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Friday, January 21, 2011

The Lion King

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The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Released to theaters on June 15, 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures,[2] it is the 32nd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. The story, which was influenced by the Bible stories of Joseph and Moses and the William Shakespeare play Hamlet, takes place in a kingdom ofanthropomorphic animals in Africa.[4] The film was the highest grossing animated film of all time until the release of Finding Nemo (a 2003 Disney/Pixar computer-animated film). The Lion Kingis the sixth highest grossing animated film and continues to be the highest grossing hand drawn animation film in history[5] and belongs to an era known as the Disney Renaissance.[6]
The Lion King is the highest grossing 2D animated film of all time in the United States,[7] and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the film for its music and story. During its release in 1994, the film grossed more than $783 million worldwide, becoming the most successful film released that year, and it is currently the 32nd highest-grossing feature film.
A musical film, The Lion King garnered two Academy Awards for its achievement in music and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with an original score by Hans Zimmer.[8] Disney later produced two related movies: a sequel, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998); and aprequel/parallel, The Lion King 1½ (2004).

Plot

The film opens with a gathering of countless animals around Pride Rock in Africa, where a wisemandrill, Rafiki, presents Simba, the newborn son of the lion King and Queen, Mufasa andSarabi. The only resident of the Pride Lands who is displeased with the birth of this heir is Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, who seeks the throne for himself. As Simba grows up, he is taught everything about the Pride Lands, including the neighboring Outlands, ruled by ruthlesshyenas and off limits for residents of the Pride Lands. Simba, however, turns out to be a colourful prankster who rather plays with his best friend, Nala, then listening to the lessons Mufasa's hornbill majordomo, Zazu, attempts to teach him. When Scar tells Simba about an elephant graveyard in the Outlands, Simba and Nala outsmart Zazu and venture out into the Outlands where they come upon three hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, who try to kill them in the ensuing chase. Mufasa arrives to rescue the cubs in time after being alerted by Zazu, and teaches Simba an emotional lesson in bravery and valor.
Meanwhile, Scar plots with the hyenas a plan to kill both Mufasa and Simba and to take over the Pride Lands. On Scar's orders, the hyenas ignite a stampede of wildebeest in a gorge where Simba is, because Scar told him to stay there. Scar then rushes to inform Mufasa who manages to save Simba. But as Mufasa asks for Scar's assistance when he attempts to climb out of the gorge, Scar betrays him and deliberately throws him back, where Mufasa is killed by the stampede and fall. Simba later finds his father's lifeless corpse in the middle of the gorge. Scar arrives and tricks Simba into thinking that it was him who was responsible for Mufasa's death, as it was his presence that caused Mufasa to come save him. Due to the shame of such an act, he encourages Simba to leave the Pride Lands and never return. Simba immediately turns and runs away, while at the same time, Scar orders the hyenas to follow and kill Simba. In the subsequent chase, Simba manages to escape. As Simba remains absent, Scar is led to believe Simba has died as well and proclaims both Mufasa and Simba died in the stampede. As the rightful heir to the throne, he takes over the Pride Lands and also allows the hyenas entry into the pride.
Simba collapses in the wasteland after his mere escape, but is found by Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog. The duo nurse him back to health and take him in, teaching him the ways of their motto, "Hakuna Matata". Years later, once Simba is an adult, he encounters Nala, who was trying to maul Timon and Pumbaa. Nala expresses her delight at discovering Simba alive, and informs him of how Scar's irresponsibility as King of the Pride Lands is going to drive everyone into starvation and eventual death. Still wrecked with guilt over supposedly causing his father's death, Simba refuses to return and overthrow Scar. The wise Rafiki tracks Simba down and leads him to a thunderstorm, where Simba encounters the ghost of Mufasa. Mufasa reminds Simba of his identity and urges him to retake his rightful place as King of the Pride Lands.
Moved by his deceased father's words, Simba returns with Nala, Timon and Pumbaa. While Timon and Pumbaa distract the hyena guardians, Simba finally confronts Scar on Pride Rock. Scar turns the tables by stating that Simba caused Mufasa's demise and forces Simba towards the edge of Pride Rock, where he holds on for dear life. Just before Scar can throw Simba off, he quietly reveals that he killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba leaps back up and pins Scar, forcing him to reveal his actions to the pride. A violent fight ensues between the hyenas and lionesses while Simba confronts Scar alone at the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs Simba for mercy, accusing the hyenas of planning the whole thing. Simba prepares to show Scar mercy and exile him, but as soon as he gives in, Scar resumes his attack. The ensuing fight ends when Scar falls off Pride Rock. He survives the fall, but is swarmed and consumed to death by the hyenas who overheard his treacherous actions.
With Scar now gone and the hyenas banished, Pride Rock is restored to its previous majesty under Simba's rule. The film closes with Rafiki presenting the animals with Simba and Nala's newborn cub.

Production

Story development

The production of The Lion King, originally titled King of the Jungle, took place at Walt Disney Feature Animation in Glendale, California, and at the Feature Animation satellite studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The original treatment, inspired by Hamlet, was written by Thomas Disch (author of The Brave Little Toaster), as “King of the Kalahari” in late 1988. Since his treatment was written as work-for-hire, Disch received no credit or royalties.[9]
Roger Allers joined the project as its initial director in October 1991.[10] After six months of story development work, Allers was joined by a co-director, Rob Minkoff. Minkoff joined Allers, producer Don Hahn, and Beauty and the Beast directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale in two days' worth of meetings to retool the story, revising the lead character of Simba and rewriting the second half of the film.[10]
During the summer of 1992, the team was joined by screenwriter Irene Mecchi, with a second screenwriter, Jonathan Roberts, joining a few months later. Mecchi and Roberts took charge of the revision process, fixing unresolved emotional issues in the script and adding comic business for Pumbaa, Timon, and the hyenas.[10]

Animation

Thirteen supervising animators, both in California and Florida, were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the film's main characters. The animation leads for the main characters included Mark Henn on young Simba, Ruben A. Aquino on adult Simba,Andreas Deja on Scar, Aaron Blaise on young Nala, Anthony DeRosa on adult Nala, and Tony Fucile on Mufasa.[10] Nearly 20 minutes of the film, including the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence,[11] were animated at the Disney-MGM Studios facility.[10] Ultimately, more than 600 artists, animators and technicians contributed to The Lion King over the course of its production schedule.[10]
The character animators studied real-life animals for reference, as was done for the 1942 Disney film Bambi.[12] Jim Fowler, renowned wildlife expert, visited the studios on several occasions with an assortment of lions and other jungle inhabitants to discuss behavior and help the animators give their drawings an authentic feel.[10] During pre-production in 1991, several of the lead crew members, including the directors, producer, story supervisor Brenda Chapman, and production designer Chris Sanders, had taken a trip to Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya, in order to study and gain an appreciation of the environment for the film. The Pride Lands are modeled on the national park.[10]
The use of computers helped the filmmakers present their vision in new ways. The most notable use of computer animation is in the "wildebeest stampede" sequence. Several distinct wildebeest characters were created in a 3D computer program, multiplied into hundreds,cel shaded to look like drawn animation, and given randomized paths down a mountainside to simulate the real, unpredictable movement of a herd. [13] Five specially trained animators and technicians spent more than two years creating the two-and-a-half minute stampede sequence.[10]
At one time, factions of the Disney Feature Animation staff felt The Lion King was less important than Pocahontas, which was in production at the studio at the same time.[4] Most of the staff preferred to work on Pocahontas, believing it would be the more prestigious and successful of the two.[4] The enthusiastic audience reception to an early Lion King film trailer, which consisted solely of the opening sequence with the song "Circle of Life", suggested that the film would be very successful. As it turns out, while both films were commercial successes, The Lion King received more positive feedback and earned larger grosses than Pocahontas did when released a year after Lion King.[14][15][16]

Cast

Main article: List of The Lion King characters

Music

Elton John and Tim Rice wrote five original songs for this film, with Elton John performing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" during the end credits. The film's score was composed by Hans Zimmer and supplemented with traditional African music and choir elements arranged byLebo M.[17]

Original songs

Here are the musical numbers in the original theatrical film, listed in the order of their occurrence:
  • "Circle of Life" is sung by an off-screen character voiced by Carmen Twillie, with African vocals by Lebo M and his African choir. Thissong is played during the ceremony where the newborn Simba is presented to the animals of the Pride Lands. The song is reprised at the end of the film, during the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub.
  • "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is sung by young Simba (Jason Weaver), young Nala (Laura Williams), and Zazu (Rowan Atkinson). Simba uses this musical number in the film to distract Zazu so that he and Nala can sneak off to the elephant graveyard, at the same time expressing his wish to be king as soon as possible.
  • "Be Prepared" is sung by Scar (Jeremy Irons/Jim Cummings), Shenzi (Whoopi Goldberg), Banzai (Cheech Marin) and Ed (Jim Cummings). In this song, Scar reveals his plot to kill Mufasa and Simba to his hyena minions.
  • "Hakuna Matata" is sung by Timon (Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) and Simba (Jason Weaver as a cub and Joseph Williams as an adult). Timon and Pumbaa use this song as a warm welcome to Simba as he arrives at their jungle home, and to explain their "no worries" lifestyle. The sequence also contains a montage sequence in which Simba grows into a young adult, indicating the passage of time in Simba's life in the jungle. The American Film Institute released its AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs list in 2004 and "Hakuna Matata" was listed at number 99.[18]
  • "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a love song sung mainly by an off-screen character voiced by Kristle Edwards, along with Timon (Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), adult Simba (Joseph Williams) and adult Nala (Sally Dworsky). This musical sequence shows Timon and Pumbaa's frustration at seeing Simba fall in love, and the development of Simba and Nala's romantic relationship. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song during the 67th Academy Awards.
Additionally, a song which was not present in the original theatrical film, was later added to the IMAX theater and to the DVD Platinum Edition release:
  • "The Morning Report" was originally a scene planned for the theatrical film but never made it past the storyboard stage. It was later cut and the song lyrics were written to be used for the live musical version of The Lion King instead.[19] It was later added, with an accompanying animated sequence, to the 2002 IMAX rerelease. Sung by Zazu (Jeff Bennett), Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and youngSimba (Evan Saucedo), the song is an extension of the scene in the original film where Zazu delivers a morning report to Mufasa, and later gets pounced on by Simba.

Soundtrack and other albums

Main article: The Lion King (soundtrack)
The film's original motion picture soundtrack was released on July 13, 1994. It was the fourth best-selling album of the year on the Billboard 200 and the top-selling soundtrack.[20] It is the only soundtrack for an animated film to be Diamond certified (10x platinum).
On February 28, 1995, Disney released an album entitled Rhythm of the Pride Lands, which featured songs and performances inspired by, but not featured in, the film. Focusing on the African influences in the film's original music, most of the tracks were by African composer Lebo M, sung either partially or entirely in various African languages. Several songs included on the album would be used in other The Lion King-related projects, such as the stage musical and the direct-to-video sequels. "He Lives In You" was used as the opening song for The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. "Warthog Rhapsody" was originally intended for the film, but was replaced by "Hakuna Matata". A rearrangement of the song, called "That's All I Need", was used in The Lion King 1½. Rhythm of the Pride Lands was initially issued in a very limited quantity, but there was a 2003 rerelease included in some international versions of The Lion King's special edition soundtrack, with an additional track. It is also available digitally through various music stores. Additionally, The Lion King Expanded Score contains never-before-released instrumental music from Hans Zimmer's original score.[21]
The compilation Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic includes "Circle of Life", "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", "Hakuna Matata", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", and "Be Prepared". The compilation Disney's Greatest Hits also includes "Circle of Life", "Hakuna Matata", and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?".

Other songs

The following songs can be heard in the movie but are not included on the soundtrack :
Sung by Zazu during his captivity :
Sung by Timon and Pumbaa :

Release

Box office

The Lion King became the highest grossing motion picture of 1994 worldwide, and the second highest in the United States (behind Forrest Gump).[22] The film earned US$312,855,561 in the United States, including a short return to theaters in November 1994, and adding in its 2002 IMAX re-release the domestic total is $328,541,776. The film took in a worldwide total of $783,841,776[3] The Lion King held the record for the most successful animated feature film until 2003 when it was surpassed by the computer animated Finding Nemo. Today it remains the sixth highest grossing animated film and the highest grossing hand-drawn animated feature film.[5]

Critical response

The Lion King garnered critical acclaim and at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 61 reviews collected, the film has an overall approval rating of 92%, with a weighted average score of 8/10, easily tied with Aladdin for second highest rated Disney's feature film on the era, behind only byBeauty and the Beast, with 93%.[15] Among Rotten Tomatoes's Cream of the Crop, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs,[23] the film holds an overall approval rating of 100 percent.[24] Metacritic, which assigns a normalized 0–100 rating to reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 84 from the 13 reviews it collected.[25]
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert called the film "a superbly drawn animated feature" and, in his print review wrote, "The saga of Simba, which in its deeply buried origins owes something to Greek tragedy and certainly to Hamlet, is a learning experience as well as an entertainment."[26] On the television program Siskel & Ebert the film was praised but received a mixed reaction when compared to previous Disney films. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave the film a "Thumbs Up" but Siskel said that it was not as good as earlier films such asBeauty and the Beast and was "a good film, not a great one".[27] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post called it "an impressive, almost daunting achievement" and felt that the film was "spectacular in a manner that has nearly become commonplace with Disney's feature-length animations", but was less enthusiastic toward the end of his review saying, "Shakespearean in tone, epic in scope, it seems more appropriate for grown-ups than for kids. If truth be told, even for adults it is downright strange."[28] Owen Gleiberman, film critic forEntertainment Weekly, praised the film and wrote that it "has the resonance to stand not just as a terrific cartoon but as an emotionally pungent movie".[29] Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers praised the film and felt that it was "a hugely entertaining blend of music, fun and eye-popping thrills, though it doesn't lack for heart".[30] The staff of TV Guide wrote that "The film has some of Disney's most spectacular animation yet—particularly in the wildebeest stampede—and strong vocal performances, especially by skilled Broadway comedian Nathan Lane. However, it suffers from a curiously undeveloped story line."[31] James Berardinelli, film critic for ReelViews, praised the film saying, "With each new animated release, Disney seems to be expanding its already-broad horizons a little more. The Lion King is the most mature (in more than one sense) of these films, and there clearly has been a conscious effort to please adults as much as children. Happily, for those of us who generally stay far away from 'cartoons', they have succeeded."[32] In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "10 Top 10"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. The Lion Kingwas acknowledged as the 4th best film in the animation genre.[33]

Awards and nominations

The Lion King received many award nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Original Score (by Hans Zimmer) and the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, both of which it won. Most notably, the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" byElton John and Tim Rice won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, the BMI Film Music Award, and the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance Male.
The awards were as follows:

1995 release

The Lion King was first released on VHS and laserdisc in the United States on March 3, 1995, under Disney's "Masterpiece Collection" video series. In addition, Deluxe Editions of both formats were released. The VHS Deluxe Edition included the film, an exclusive lithograph of Rafiki and Simba (in some editions), a commemorative "Circle of Life" epigraph, six concept art lithographs, another tape with the half-hour TV showThe Making of The Lion King, and a certificate of authenticity. The CAV laserdisc Deluxe Edition also contained the film, six concept art lithographs and The Making of The Lion King, and added storyboards, character design artwork, concept art, rough animation, and a directors' commentary that the VHS edition did not have, on a total of four double sided disks. The VHS tape quickly became one of the best-selling videotapes of all time: 4.5 million tapes were sold on the first day[45] and ultimately sales totaled more than 30 million[46] before these home video versions went into moratorium in 1997.[47]

2003 Platinum Edition

On October 7, 2003, the film was rereleased on VHS and released on DVD for the first time, titled The Lion King: Platinum Edition, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of animated classic DVDs. The DVD release featured two versions of the film on the first disc, a remastered version created for the 2002 IMAX release and an edited version of the IMAX release purporting to be the original 1994 theatrical version.[48] A second disc, with bonus features, was also included in the DVD release. The film's soundtrack was provided both in its original Dolby 5.1track and in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, making this one of the first Disney DVDs so equipped.[49] By means of seamless branching, the film could be viewed either with or without a newly-created scene — a short conversation in the film replaced with a complete song ("The Morning Report"). A Special Collector's Gift Set was also released, containing the DVD set, five exclusive lithographed character portraits (new sketches created and signed by the original character animators), and an introductory book entitled The Journey.[47]
The Platinum Edition of The Lion King was criticized by fans for its false advertising: producer Don Hahn had earlier stated that the film would be in its original 1994 theatrical version, but it was confirmed after release that it was the "digitally enhanced" IMAX version instead, which is slightly different from the original theatrical cut. One of the most noticeable differences is the re-drawn crocodiles in the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence.[50] Despite this criticism, more than two million copies of the Platinum Edition DVD and VHS units were sold on the first day of release.[45] A DVD boxed set of the three The Lion King films (in two-disc Special Edition formats) was released on December 6, 2004. In January 2005, the film, along with the sequels, went back into moratorium,[51] but new and used copies still sell very well.[52]

Future re-release

Disney announced in the Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition official site, that The Lion King will be released in a Diamond Edition Bluray/DVD combo pack on Fall 2011.[53]
A 3-D version is also in the works, though no release date has been announced.[54]

Controversies

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A concern has been raised that this article's Criticism section may be compromising the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Possible resolutions may be to integrate the material in the section into the article as a whole, or to rewrite the contents of the section. Please see the discussion on the talk page. (August 2009)

Story origin

Comparison of Kimba the White Lion (left) and The Lion King on Pride Rock (right).
Further information: Kimba the White Lion#The Lion King controversy
The Lion King was the first Disney animated feature to be an original story, rather than being based on an already-existing story.[4][10] The filmmakers have said that the story of The Lion King was inspired by the Joseph and Moses stories from theBible and William Shakespeare's Hamlet.[4] However, certain elements of the film, bear a resemblance to a famous 1960s Japanese anime television show, Kimba the White Lion.[55] One similarity is the protagonists' names: Kimba and Simba, although the word "simba" means "lion" in Swahili.[56] Many characters in Kimbahave an analogue in The Lion King and various individual scenes are nearly identical in composition and camera angle. Matthew Broderick, the voice of Simba, believed initially that he was in fact working on a remake of Kimba, since he was familiar with the Japanese original.[57] Early production artwork on the film's Platinum Edition DVD even includes a white lion.[58]Disney's official stance is that the similarities are all coincidental.[59]
Yoshihiro Shimizu, of Tezuka Productions, which created Kimba the White Lion, has refuted rumours that the studio was paid hush money by Disney but explains that they rejected urges from within the industry to sue because, 'we're a small, weak company. It wouldn't be worth it anyway... Disney's lawyers are among the top twenty in the world!'[60]
Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, described Disney's request that he suggest how to improve the plot of The Lion King by incorporating ideas from Hamlet.[61] It has also been noted that the plot bears some resemblance to the West African Epic of Sundiata.[62]

Alleged subliminal messaging

The supposed "SEX" frame.
In one scene of the film's original VHS and LaserDisc releases, it appears as if the word "SEX" might have been embedded into the dust flying in the sky when Simba flops down,[63] which conservative activist Donald Wildmon asserted was a subliminal message intended to promotesexual promiscuity. The film's animators have stated that the letters spell "SFX" (a common abbreviation of "special effects"), and was intended as an innocent "signature" created by the effects animation team.[64]

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

The use of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in a scene with Timon and Pumbaa has led to disputes between Disney and the family of South African Solomon Linda, who composed the song (originally titled "Mbube") in 1939. In July 2004, the family filed suit, seeking $1.6 million in royalties from Disney. In February 2006, Linda's heirs reached a legal settlement with Abilene Music, who held the worldwide rights and had licensed the song to Disney for an undisclosed amount of money.[65]

Portrayal of hyenas

A number of Disney studios artists spent two days observing and sketching captive Spotted Hyenas maintained at the Field Station for Behavioural Research in the hills above the University of California's Berkeley campus. Dr. Laurence Frank, and other scientists who had organised the visit, expressed a strong request that the portrayal of the hyenas featured in The Lion King be positive. The artists responded that they would do their best to make the hyenas appear more comical than evil.[66] The resulting portrayal did not impress most hyena biologists: one hyena researcher sued Disney studios for defamation of character,[67] and in conclusion to a spotted hyena fact sheet written for African Geographic in May 2006, Dr. Frank included boycotting The Lion King as a way of helping preserve hyenas in the wild.[68] Hyena researcher Stephen Glickman wrote: "In both Hemingway and The Lion King there is an emphasis on greed, gluttony, and stupidity that is ultimately designed to be comical. This reaches its "pinnacle" when a hyena [Ed] feeds on its own body, as described in The Green Hills of Africa and in the American children's computer game based on the movie."[66]
Condemnation was also launched by film critics and cultural analysts, some of whom saw the portrayals of the hyenas as underlying a low class and that their upholding of cultural stereotypes by sporting African American (Shenzi) and Latin American (Banzai) accents, as opposed to the American and British accents of the main characters, was racist.[69][70][71] Film analyst Matt Roth described the film as a "the spadework for the ugly principles it [Disney] feels it must implant in each new generation."[72]

Sequels and spin-offs

Main article: The Lion King (franchise)
The success of the film led to the development of a franchise that comprises several sequels, spin-offs, video games and other merchandise. Additionally, characters from the film have made appearances in other Disney media such as Disney's House of Mouse or the Kingdom Hearts series of video games.

Impact on popular culture

Because of its popularity, The Lion King has been referenced in a variety of media. For instance, the animated TV series The Simpsonsspoofed the film in the episode "'Round Springfield". Toward the end of the episode, the ghost of Mufasa appears in the clouds with Bleeding Gums Murphy (who had died earlier that episode) and Darth Vader, and James Earl Jones (who voiced both Mufasa and Darth Vader) says, "This is CNN. You must avenge my death, Kimba... dah, I mean Simba," a reference to the Lion King/Kimba the White Lion controversy.[73]Simba and Nala's escapade to the elephant graveyard was mentioned in a Season 2 episode of House.



Disney also frequently referenced The Lion King in its own films and shows. For example, in the Disney-released, Pixar-produced 1995 computer animated film Toy Story, the song "Hakuna Matata" can be heard playing in Andy's car during the film's climax.[74] Pumbaa made a cameo in Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996),[75] and Hercules (1997) paid homage to both The Lion King and the Nemean lion: Scar's skin is worn by the title character while he is posing for a painting on a Greek vase

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