This is a movie about a young lion struggling to find his place in the circle of life.

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2014)

When I was a little kid, every time I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was not a teacher, an astronaut, an athlete, or a doctor, like most children. My answer was a lion. The Lion King was my favorite movie as a child and held a great impact on me. I watched it all the time and soon knew every word to the catchy songs. I think the movie is phenomenal and turned out to be a very entertaining movie. It is still one of my favorite movies today. This Disney animated movie is unique because unlike many other Disney favorites that were made around the same time, The Lion King is one of the few that was not based on a previous story (Wilmes, "The Lion King"), and in my opinion is the best Disney movie of all time. This movie provides the audience with many upbeat songs and essential life lessons. First, the film shows that everyone should own up to his or her responsibilities as adults, or there may be consequences. This is seen when Simba, who should go back to the Pride Lands, his former home, and take his place as king, refuses to go back. Meanwhile back at the Pride Lands, Scar, the present king and Simba's uncle, has destroyed the kingdom and made life miserable for Simba's family and all the other lions. Another good lesson that is learned is shown when Rafiki, a wise monkey, hits Simba on the head with his walking stick. Simba, disgruntled, asks what he did to deserve that and Rafiki answers him by saying that whatever the reason, it does not matter anymore. Simba, confused, agrees but explains that it still hurts. Rafiki provides his advice by saying "Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it" ("The Lion King Quotes"). This quote from Rafiki was one of the main reasons that Simba eventually went back to the Pride Lands, even when he vowed to never return because he did not want to face his past. Simba thought Scar told everyone in the Pride Lands that Simba had killed his father and Scar's brother, Mufasa, the former king, when in actuality Scar was the one that killed him. A popular saying that has been gained from The Lion King is "Hakuna Matata". This is a phrase that Simba learns from his new best friends he meets after he runs away from home, Timon and Pumbaa. Hakuna Matata becomes the three's motto, which they comprehend as meaning "no worries". This phrase is known widely in the world, meaning that people should not worry about the small things in life and worry as less as possible. The Lion King not only tells a good message, but also is very entertaining as confirmed by an online critic "this stylish, ambitious and magical film provides a delightfully entertaining experience for moviegoers of all ages" (Wilmes, "The Lion King"). The words in this quote 'stylish', 'ambitious', 'magical' and 'delightful' all perfectly describe The Lion King as a whole. The movie is very optimistic, leaving the audience with a good feeling at the ending. It is also not only for children. The songs may be childish, however they are still very catchy and many adults and teenagers still sing along to them while watching the movie. The Lion King is an ideal movie to watch for a family movie night or a night alone. There have been questions concerning whether this film is appropriate or not for children. For example, "Scar arranges Mufasa's disturbing on-screen death in a manner that both banishes Simba to the wilderness and raises questions about whether this film really warranted a G rating" (Maslin, "The Lion King (1994)"), was stated in a review posted in The New York Times. However, the concept of the circle of life is mentioned many times throughout the film. Mufasa explains to Simba that even though they eat other animals, when they die, their bodies become the grass, and the other animals eat the grass. This concept lightens death in a way that is acceptable for children to hear and understand. I can also say that when I was a kid I was never too frightened by Mufasa's death or other scenes in the movie to watch it and have never heard of a child being scared of The Lion King. Also, if a child that is too young to comprehend death watches the movie, they would most likely only pay attention to the songs anyways and not completely understand the plot.