Okay...but massively overrated

Rating: 1/10 (6 September 2016)

The Lion King is easily one of the most popular Disney movies out there and perhaps that's because it was very popular with kids at the time and those kids who have grown up now still consider it Disney's best. It is a visual treat which underlines themes of love and loss.
But people call this the "adult" story of Disney and honestly, I find it to be one of the more childish entries in the Canon. Yes, Mufasa's death is pretty hard for a kids film but after that, the movie just continues with a very childish tone. Take Timon and Puumba, for example, who are thrown into the plot to remedy the movie from being too heavy-handed.The scene where they're looking up at the stars and make fun of Simba is rather disconcerting - they literally just laughed at him for speaking of his late father's wisdom. Really? In general, the story is weak and really loses itself after Mufasa's death.
The characters also weren't as good as everyone says. Everyone claims Scar is the best Disney villain....but all he really did was kill his own brother, that's literally it. Why would he send his minions to kill Simba when he's knows how unreliable they are? And when he is in power, he's just lazy. How did Scar gain the title of best Disney villain? Timon and Puumba are also extraneous to the plot just to keep the kids demographic interested. But the worst is Simba and Nala. Not only are they both bland and boring but the romance between them is rather questionable considering they could be brother and sister (or at least cousins).
The music is fine but it doesn't quite live up to the works of Alan Menken and Howard Ashmen in previous Disney movies. The only two songs I loved were The Circle of Life and Be Prepared. Other than that, the soundtrack is somewhat weak. I just can't wait to be King is frivolous and random to the plot, Hakuna Matata has some very stupid lyrics and a whole verse dedicated to a warthog's flatulence, Can You feel the love tonight is a very syrupy song which just doesn't work with its very weak lyrics - "Why won't he be the king I know he is. The king I see inside".
The Lion King can't seem to keep up with its own maturity. The fart jokes, the bi-polar tone of being serious and silly, the questionable incest within the romance....it all just doesn't work for me. A highly overrated movie.