The Lion King (1994)

“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or… learn from it. [swings his stick again at Simba, who ducks out of the way] Ha. You see? So what are you going to do?” – Rafiki

Number of Times Seen – At least 10 times (1994 in Theater, Video, DVD, 24 Mar 2001 and 25 Nov 2013)

Brief Synopsis – A young lion cub flees the kingdom when he is framed by his uncle and is accused of causing his father’s death.

My Take on it – I saw this in the theater by using the excuse of taking my 4 year old nephew to see it.  I now understand, (unlike my 20 year old self) that adults can truly enjoy animated movies and don’t need to be embarrassed by them.  The truth is that over the last twenty years or so, the level of quality animated films has risen so high that every year, I have animated movies on my must watch list.

I wanted to see this movie after I saw the opening 5 minutes as a preview on the video version of Aladdin (1992).  The music and animation in the opening scene is so amazing because it shows that the animators spent quite a lot of time studying the movements of so many animals which make that scene seem so realistic.

The rest of the movie doesn’t disappoint in any way.

The story is a mesh of Hamlet and numerous other stories about betrayal, murder and guilt following one’s misconception that he/she committed a crime that they are innocent of.

This is one of the best animated films from Disney.

Great choices for voice talents; Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Robert Guillaume, Rowen Atkinson, James Earle Jones, Whoopie Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Moira Kelly and Nathan Lane all excel here.

The music and songs are very memorable and I caught myself singing along many times during this viewing.

Bottom Line – Great animated movie that blends the story of Hamlet with numerous other classic tales and is framed by amazing music. One of Disney’s best animated features. Highly recommended!

Rating – Oscar Worthy