Comments on: Disney Canon Countdown 32: ‘The Lion King’

By: SimbasGuard

SimbasGuard — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 06:22:00 +0000

The Lion King will always be my favorite movie, ever since it hit theaters 22 years ago. I just don’t have the right words to explain how and why it got into my hear. and will remain there forever. Some how it hit just the right emotional cord within me.

By: Bob Smith

Bob Smith — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 05:09:00 +0000

“How is it, that twelve years after the initial release of the film in 1994, it is still held in such a high regard?”

I think you mean 22 years.

By: Brooks Austin

Brooks Austin — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 20:51:00 +0000

The Lion King is definitely one of my top favorite Disney movies but I never really considered it my all time favorite. For me, The Little Mermaid was my number one favorite of the Disney classics and i just never connected to the characters of The Lion King like I did with The Little Mermaid. I actually think Scar is my favorite of The Lion King characters in spite of being the bad guy. Even though he’s your traditional Disney villain, I just find him a lot more interesting than any of the protagonists. It’s like he’s the Disney villain you spend the most time with out of all the classic Disney villains and you really get a good sense of his motivations and his schemes but they never try to make him sympathetic or romanticize his role any like you get nowadays where they try to tell a movie from a villain’s perspective.

The animation and music are top notch of course and I like Simba’s character. I just don’t have any emotional connection with him and I feel like we should have gotten more time with the other characters like Nala. Like Nala participates in a lot of Simba’s adventures and scenes but it always feels like she’s just there and not really contributing anything other than to be Simba’s girlfriend. Timon and Pumba are lovable characters but I have mixed feelings about them. I feel like TImon and Pumba were the characters that started the whole trope of the comic relief sidekick characters that exist just to make fun of them but don’t really serve an overall purpose in the story. Like you had sidekick characters before but it always felt like they contributed something to the plot like Jiminy Cricket in Pinnochio or Timothy in Dumbo. I feel like you could take Timon and Pumba out of the movie and it wouldn’t change the story that much. I certainly don’t feel like they deserved a whole TV show spin off or direct to video sequel.

Speaking as an anime fan, I became aware of the accusations that The Lion King plagiarized Kimba the White Lion. I never saw Kimba as a kid as that was a series that was before my time. I tried watching it a few times as an adult and maybe it’s the bad dubbing but I just couldn’t make it more than one episode of Kimba without feeling like this is definitely not something for my age group. Even though I have my own issues with The Lion King, I think it’s still much more of a timeless film that can be enjoyed by all ages than Kimba was which seems to rely heavily on nostalgia. It’s also interesting how it seems like Disney gives every one of their movies a PG rating nowadays when The Lion King got away with a G rating even though their new movies aren’t that much more violent and dark than The Lion King. I love Frozen as much as the next Disney fan, but was there anything in it that warranted a PG rating more than The Lion King?

By: Jackson Staninger

Jackson Staninger — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 18:12:00 +0000

I’ve never understood why people call this a coming of age story
He just found out he was lied to and at the end of the movie he was under the impression he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.
It’s really not that different from Cinderella or Aladdin in that it’s gratuitous wish fulfillment of going back to your high school reunion one-upping the popular jock bully. Only this time there are a bunch of lessons about overcoming your responsibility, only to be immediately disposed of.
That’s like in Beauty and the Beast, after the Beast’s transformation, Belle proclaims “wow you’re hot! I like you even more now!”

By: Dan Siciliano

Dan Siciliano — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 17:41:00 +0000

In reply to VoiceTalentBrendan. I've always remembered it from the "Return of Jafar" VHS I kept as a kid.

By: Dan Siciliano

Dan Siciliano — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 17:40:00 +0000

“The immature duo of Timon and Pumbaa, were a nice fun foil to the serious Zazu and Mufasa who were the main caregivers at the beginning of Simba’s tale.”

CORRECTION: Zazu wasn’t actually a “serious” character. He was voiced by Rowan Atkinson, a British comedian who you may know him as “Mr. Bean”. So, Zazu provides the comedy relief in the first half of the movie, along with the hyenas, while Timon and Pumbaa take over the comedy relief in the second half, if all things necessary.

You know what I mean?

By: Rachel Wagner

Rachel Wagner — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 07:44:00 +0000

Reading your article makes me want to watch the movie again. I have a few nitpicks with how they handle Can You Feel Love Tonight but it’s a tremendous film. I always get choked up when Simba yells out to his father.

By: Jesse Jacobson

Jesse Jacobson — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 18:44:00 +0000

Loved the article! One of my favorites 🙂 although lion king came out 22 years ago not 12 🙂

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 18:29:00 +0000

In reply to Míriam. The same experience for me as a kid :D It was so goofy and funny.

By: Míriam

Míriam — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 18:29:00 +0000

Great article, Alissa! I love your analysis of Simba, how he has all this flaws and is still a very loveable character. That’s some great character design/development right there! As you pointed out so well, we love him not because he’s perfect and worth of a pedestal, but because he’s so real and relatable. We see him grow and we grow together with him.