A viscerally moving and inspiring tale that will echo through the ages

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 2020)

From the life lessons to the ethereal animation, this movie does almost nothing wrong. The moving and emotionally-charged music, the whimsical yet striking imagery, the impeccable jokes and comedic timing, the romance, the tragic moments, the joyful childhood, the setting, the darker aspects, the expressions and line deliveries of every single character. It seems almost unimaginable that in 10 years that the 90s lasted, Walt Disney Animation brought not only the best animated movies of their repertoire but also the best ever made in the industry.
It's no wonder why, to many, it's the quintessential Disney movie, the one to praise the most. However, it's unfortunately tainted by a truth that prevents it from being a 10 out of 10 starred movie: Kimba, the White Lion. Yes, the emotional weight of the story is different, yes the traits of the characters are different, yes the music and tone are different... But unfortunately one of the aspects that mold or serve as basis in an animated picture (and any movie for that matter, but animated films more than most given it's inexistent and it's literally brought to live stories) is the visual cues, character designs and overall aesthetic of the setting of the story.
Granted, the setting and the themes are toned up and further improved in the Disney adaptation but it's that small splinter of imagery copied from another animated feature found in character designs and some of the shots that haunts me to this day. I wished I had never known of it, I wish I lived in ignorance and oblivious to that fact, but my eyes have been opened. And so far the only small bothering aspect of Disney movies I've ever had since I was a kid was that finding out later on that all were adaptations of books, novels or fairy tales; brought me inspirationally down. Now they have taken a more original route and I'm glad they have. Moreover, I'm not saying adaptations are wrong, quite the contrary, the interpretations done by Disney were so original, outstandingly well-crafted, captured, sang and written that they inspired me to read the original materials. I commend Disney for succeeding on bring light to those stories of old, dusty and generally considered outdated. They might be overused, but every once in a while we need stories of knights, princesses, castles and dragons.
And the Lion King might be telling a well-known story, but it isn't formulaic in the slightest. It tells it with a fresh take and a different setting that brings those themes to life in striking animation and visceral storytelling. From the quite, meditating almost mystical moments with the wise Rafiki, to the joyful careless life-style of Timon and Pumba, Simba is a lion haunted by his past and we feel for him as we have at some point in our lives felt the same way. Disney movie speak to us through its characters, these animals feel like people not because they are animated like such but because what they feel and say are also human emotions. There was no need to tell this story through animals, but by doing so the themes reach the younger audience and adults are witnessing it through a refreshing new setting that has room to add interesting twists on the plot, funny comedy and engaging new characterisations.
IN CONCLUSION, there are tons of reviews out there that both nitpick and go through every single good aspect of it, I just wanted to tell my reasons to not give it a 10/10 but also clarify that I love 90s Disney movies, and the Lion King will be one of my favorites forever. I'll show my kids and hopefully they'll show theirs. I trully believe traditional animation won't ever be outdated as long as movies like these were made. Thank you, Disney.