Convergence Tom Brown ' The DVD of Attractions ' ? : The Lion King and the Digital Theme

This essay considers the DVD in relation to Tom Gunning’s concept of ‘the cinema of attractions’ (1990 and 2004), identifying parallels in terms of exhibitionism, technological display and the prevalence of direct address. It also stresses textual analysis of DVD menus (something largely neglected in contemporary scholarship) as an important tool for understanding the DVD as a novel ‘intra-text’ (as referred to by Brookey and Westerfelhaus in a 2002 essay). The article focuses on the DVD of The Lion King (dir. Allers and Minkoff, USA, 1994), emphasizing the relationship of the disc and its management of a series of attractions to the Disney theme park. This analysis reveals that, in following a path through The Lion King’s two discs, audiences do not simply view a series of activities and materials ‘extra’ to the film, they circulate and participate in an ‘enclosed environmental artwork’ akin to the Disney theme park.