Not a personal favorite, but no one can deny its brilliance.

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2017)

For a long time I have been deeply thinking about what I really think of The Lion King. After watching all the animated Disney movies I can see its brilliance, even though it isn't a personal favorite of mine and there are other animated Disney movies I think deserve more attention.
Let me make it clear. TLK is among the most beautifully animated Disney movies. The stampede scene is just huge and intimidating, the intro scene is by far the most iconic scene from any Disney movie along with one of the most iconic and grandest songs ever to be in a movie. The backgrounds are amazing, the whole animation aspect of it is amazing. On that spot it is an undoubted masterpiece.
And I must admit that the culmination of the stampede scene with Simba, Mufasa and Scar will for ever be the most emotionally charged scene in a Disney movie if not in a movie in general.
The voice acting is good. James Earl Jones is never a disappointment with his booming voice. Jeremy Irons does make a great, slimy, backstabbing, power hungry villain, but falls a little flat when he comes to power compared to both earlier power hungry villains like Maleficent and Jafar and my personal favorite Frollo. But that's a nit-pick, because story-wise it's essential, because we see how young Simba dreams of being a king who can do whatever he wants and that is what Scar turns into when he comes to power.
"The Circle of Life" which as mentioned before is perhaps the grandest Disney song ever and one of the most iconic openings of any movie. Not just in Disney, but in general. The rest of the music is catchy and memorable and serves the story well. I am not as fond of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" as I am of earlier love songs like "Beauty and the Beast" and "A Whole New World" simply because the love aspect is kind of disturbing since lions live in prides which consist of family, so therefore making Simba and Nala relatives. "Be Prepared" has a great visual appeal and serves the scene well, but when I listen to it on its own it comes off as just another "I-want-power-because-I'm-evil" song. The african inspiration in the music is amazing, nothing more to say.
I must admit that I'm not a big fan of Timon and Pumbaa, but I don't hate them, not at all. They raised Simba, but the fact that they had a tv-show and a direct-to-video film, the latter which I think is garbage, just made me think badly of them.
It is my personal opinion. I feel at times TLK is a little overrated, but it is undoubtedly a great movie.