Another excellent effort from Disney in the '90s!

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2007)

By the time this movie came into theatres, Disney had had at least two big hits with animated features in the early 1990s, which were "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin". Without a doubt, they then scored themselves another hit with "The Lion King"! I was nearly eight years old when this film came into theatres, and I went to see it, which I think was the earliest theatrical movie experience I can recall, and it was a memorable experience, leading me to watch it more than once shortly after it came out on video! Rediscovering Disney recently, as with most of the others, I am still impressed with this one!
A lion named Simba is born in the Pride Lands in Africa. He is the son of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, so he is destined to become the next king of the land. However, his uncle, Scar, is jealous, and develops an evil plot to kill Mufasa and Simba, so he will become King! He manages to kill his brother, and convince his nephew that it's his fault, telling him to "run away and never return!" As Simba leaves, Scar sends the hyenas to kill him, but the young lion manages to get away. With Mufasa dead and Simba gone (with the others convinced he is dead), Scar is the new king, and the future of the Pride Lands is bleak! Meanwhile, Simba meets a meerkat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa, and grows up with them. Could he ever be persuaded to return and save the Pride Lands?!
The movie begins with a song called "Circle of Life", which makes for a great intro! Several other memorable songs (sung by the characters) follow, including "I Just Can't Wait to be King", "Hakuna Matata", and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (a song which you hear Elton John's version of during the closing credits). Like in many other Disney films, there is a lot of humour, with several characters to provide it. In this movie's case, there's Zazu (voiced by legendary comedian Rowan Atkinson), as well as Timon and Pumbaa. Scar and the hyenas may not be quite as funny, but they provide some laughs as well. Some of the characters might be annoying at times (such as young Simba), but this isn't usually a problem. As usual, we also have excellent animation, and the story is well-written and often touching (this is not an adaptation of a story that came before it, unlike most animated Disney flicks). Clearly, Disney did it again with "The Lion King" in the '90s!