Undeniably a Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (30 August 2010)

Probably what bugs me about The Lion King is the character design of the lions. Basically, everything I find visually engaging about lions is all but left out of the character design. Beauty & the Beast and Aladdin both had far stronger character designs, as indeed did many previous Disney films centring around animals. It would, however, be foolish of me to fish for any other faults that are simply non-existent.
The Lion King is a masterpiece. Good story? Check. A royal lion cub who's a bit on the spoiled side sees his world fall apart when his father dies in a wildebeest stampede. Tricked into thinking he was responsible, he flees and adopts a life of ease with the carefree duo Timon and Pumbaa.
This is some epic stuff. Though I decided not to include The Lion King in my favourites list of animated movies, my breath is still taken away when Simbaa sees those wildebeest run down into the canyon. That whole scene is one of the most heartbreaking scenes of cinema I have ever seen. There are real highs and lows here, a quality that most of the old Disney movies sorely lacked (and this coming from a big fan).
Another big plus is the music. The soundtrack goes the whole scale. When all is well in Simbaa's life, there is hopeful music echoing of the jungle and the savannah. Then things get darker and the music gets deeper and more epic than anyone who's not heard it can imagine. "Be Prepared" is excellent and rightfully scary as the following scene testifies. The stampede score is one of the most ground-shaking pieces of music I have ever heard. When that all gets too much, there's "Hakuna Matata", the ultimate anthem for carefree living, to soothe the soul. Personally, Elton John's original version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (in the end credits) is the stronger of the two presented; I can hardly fight back tears every time I hear it. "The Circle of Life" set the tone for how movies should start and not for no reason. The whole audio part of this movie is a complete bullseye.
The characters themselves, even if I really dislike most of the designs, are mostly very good. Scar is wickedly ambitious. Rafiki shows that wise characters can also be tremendously funny, and it's not for no reason that Timon and Pumbaa got their own show; they are wonderful. Equally great are the three hyenas. Then of course, there's Sazu (wonderfully voiced by Rowan Atkinson), the unfortunate bird who's the butt of the crown, no matter on which side of the family he's standing.
With a stunning climax, soaring music and a roaring (sic), engaging story, The Lion King is a movie that hits every mark it needs right. It hits home with the audience and makes them feel for this world. It may not hit the mark with my aesthetic senses, but to pretend that the movie was lesser because of that would be foolish of me. The Lion King is a masterpiece, on par with the Beauty & the Beast.