Review of The Lion King (1994) by Enrique F — 21 Dec 2017

This movie is as old as I am so when reflecting on it I sometimes wonder how much praise is bias. But then when I take away nostalgia I still have a really good animated movie. I used to not like Simba as a protagonist however but on rewatches hes grown on me as the main character. I like his journey and its very much like myth, a hero who experiences a journey and who eventually rises to the occasion. Other characters are awesome too like Nala (underrated character), Rafiki, and surprisingly Timon and Pumba. IDK why I like them more as an adult than I did as a kid but they're alright as sidekicks. Mufasa and Scar are easily the best characters and their rivalry and the almost myth and shakespeare like betrayal and drama from their feud is still awesome. James Earl Jones makes Mufasa the best lion character / dad in movies and you genuinely miss him from the rest of the film. But it shows that good writing, animation, music, and story with characters married together can make you forget that and still deliver a great movie.

Honestly The Lion King is... I'd compare it to Star Wars but also old school film epics like The Ten Commandments, and Cleopatra. But also still for kids yet never dumb or not entertaining for all ages. That's why it earns five stars.