Review of The Lion King (1994) by Brian B — 26 Mar 2017

Ah, The Lion King, the highest-grossing 2D animated film of all time. I love this movie, and while I don't think it's quite the masterpiece everyone says it is, there are still plenty of things to like about it.

The animation, of course is beautiful. I love the African setting. The story is good, the characters are likeable, the voice acting, especially from James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, is great, and the songs, for the most part, are nice as well.

I was one of those people who cried at Mufasa's death. But what really makes this movie good is the sheer size of it. It's just a big movie, and it does come from the story. But I do have a few gripes with this movie.

One is that the message of the movie is a little botched. When Simba goes back to face his fear, his fears start to win, and none of the lionesses stand up for him until it's revealed that he didn't kill Mufasa.

So the message is botched. Also, Scar goes through a complete 180. He starts off as sinister and conniving, but after he becomes king, he turns into a little child. Also, I think Matthew Broderick as adult Simba is a little bland.

The two songs that stand out the most to me are Circle of Life and Be Prepared. I know some people hate I Just Can't Wait to Be King, but I enjoy that one personally. As for Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata, I think there tolerable, but also the weakest of the soundtrack.

Hakuna Matata is one I both hate and love at the same time. It's very annoying but I can't help but sing along to it. I like the African choir in Can You Feel the Love Tonight, as well as Timon and Pumbaa's parts, but it's not really necessary since the romance between Simba and Nala wasn't the main focus.

But despite these problems, I still think The Lion King is a good, strong film. It has great animation, good characters, and good story with good drama and good humor. Those hyenas crack me the freak up.

And like I said, it's just a huge movie. It's not in my top ten favorite Disney movies, but it's very close, ranking number twelve. It's not perfect, but I still love it and I always have a great time watching it.