shot which looks down to Scar to show that the audience look down on him to say he is unwanted by the audience. This is the complete opposite to the hero which is correct in terms of codes sand conventions and the effect is also the opposite which is what Disney’s aims are. The mise en scene has a big effect on the audience with the bubbling steam symbolising a burst in tension. Clayton in Tarzan is first seen in the shadows of trees in the jungle. He is shown in a medium close up shot to show his facial appearance and part of the mise en scene. This is effective as the audience can understand he is a nasty and cruel character who is a threat to others. This is due to the shadow effect which puts the audience in doubt and keeps them suspicious of Clayton. Clayton is often not well lit and is seen to be lurking around behind others. Comparing the two films, I think the conventions of the mise en scene of The lion King is better than Tarzan and are easier to identify the villain. Tarzan does well but is not as effective as the audience cannot come to an instant conclusion about the character role of Clayton.
In The Lion King, Simba the hero, is shown a1s a very friendly, lively and energetic character. He is seen in the yes of the audience like this fro several reasons. He has very large round eyes, smooth hair and a well structured body. We can class him as a hero as a typical Disney hero has these exact features. This has been done and created by the unique set of codes and conventions Disney heroes are created with, Disney using research and data were able to produce this. An example of when we see Simba like this is when he looks up towards his father, Mufasa. A close up camera angle has been used here, in order to allow the audience to understand and visualise the way his facial features are mere perfect like. The audience will be affected by this as they will see a completely symmetrical face and this will mean that he is a “perfect” character in their eyes with no visual flaws. Tarzan, the hero, has a very muscular body which is clearly defined with sharp features and large bold brown eyes. These are all conventions of a Disney hero which the audience will grasp and realise that he is the hero. W see this when Tarzan is shown holding a cheetah above his head. A low angled shot has been used to create the effect that he is powerful and has physical strength to protect and benefit his community. The low angled shot lifts Tarzan ont a pedestal to say that he is h hero. I feel that The Lion King has been able to comprehensively define Simba as the hero more so than Tarzan. The soft round features of Simba appeal to the eye of the audience; however the sharp features of Tarzan create a little suspicion in the audiences mind as to who Tarzan is. The effect of creating heroes in this way is that it helps keep the tension and excitement with the audience and creates anticipation.
Scar ions the villain in The Lion King. Scar has very defined features but an angular body. In a medium shot we see a large scar on his body which instantly suggests death. The scar has an effect on the audience as he appears to get involved with a lot of violence, which means the audience will feel wary of Scar, as if he is ready to seize upon any chance to fulfil his greed. The medium shot has been used in order to show Scar’s upper body and the mise en scene-broken old bones scattered among skeletons lying on the floor. This shot is very effective as it portrays bloodshed and carnage. Comparing this to Clayton, he has very sharp pointy and precise features. We see a close up of Clayton which focuses in on his facial features. In this shot we see his imperfect face with a nose similar to a parrot. The audience will be affected by this as they will pick up that he is animal like and therefore will not appeal to them. All of these are connotations of Disney villains helping use understand the character role which he plays. Comparing the two villains, I feel that Scar plays a much more effective villain. This is because of his general appearance with sharp and angular features and fearsome claws which can be compared to the size of his face. This shows the villainous intent very well and has a dramatic effect on the audience because of his overwhelmingly scary appearance.
My experience of Disney movies is that there is no better creator of animated movies. All of the features of a Disney movie fit together very well and form to produce a very effective and appealing film towards the target audience. The storylines which are created are suitable for their very wide target audience and will appeal to all aged audience. Comparing The Lion King and Tarzan, I personally feel that The Lion King is able to creat5e a more effective film. The character roles of the hero and villain are more distinguished. And they have clearly followed the codes and conventions of Disney movies. My personal view is that The lion King is a more enjoyable film to watch. In general Disney films are just fantastic to watch, they follow the codes and conventions of a classic film and create films which all ages of the family are able to watch and enjoy to a maximum
