The Lion King - Rotten Tomatoes 

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Gorgeous, witty and wise. The year's best animated film

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Emotionally stirring, richly drawn, and beautifully animated, The Lion King stands tall within Disney's pantheon of classic family films.

One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub\'s journey to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. Simba (voiced first by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then by Matthew Broderick) begins life as an honored prince, the son of the powerful King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones). The cub\'s happy childhood turns tragic when his evil uncle, Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons), murders Mufasa and drives Simba away from the kingdom. In exile, the young lion befriends the comically bumbling pair of Pumbaa the warthog (voiced by Ernie Sabella) and Timon the meerkat (voiced by Nathan Lane), he and lives a carefree jungle life. As he approaches adulthood, however, he is visited by the spirit of his father, who instructs him to defeat the nefarious Scar and reclaim his rightful throne. Borrowing elements from Hamlet, classical mythology, and African folk tales, The Lion King tells its mythic coming-of-age tale with a combination of spectacular visuals and lively music, featuring light, rhythmic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score by Hans Zimmer. Embraced by children and adults alike, the film also spawned hit songs ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "The Circle of Life") and a hit Broadway musical. In late 2002, The Lion King was re-released in the large-screen IMAX format. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Drama, Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts

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All Critics (110) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (99) | Rotten (11) | DVD (56)

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.

Even the inescapable hype cannot diminish the fact that this is one great film.

This crowd-pleasing cartoon musical from Walt Disney had enormous box-office appeal, and proved so popular that it was adapted as a spectacular stage show.

Simba is a superbly realized character, especially in the first half of the movie when he's still a little cub.

Wondrously imaginative, The Lion King is superior family entertainment, charming in every way.

Although it's state of the art, one might say that in terms of its values, it's the best animated film of the 19th century.

What gives this latest Disney cartoon a real excitement is its story, a swift, sometimes brutal tale of dynastic trouble in the animal kingdom.

It's the stuff of classics, and every shred of this movie matches the intent and soulful message of personal growth and evolution, which is why it remains the emotional triumph it is.

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

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.

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.

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.

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]

"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.

(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.

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.

Disney's brings a sensational and prideful story to fruition. Lion King is masterfully executed with its brilliance in CGI, story and dialogue. It's a fantastic film for all ages and continues to roam on as one of Disney's greatest. 5/5

Scar: I was on first until that little hair ball was borned.

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..

Zazu: Wrong! The only checking out you will do, is to check out of here.

Zazu: We're way beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands.

Zazu: That's Mr. Banana Beak to you fuzzy. And I sense right now we are all in very real danger.

Young Simba: Danger, ha! I look on the wild side. I laugh at the face of danger, hahahaha.

Banzai: Man, that lousy Mufasa! I won't be able to sit for a week!

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