Originally posted June 2006
Wanted to discuss this as it made a great impression on me – the Circle of Life Movie in the Epcot Land Pavilion. This movie.. well, let me find the proper words…
THIS MOVIE IS THE MOST HYPOCRITICAL PIECE OF FILM MAKING EVER MADE.
Why? Oh, read on..
It starts with two of the creatures from The Lion King (Kinka and Fonza, or something like that – I never saw the Lion King so I don’t remember their names) damming up a river to create a resort/hotel and Kimba (oh, sorry, Simba) comes over and questions their construction – “What about all the animals downstream?” he asks to which the obscene comedy relief animals go “who cares, they’ll pay to get to our resort!”
Well, we are then treated to a history lesson about how man was originally “in touch” with nature (native americans are shown hugging buffalos and trees, which we all know is how they treated nature – no hunting or clear-cutting there). Then these horrible people kept reproducing (cursed biology!) and then they started using more and more energy (cursed economic development!). They finally ended up building monumental cities and transportation systems (cursed internal-combustion engines!).
And some of these human (which came off to me as ALL OF US) started misusing the natural resources and BROKE the Circle of Life. We are then presented with a potent MONTAGE! Pollution! Dust! Decay! Charlton Heston fighting undead zombies! THE END TIMES!
Well, thankfully some of us (the corporate sponsors of The Circle of Life) are trying to fix the Circle of Life (Not to be confuse with the Wheel of Fortune, a different sponsor) and we are then presented with another montage (people recycling, walking to work, using public transportation, ritually sacrificing Republicans, etc.) to show how we are TURNING THE CORNER on the CIRCLE OF LIFE – though how you can turn a corner on a circle is beyond me; please note I failed Algebra.
Finally, Kinka and Fonza abandon their resort plans based on the potent montages shown to them, and devote their life to wiping tears away from American Indians who stand by garbage dumps crying.
The movie ends with another incredibly moving nature montage, and I walk out of the theatre feeling incredibly guilty – thank GOD I will not desecrate the Circle of Life by buying crappy plastic souvenirs that are available just a dozen feet beyond the pavilion! And thank Gaia some multi-million dollar company did not spend their ill-gotten gains pouring hundreds of tons of concrete on natural wetlands in Florida!
Oh… yeah. Right. Never mind.