Disney's Pinnacle

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2013)

I've seen a lot of Disney lately. My daughter has made sure of that. I've seen 101 Dalmations, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Ratatouille, Up, The Princess and the Frog, Meet the Robinsons, all the Toy Stories, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and probably more, several times over.
They are all good films, with some being better than others. Some you simply associate with classic Disney, others not so much.
The Lion King however, is a class of its own.
When I first saw the trailer as a kid I was captivated. When I saw the film for the first time it was an incredible, beautiful journey, and even now the film still holds incredible power. It is, to me, Disney at the height of their powers, the very peak of their work.
The story is effectively Hamlet but it's executed so well, with such passion and love and beauty. The characters are timeless (especially Timon and Pumba!). It's hard to believe most of the animators of the time were rushing to work on Pochahontas- how many of them now wish they'd stuck to The Lion King?