The Lion King

In our four-day potty training marathon, we opted for a second movie for our daughter. Given how much she likes animals, The Lion King made a lot of sense as our follow up to Frozen. I’ve seen this movie a bunch of times over my life, so there are no surprises here – The Lion King is a great movie.

Story-wise, The Lion King steals from the best. The plot is a straight rip off of Hamlet, rewritten in animal form. It’s a classic story, and Disney does a great job of adopting the story into a musical starring lions and hyenas.

Although there is only voice acting in the film, this cast is one of Disney’s best. James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, with Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech, Robert Guillame… it’s a great group, and they all do a good job with their roles. In addition to the meaty parts that come straight from Hamlet, The Lion King adds Disney’s best ensemble of surrounding characters. The hyenas are a great complement to Scar, and Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and Zazu all manage to entertain more than they annoy, which is sometimes a tough path to travel for a Disney sidekick.

Overall, I give it an 8. It’s a top tier kids movie, yet still great for adults.