Review of The Lion King (1994) by Gabriel E — 07 Sep 2017

The pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance, and one of my favorite films of all time.

Now, where to begin?

The animation is wonderful, you could tell the animators really studied the animals and locations of Africa to emulate their mannerisms into the characters and world of Pride Rock. The overall art style is classic Disney and near accurate to what lions and other wild animals would look like.

As beautiful as the animation is, it's the characters and emotional core where the movie shines the most. Simba starts off as a rebellious cub who ends up feeling guilt over the death of his father Mufasa, which leads him to exile, but ends up overcoming it as he returns to his home, and accepts his position as king.

The film plays like a Disney version of Hamlet, which might sound weird at first, but it ultimately works perfectly.

The rest of the characters are great too, ranging from the villain Scar to the comic relief duo of Timon and Pumbaa.

Of course, The Lion King is a Disney film from the 90s, meaning that there are musical numbers galore, and all of them are fun and memorable, with songs such as "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata". The music also plays a huge part of the film, "Circle of Life" serves as the main theme, and you have a good number of songs by Elton John, including "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". These tracks as well as Hans Zimmer's score really captures the magical and emotional feel of the movie.

What more can I say? A classic from my childhood that has aged like a fine wine.