You are more than you have become.

Last night, I saw The Lion King in 3D. I went with four of my female classmates, and we were all amused to notice every person in the theater seemed to be at least 18 years old.

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Watching the classic Disney film as a 21-year-old university student was an eye-opening experience. I hold The Lion King close to my heart, as my sorority's mascot is a lion. In fact, it's a running joke among my close sisters that I like to quote inspirational sayings from the movie in my everyday life. My personal favorite is from a leadership conference I attended with Alpha Delta Pi in the summer of 2010. During one workshop, we watched the scene where Simba sees his dad's image in the stars. Mufasa tells his grown-up son (in his deep, oh-so-sexy cartoon voice):

"Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become." (Hence my post title.)

So of course, when we discovered the movie was being re-released in 3D, we had to go. I'm proud to say that I contained myself quite well (unlike my embarrassing Harry Potter episode). I stayed dry-eyed through Mufasa's death and Simba's discovery of his body, even when Simba tugged on Mufasa's ear to wake him up. My willpower ran out, however, when Simba began crying and running across the gorge, begging for help from "somebody ... anybody!" Then I cried.

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It wasn't all sad, though. I laughed at a few jokes that I hadn't noticed in earlier viewings. For example, Scar complains that he feels like a "hippo with a hernia." I'm sure I didn't know what a hernia was at 4 years old when the film was released, so it struck me as humorous last night. There were also jokes that I do remember hearing before but didn't have quite the same meaning until now. I had understood what Mufasa meant when he tells Sarabi, "Before sunrise, he's your son," but it's much funnier now that I'm old enough to understand the expectations of and arguments about parental duties.

In addition to the humor, there was some symbolism in the movie that I can appreciate more now as a young adult. The moment when Simba accidentally steps into his father's pawprint and pauses to take in the disparity in size really tugged at my heartstrings. I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed that theme of Simba trying to "fill his father's shoes" or follow his footsteps as a young child, but it definitely stirred up some emotions last night, especially because I knew what would happen in the end of the film.

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Before I wrap up, you might be wondering if the 3D effects were worth it. I have seen some 3D movies that left me wondering, "What was 3D about that?" (cough cough - Saw VII). It is true that I stopped noticing the 3D after a little while (but that's what you're supposed to do, right?), but I actually thought it worked very well in this movie. The animals looked like they were actually walking behind plants, and the birds really looked like they were flying off the screen. The best 3D part was in the very beginning, when Zazu flew from behind us toward Pride Rock. It actually felt like he was flying by me in the theater!

So what's next? The Little Mermaid? I'd love to see the 3D water in this scene. That'd be pretty sweet.

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