The Lion King (1994)

All Critics (97) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (101) | Rotten (10) | DVD (56)

Everyone, young and old, will find something to appreciate in this Shakespearean tale of a young lion discovering his rightful place in the world.

September 17, 2011 Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

Top Critic

The story line is a Joseph Campbell hero-quest so stripped down to its basics as to become dull.

September 15, 2011 Full Review | Comments (111)

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Top Critic

A computer-animated scene featuring a stampede of wildebeest is positively breathtaking.

March 4, 2008 Full Review | Comments (2)

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

The Lion King, more than any of the recent wave of Disney animated features, has the resonance to stand not just as a terrific cartoon but as an emotionally pungent movie.

March 4, 2008 Full Review | Comments (4)

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Top Critic

The result is a step toward multiculturalism and ecological correctness, though not without a certain amount of confusion.

March 4, 2008 Full Review | Comment (1)

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

A winner.

February 9, 2006 Full Review

Time Out

Top Critic

The exclamation point on a great run of classic Disney animation...

January 7, 2013 Full Review

Roger Moore

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

This is my first experience with The Lion King it is a surprisingly dark, deep and more complex movie than I thought it would be. There's a reason why everyone loves it. One of the best animated films of all time and amazing 3D.

April 22, 2012 Full Review

Michelle Alexandria

Eclipse Magazine

A classic story told through immersive visuals, great voice work and some of the most memorable songs in movie history. The Lion King defines animated classic.

January 29, 2012 Full Review

R. L. Shaffer

IGN DVD

Yes, it's a Disney film. But if you're a grown-up, don't let that stop you from sinking your teeth into 'The Lion King.' There's more depth, humor and dignity to this show than you'll see at almost any other movie so far this year.

December 22, 2011 Full Review

Linda Cook

KWQC-TV (Iowa)

It's not hard to understand why The Lion King's good-vs.-evil adventure and high-spirited comic passages haven't lost their appeal. [Blu-ray]

October 24, 2011 Full Review

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

It's an attractive film but altogether less interesting and more conventional than the Pixar productions that now dominate Disney's animated output.

October 9, 2011 Full Review

Philip French

Observer [UK]

"Hakuna Matata" would mean never having to be subjected to The Lion King ever again, much less having Simba's growing pains coming at your face in 3D.

October 8, 2011 Full Review

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

It does exactly what it says on the tin.

October 7, 2011 Full Review

Derek Malcolm

This is London

Feel the love tonight. And see the colours, too.

October 7, 2011 Full Review

Graham Young

Birmingham Mail

Huge fun for the kids; some acceptable laughs for the adults.

October 7, 2011 Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent

The 3D technology adds some eye-popping moments but the best thing about this reissue is the chance for a new generation to see a modern classic on a cinema screen.

October 6, 2011 Full Review

Allan Hunter

Daily Express

Classic cartoon musical.

October 6, 2011 Full Review

Christopher Tookey

Daily Mail [UK]

There are no gimmicks and the big emotional moments are almost entirely untouched.

October 6, 2011 Full Review

Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph

However crass Disney's motivation may have been in rereleasing the film... it's cheering to see that... people still want to see great movies on a big screen with big sound...

October 5, 2011 Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

Well worth another look, though it's a pity they're saving the newly made bloopers for the upcoming Blu-ray.

October 4, 2011 Full Review

Neil Smith

Total Film

It didn't really need the 3D, but it's still a stunning, glorious family film, with the third dimension or otherwise.

October 2, 2011 Full Review

Helen OHara

Empire Magazine

While the core ideology behind The Lion King is extremely problematic and stands out even more today than it did in 1994, there is still much to admire about the film.

September 28, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)

Thomas Caldwell

Cinema Autopsy

It's a wonderful treat to revisit and the 3-D is beautifully utilised, but it's perhaps not the classic that Disney purports it to be.

September 21, 2011 Full Review | Comment (1)

Annette Basile

FILMINK (Australia)

• 1. Banzai: Man, that lousy Mufasa! I won't be able to sit for a week!
  2. Ed: [laughs]
  3. Banzai: It's not funny, Ed.
  4. Ed: [laughs louder and hysterically]
  5. Banzai: Hey, shut up!
  6. Ed: [continues laughing]
  – Submitted by Emelyn W (3 months ago)
• 1. Timon: What's going on here?
  – Submitted by Maarten H (4 months ago)
• 1. Mufasa: And so we are all connected in the great circle of life.
  – Submitted by Maarten H (4 months ago)
• 1. Scar: I'm surrounded by idiots...
  – Submitted by Maarten H (4 months ago)
• 1. Timon: Woah! Jeez, why do I always have to save your a-aaaaahhhhh!
  – Submitted by Taylor T (4 months ago)
• 1. Simba: Look, sometimes bad things happen--
  2. Nala: Simba!
  3. Simba: And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?
  4. Nala: Because it's your responsibility!
  – Submitted by Jenna L (6 months ago)