When The Lion King first roared into theaters in 1994, the story of Simba and his father touched the hearts of an entire generation – its pioneering soundtrack, unexpected humour and compelling characters captivated audiences worldwide. The film, which followed The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, propelled The Walt Disney Studios’ animation renaissance, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time. (In the US, it continues to be the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated film ever.)

The Lion King won the Oscar for Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) and Best Original Song (Elton John/Tim Rice, Can You Feel the Love Tonight) and earned Golden Globes in both categories as well as for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. It is the best-selling home entertainment release of all time and inspired a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical that became the seventh-longest-running musical in Broadway history in January 2011.

And now, the popular classic is in 3D for the first time ever.

Classification U

Abduction - Covert espionage

Taylor Lautner stars as a young man unwittingly thrust into a deadly world of covert espionage in Lionsgate’s action-thriller, Abduction, directed by John Singleton.

For as long as he can remember, Nathan Harper (Taylor Lautner) has had the uneasy feeling that he’s living someone else’s life. When he stumbles upon an image of himself as a little boy on a missing persons website, all of Nathan’s darkest fears come true: he realizes his parents are not his own and his life is a lie, carefully fabricated to hide something more mysterious and dangerous than he could have ever imagined. 

Just as he begins to piece together his true identity, Nathan is targeted by a team of trained killers, forcing him on the run with the only person he can trust, his neighbor Karen (Lily Collins). Every second counts as Nathan and Karen race to evade an army of assassins and federal operatives. But as his opponents close in, Nathan realizes that the only way he’ll survive – and solve the mystery of his elusive biological father – is to stop running and take matters into his own hands. 

Abduction stars Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Denzel Whitaker, Michael Nyqvist and Sigourney Weaver.    The film is directed by John Singleton and written by Shawn Christensen. Lionsgate presents a Gotham Entertainment / Vertigo Entertainment / Quick Six Entertainment Production of a Lionsgate Production in association with Mango Farms.

Classification 12

The Help - Timeless story

From DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment, in association with Participant Media and Imagenation Abu Dhabi, comes the inspiring and poignant drama The Help. Based on the critically acclaimed No. 1 New York Times best-selling debut novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help boasts an illustrious cast, including, in alphabetical order, Jessica Chastain, Academy Award nominee Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Emmy® Award winner Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Oscar winner Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Academy Award® nominee Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel.

The film is written for the screen and directed by Tate Taylor, with Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan producing. Executive producers are Mark Radcliffe, Tate Taylor, L. Dean Jones Jr., Nate Berkus, Jennifer Blum, John Norris, Jeff Skoll and Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei.

Set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the 1960s, “The Help” chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.

Eugenia Skeeter Phelan just graduated from Ole Miss and is intent on getting a job as a writer. Unlike the girls she grew up with in Jackson, Mississippi, Skeeter wants a career and is quite content to put marriage and children on hold, much to her married friends’ – and her mother’s – constant consternation. When she lands a job writing the Miss Myrna cleaning-hints column for the local newspaper, she seeks help from Aibileen, her best friend’s maid, and finds herself embarking on a clandestine project, spurred on by a book editor in New York and inspired by the moving stories she uncovers.

Aibileen Clark has been a housekeeper all her life, working in the white homes of Jackson, Miss. She has raised 17 children for her employers and one son of her own, who was tragically, and unnecessarily, killed in an accident. Saddened by the loss of her only child, Aibileen draws strength from both her faith and her best friend, Minny.

With quiet courage and dignity, Aibileen fulfills her duties as the Leefolt family’s maid, including taking care of their little girl, Mae Mobley. When Skeeter enters her life, Aibileen finds herself opening up and telling her stories for the first time ever – even though the seemingly simple act brings with it the great risk of retaliation.

Outspoken Minny Jackson is a 33-year-old housekeeper who has a reputation as the best cook in Mississippi. She works for Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), but an act of defiance finds her fired and traveling to the outskirts of Jackson to work for lonely, fish-out-of-water Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain). Minny is Aibileen’s best friend and helped her get through her grief over losing her only son. Though strong and independent, Minny nonetheless is the voice of reason, as well as a healthy skeptic, when it comes to Skeeter’s project.

A remarkable sisterhood emerges from their improbable alliance, instilling all of them with the courage to transcend the lines that define them, and the realization that sometimes those lines are made to be crossed – even if it means bringing everyone in town face to face with the changing times.

Deeply moving, filled with humour, hope and heart, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the ability to create change. The film is both inspirational and empowering, featuring relatable, funny, courageous characters who, by finding their unique voices, triumph and become the heroes of their own lives.

Classification 12

The Ides Of March - Riveting thriller

Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated writer-director George Clooney has assembled the leading actors of our generation to star in this riveting thriller. The cast has received a combined 13 Academy Award® nominations, 3 Academy Awards®, 23 Golden Globe nominations and 6 Golden Globe Awards.

With sharp, quick-witted dialogue and set against the spectacle of modern world power and politics, The Ides of March is an intense tale of sex, ambition, loyalty, betrayal and revenge. The film follows a young press spokesman who falls prey to backroom politics, the treacherous manipulations of veteran operatives and seduction by a young intern.

In the film, George Clooney plays Governor Morris, a candidate running in the presidential primary race for the Democratic Party ticket. Ryan Gosling plays his press spokesman, Philip Seymour Hoffman plays his campaign manager, Paul Giamatti plays a rival campaign manager, Marisa Tomei plays a reporter for the New York Times, Evan Rachel Wood plays an intern for the Morris campaign, Jeffrey Wright plays a key senator, and Max Minghella plays Ben Harper, a campaign worker for Morris. 

Classification 16