At last, Buena Vista Home Entertainment has announced the full specs for the next in their acclaimed Platinum Edition line of animated classics, the highly-anticipated The Lion King.
Debuting on October 7th, what do fans have to look forward to? How about a THX-Certified anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS5.1 surround tracks, and two different versions of the film accessible via seamless branching: the original theatrical release and an extended edition including the new number "Morning Report," originally created for the Broadway show? But wait, there's more Disc one also includes "The Making of The Morning Report," 3 deleted scenes ("Bug Football," "Hakuna Matata" and "Warthog Rhapsody"), an all-new music video, a sing-along track and four set-top interactive games ("The Lion King Personality Profile," "Rafiki's Three Gourd Monty," "Timon's Grab-A-Grub," and "Pumbaa's Sound Sensations").
Disc two includes the featurettes "Disney Animals" hosted by Roy Disney, "Storymaking Magic," "Character design," "Computer Design," and "African Art Inspiration" (all feature additional behind-the-scenes footage and extensive stills), exclusive interviews with Julie Taymor, Elton John and Tim Rice, a "Virtual Safari" with your tour guides Timon and Pumbaa, an additional featurette on the Broadway musical, extensive still galleries with masks, costumes, people and puppets, additional music videos, and more. Retail is $29.99.
