Last week, “The Emoji Movie” came out, and for an animated movie, it suffered one of the worst ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (8%). I skipped it, because I deserve to see better, more inventive animated movies. “The Lion King” has been re-released in theaters, and unlike “The Emoji Movie,” it should be a kid’s first movie.

Directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Alllers, this Disney animated classic not only won two Oscars for Best Original Score and for Elton John’s song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” but it also inspired the crowd pleasing Broadway show. I know a lot of fans of it, including myself, and I’m happy to share my opinions of this film to you loyal readers.

The film begins with the famous “Circle of Life” introduction, in which the royal lions Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones), and Sarabi (voiced by Madge Sinclair) have been blessed with their cub Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas). Mufasa’s evil little brother Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons) must enlist the help of hyenas (voiced by Whoppi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings) in order to murder Mufasa.

After Mufasa’s tragic death, Scar convinces Simba that he was responsible for his death, and therefore is forced to run away. Simba (in adult voiced by Matthew Broderick) ends up living with the irresistible “Hakuna Matata” duo Timon (voiced by Nathan Lane) and Pumba (voiced by Ernie Sabella), but he eventually learns what his true destiny is.

“The Lion King” is an achievement that is dazzling, humorous, heroic, and fun. The film’s hand drawn animation is superb on countless levels, and its songs (written by Elton John and Tim Rice) are both amazing and beautiful. I also admire the film for its profound voice actors, who all manage to bring their characters to life. When I saw the 3D re-release, it has some great 3D images, but if it wasn’t re-released that way, it wouldn’t have made any difference. Only a couple of elements didn’t work for me, but nonetheless, I enjoyed this film a lot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Sing-a-long version playing in select theaters.

Categories: Adventure, Animation, comedy, Drama, Family, Musical