BCDB: Cartoon Reviews: The Lion King

"The Lion King" is undoubtedly the best Disney movie so far.It is a film for all the family.You couln't say that it is just a children's film.There is much more in it than what a little child would understand.
This movie does not have a very complicated storyline. However the combination of emotion and comedy makes it a masterpiece.
There is no need to refer to "The Lion King's" music as long as I say that whenever a song of this movie plays everyone sings along.

Trite, predictable boring and made more so by the homogonous pap music of Elton John.
Visually striking, yes but that's about it.
Timon and Pumbaa are what made Jar Jar Binks possible and they make me shudder.

For one that happens to hate musicals, and isn't a kid who'd be interested on stories that are simplier than those of the Sunday morning cartoons, this movie just isn't worth watching. Not even for being probably the most important animated film of the 90's. The story is awfully thin and straight-forward and the music is definitely not something I'd listen willingly.

Watching the glorious opening sequence of "The Lion King" for a second time, I wondered how I could ever have disliked this movie. But the answer came to me at the same point as in the original version. And the answer is Timon and Pumbaa.
The first half of "The Lion King" is something to behold. The story of Simba, a young lion who is heir to his father's animal kingdom, and Scar, Simba's evil uncle who wants the throne for himself, is in the best Disney spirit. It touches some huge, primal emotions and isn't at all ashamed about it. And watching this grand story play itself out on the vast Disney palette, you feel you could frame every image.
But then Simba is left in the desert to die, and along come Timon and Pumbaa, that wacky meercat-and-warthog comedy team, in a big-budget tryout for their Saturday morning TV series. And that's just where they belong, too. All of their cutesy, just-kidding dialogue deflates the movie like a nail in a tire. Timon, in particular, is just plain ugly to look at, which is quite an accomplishment when your partner is a flatulent warthog.
From that point, the movie gets all gooey on us. In particular, the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" wears its heart so conspicuously on its sleeve, with its psycho-babble lyrics ("He's holding back, he's hiding"), you want to send Simba and his girlfriend to the nearest animal psychiatrist and be done with them.
In retrospect, Timon and Pumbaa have a lot to answer for. After five eye-popping years in which The Disney Co. shook off its cobwebs and made modern cartoons worthy of the Disney name, "The Lion King" became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. And Disney forgot about setting new boundaries and stopped making any cartoon that didn't have wisecracking sidekicks in it.
If you're a fan of "The Lion King," seeing it on DVD will only heighten your enjoyment. Conversely, if this is not your favorite Disney cartoon, every little flaw--and Timon is a pretty teeny meercat--will suddenly become magnified.

The Lion King is the best animated movie ever made. It's definately NOT just a children's story; it's an emotional journey for all ages, from the youngest of cubs to the oldest of warthogs. From the moment you hear the enchanting "Nants ingonyama baghiti baba" you are no doubt transported into the lion's world. I myself am STILL left breathless after watching the movie (which I have seen about a million times). The animation itself is the most sophisticated, beautiful, and inspiring of all of Disney's films. All in all, whether you like to laugh with Timon and Pumbaa or cry with Simba and Mufasa under the stars, you'll definately never be the same person after watching this film.