Yawns over roars

Rating: 5/10 (18 August 2000)

The adulation this flick receives completely mystifies me. Dramatically, musically and artistically, it's one of Disney's least distinguished animated entries.
What it DOES have for it is Disney's slickest blend of radio-ready pop songs, celebrity voices, mumbo-jumbo eco-politics, anemic plot, pre-stuffed animals, and slapstick buffoonery. Commercial alchemy on this level is rare indeed, and try as it might the Mouse-House hasn't been able to top "The Lion King" yet.
(As for the animation itself, it's impressive but far too grounded in realism. Give me the lines and angles of "101 Dalmatians" any day.)
Spun so neatly, "The Lion King" is a cinematic confection- tasty as cotton candy and with just about as much texture.