#10: Movie Time!

When you think Disney these days, you might think “Hannah Montana” or “That’s So Raven” or other preteen live action shows. What everyone seems to forget, though, is the fact that before tweens singing and alter-ego singers with near perfect lives… there were Disney animated movies. The one that changed movie history was on of my all time favorites, The Lion King.

The 1996 feature film is the tale about a young lion named Simba who is to inherit the title of king from his father, Mufasa. His uncle, Scar, also wants the throne, though, and he plots and kills Mufasa to get it. After this loss, Simba runs away to the outskirts of the Pride Lands, where he meets his two best friends and lifelong buds. His love from the past, a young lioness named Nala, wants him to come back and reclaim his rightful place at the throne. Simba’s not sure if he wants to, but after discovering the horrors of what his uncle has done as king, he’s determined to take back what is rightfully his.

Now, The Lion King has some amazing and heartfelt moments all throughout the film that makes you perhaps want some tissues alongside you for the trip. Not to mention the songs are catchy and original. I end up singing, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” at the ending credits and hitting the “play” button to watch the film again. It’s like one of those addicting drugs you can’t get enough of, the movie is THAT good.

Despite its perfections, though, Lion King does have its flaws. As much as I adore James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa, I really can only see him doing Darth Vader from Star Wars. Not to mention it was made in 1996, so the graphics might not be as clear as some people want them to be. As minuet as this is, I think it really has an impact upon those people who watch the movies these days. They want everything crystal clear, so maybe if they tuned the graphic and drawing a bit more for the Blu-Ray, I think a lot of people would end up buying it.

It's no "Finding Nemo" either. "Lion King" doesn't have any of the fancy 3D graphics many of us are accustomed to. It's completely drawn- from the scenes with Scar plotting Mufasa's assassination to Timon's reveal of his and Pumbaa's natural habitat in their scene with Simba. However, it's just as clear as a Nemo-esque film.

Overall, I'd give it four-and-a-half pieces of meat out of five. Nothing can be perfect in the eyes of a critic, but "Lion King" comes pretty dang close to perfection. And it takes an awful lot for me to think something is near perfect.