Rotoscopers
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Animation Addicts Podcast
    • Every Episode Ever
  • Reviews
    • Animated Movies
    • Art Books
    • Blu-ray/DVD
    • Live Action
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Studios
    • Aardman
    • Blue Sky Studios
    • Disney
    • Don Bluth
    • DreamWorks
    • Fox Animation Studios
    • Illumination Entertainment
    • LAIKA
    • Lucasfilm Animation
    • Paramount Animation
    • Pixar
    • Sony Pictures Animation
    • Reel FX
    • Studio Ghibli
    • Warner Animation
  • Animation Calendar
No Result
View All Result
Rotoscopers
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Animation Addicts Podcast
    • Every Episode Ever
  • Reviews
    • Animated Movies
    • Art Books
    • Blu-ray/DVD
    • Live Action
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Studios
    • Aardman
    • Blue Sky Studios
    • Disney
    • Don Bluth
    • DreamWorks
    • Fox Animation Studios
    • Illumination Entertainment
    • LAIKA
    • Lucasfilm Animation
    • Paramount Animation
    • Pixar
    • Sony Pictures Animation
    • Reel FX
    • Studio Ghibli
    • Warner Animation
  • Animation Calendar
No Result
View All Result
Rotoscopers
No Result
View All Result
Home Studios Disney

Why ‘The Lion King’ Has the Best Music in Any Disney Movie. Ever.

Alissa Roy by Alissa Roy
February 11, 2014
in Disney, Opinions
3 min read
0
the-lion-king-opening-sequence
7.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Welcome to pump-up week! This week is Animation Addicts Podcast episode will be on The Lion King! All week long, the Rotoscopers’ team will be celebrating this iconic Disney film through opinion articles about the film to get everyone prepared for the new episode.

I know, I know. Everyone loves Frozen’s music. The soundtrack has been praised to no end, and Let it Go has become every Disney fan’s personal anthem.

Except for me.

I know that I’ll get a lot of hate for this, but I found the music very…underwhelming. Now don’t get me wrong, the music wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. I just found it generic. I was so excited when the movie began to play; “Frozen Heart” was such a unique and beautiful song. And then everything else just kind of blurred together.

elsa-angry
Whoa, you don’t like my song? Jerk!

The Lion King has been claimed by critics to be the best Disney movie for over a decade. I love this movie greatly, and could recite the entire film back to you from an early age.

I especially loved the music.

From the opening scene of The Lion King, you know that you are getting a unique movie. The music is not what you would expect in any other Disney movie. We do not open with a princess singing her woes; we do not hear a narrative with tinkling, quiet music in the background. Instead, we open up with something that is large and loud and amazing. We open with a bang that suggest that this is no ordinary movie that you will be dealing with. The will be a movie beyond expectations.

the-lion-king-opening-sequence

To preface my further thoughts on the music, I would just like to inform the reader that I am a percussionist. I like loud music. I like interesting music, filled with complex rhythms, music that stands out from the rest and makes you feel alive. Pretty songs are good and all, but they often lack that extra excitement that I so enjoy as a percussionist.

This is exciting music. This is the kind of music that lifts my soul and gets me wholeheartedly interested in the story from the get-go. It begins the movie with a kick that no one can forget, helped by the fact that it is sung in Zulu, and that there are some pretty awesome percussion instrumentals going on in the background.

And then we do get that more stereotypical song, upbeat, more show-tuney. However, the African theme is still carried throughout “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”, keeping the soundtrack’s individuality strong and rearing to go. Besides that, the colors are just so bright, and Simba is just so cute, who could dare not to taps their toes to this song?

I won’t deny it. “Be Prepared” is my all-time favorite villain song (and let’s face it, all villain songs are awesome even though they are so diabolical, so this is a tough category to win in.) Scar is sleek. He is brutal. He is smart. He was actually king for several years, and was so close to actually winning. This is a fun song. It is a creepy song. Yet again, we have a fresh number that is distinguishable from the others in the soundtrack.

And then comes the song with perhaps the most memorable lyrics. Cute and clever, the Swahili phrase ‘Hakuna Matata’ has incorporated itself into everyday life, because of the upbeat nature of the song, along with the meaning that it holds for many of us. For years, we have all tried to maintain a ‘no worries’ attitude in our darkest moments, and I know that I for one always turn to this song when I am in need of a laugh.

Finally, we have “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. Personally, this is probably my least favorite song on the soundtrack, but I still prefer it to other Disney-romance songs. Sung by a third person looking into the scene (with Timon and Pumbaa providing a little bit of comic relief) you understand that these two have truly missed each other growing up, and this is no two-minute Disney love story (I’m looking at you Anna!) This is something rooted in childhood, a love that has developed overtime.

So you can keep your “Let it Go”. You can keep your “Beauty and the Beast”, your “Kiss the Girl”, and your “When You Wish Upon a Star”. Because no Disney song quite gets to me like the powerfully emotional creativity of “The Circle of Life”.

What do you think of the music in ‘The Lion King’? How does it compare to other Disney music for you?

Tags: the lion king
Previous Post

[REVIEW] ‘The Lego Movie’ is Rambunctious, Hilarious & Satisfying for All Ages

Next Post

‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ Joins the Criterion Collection

Alissa Roy

Alissa Roy

Alissa is a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, studying Media Arts & Technology. Her hometown is in the Middle-of-Nowhere, NY, where winter is approximately 6 months of the year. She is extremely nerdy, and loves all things animated, literary, or Harry Potter related. Her older sister spawned her love of animation by dragging her downstairs at 2 a.m. every morning and making her watch various films until their parents took them back to bed. Some of her all-time favorite films include Mulan, The LEGO Movie, Up, Tangled, and The Lion King. She also collects old Peanuts comic strips, and spends her free time reading, writing for the Rotoscopers, and working a variety of jobs. You can follow Alissa on Instagram and Twitter: @ThisAlissa. See her work here.

Related Posts

Animation Addicts Podcast #241: The Aristocats – Crème de la Crème à la Edgar
Animation Addicts Podcast

Animation Addicts Podcast #241: The Aristocats – Crème de la Crème à la Edgar

March 3, 2022
Animation Addicts Podcast #240: Review of ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’
Animation Addicts Podcast

Animation Addicts Podcast #240: Review of ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’

February 23, 2022
‘Disney Princess – The Concert’ Review: One More Reason to Have Your Tiara Ready
Disney

‘Disney Princess – The Concert’ Review: One More Reason to Have Your Tiara Ready

February 17, 2022
[OPINION] 10 Heartwarming Animated Adverts to Watch This Holiday Season
Coronavirus

[OPINION] 10 Heartwarming Animated Adverts to Watch This Holiday Season

December 17, 2021
Load More
Next Post
fantastic-mr-fox-criterion

'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Joins the Criterion Collection

Discussion about this post

Popular Posts

  • ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’ Review: One More Reason to Have Your Tiara Ready 197 views
  • Don Bluth to Release Autobiography in Summer 2022 77 views
  • Animation Addicts Podcast #240: Review of ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’ 72 views
  • Animation Addicts Podcast #239: Rotoscopers 10-year Spectacular 67 views
  • Animation Addicts Podcast #238: ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 52 views
  • 11k Fans
  • 12.1k Followers
  • 5.7k Followers
  • 5.3k Followers

Recently Added

Animation Addicts Podcast #241: The Aristocats – Crème de la Crème à la Edgar

Animation Addicts Podcast #241: The Aristocats – Crème de la Crème à la Edgar

March 3, 2022
Animation Addicts Podcast #240: Review of ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’

Animation Addicts Podcast #240: Review of ‘Disney Princess – The Concert’

February 23, 2022
‘Disney Princess – The Concert’ Review: One More Reason to Have Your Tiara Ready

‘Disney Princess – The Concert’ Review: One More Reason to Have Your Tiara Ready

February 17, 2022
Animation Addicts Podcast #239: Rotoscopers 10-year Spectacular

Animation Addicts Podcast #239: Rotoscopers 10-year Spectacular

February 15, 2022
Animation Addicts Podcast #238: ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Animation Addicts Podcast #238: ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

February 9, 2022
Rotoscopers

© 2019 Rotoscopers

Important Links

  • About
  • Support
  • Contact
  • Store
  • Privacy Policy
  • User Posts

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Podcasts
    • Animation Addicts Podcast
    • Every Episode Ever
  • Reviews
    • Animated Movies
    • Art Books
    • Blu-ray/DVD
    • Live Action
  • Interviews
  • Opinions
  • Studios
    • Aardman
    • Blue Sky Studios
    • Disney
    • Don Bluth
    • DreamWorks
    • Fox Animation Studios
    • Illumination Entertainment
    • LAIKA
    • Lucasfilm Animation
    • Paramount Animation
    • Pixar
    • Sony Pictures Animation
    • Reel FX
    • Studio Ghibli
    • Warner Animation
  • Animation Calendar

© 2019 Rotoscopers

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Posting....