The Lion King (1994)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Emotionally stirring, richly drawn, and beautifully animated, The Lion King stands tall within Disney's pantheon of classic family films.
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Cast
as Adult Simba
as Scar
as Mufasa
as Timon
as Adult Nala
as Pumbaa
as Shenzi
as Banzai
as Sarafina
as Rafiki
as Zazu
as Young Simba
as Ed
as Young Nala
as Sarabi
as Simba (Singing)
as Young Simba (Singing)
as Other Voices
as Other Voices
as Other Voices
as Other Voices
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Critic Reviews for The Lion King
All Critics (120) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (10) | DVD (32)
The Lion King, complete with jaunty songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, is undeniably and fully worthy of its glorious Disney heritage. It is a gorgeous triumph -- one lion in which the studio can take justified pride.
Between traumas, the movie serves up soothingly banal musical numbers (composed by Elton John and Tim Rice) and silly, rambunctious comedy.
It's perhaps the closest Disney has come to creating a consciously mythical entertainment in the style of Star Wars. Yet like that film it keeps its sense of humor and fun.
Even with its flaws, this latest Disney animated feature once again delivers what its audience wants. Too bad flesh and blood films can't be this consistent.
It bears repeating that The Lion King is quite entertaining as children's fare goes these days. But Disney has established a standard so high on animated features that anything less than a classic leaves you feeling that something's missing.
The rest of The Lion King alternates between grand-opera melodrama and low-comedy hi-jinks, superbly blending the two approaches.
Audience Reviews for The Lion King
"The Lion King" has been such an important part of so many childhoods since it came out, but what is so remarkable is that, whereas some childhood entertainment loses a lot of luster once the nostalgia-goggles come off, I find my appreciation for this film to grow the older I get. I personally don't believe Disney has yet created a more beautiful film, since it isn't just a detailed rendition of African wildlife, but its such a deliriously colorful and expressively animated film to boot. The story is honest in its portrayal of the corruption that exists in the world, but more importantly, in the hope that good moral judgement can overcome such corruption. The voice cast is pitch-perfect, the soundtrack remains the absolute greatest in animated film history, and the script (while perhaps not wholly original) deftly balances searing emotional truths with charmingly silly antics.
Super Reviewer
(3D review) When hearing they were remaking one of my favorite Disney animated films in 3-D for its 20th anniversary, you can bet I got hyped, and boy did this film not disappoint. I saw this on opening day, now prior to hearing about this I hadn't seen the film in about 3 years so I didn't want it to be ruined if I watched it the week/night/month before seeing the film, and that was a wise decision on my part, because the refreshing of my memory with this film worked and it was almost like a new experience to me. Also the 3-D in this film is incredible, I'm rarely blown away by 3-D but here, my god, the 3-D matched the animation so perfectly, that this film and 3-D were made for each other.
Super Reviewer
A well made film with beautiful animation and a great soundtrack. Many of the themes are for a mature audience which isn't necessarily surprising for a Disney feature. It offers a powerful story that can be enjoyed by kids and adults. "The Lion King" is a film that defined my childhood and is one I still enjoy.
Super Reviewer
The Lion King Quotes
| Scar: | I was on first until that little hair ball was borned. |
| Scar: | I was on first until that little hair ball was born. |
| Mufasa: | That hair ball is my son and your future king. |
| Shenzi: | Whoa! Whoa! Wait, Wait Wait! I know you, you're Mufasa's little stooge.. |
| Simba: | Rooooar Roooar Rooar! |
| Shenzi: | What!? Is that it? Do it again, come on. |
| Zazu: | Wrong! The only checking out you will do, is to check out of here. |
| Young Simba: | Aww, man! |
| Zazu: | We're way beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands. |
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