Disney's Greatest Ever

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2017)

You might think, why bother analyzing this when it's already one of the most popular films of all time? I have a tendency to equate "popular" with "shallow and worthless," but then I re-watched The Lion King recently.
I have often found kids' movies, especially Disney movies, artistically unsatisfying because of what aspects of existence they must omit since they have to be marketable to five-year-olds. Revisiting this movie defied that entire preconception. As of now, I would happily watch it again, which hasn't been true of me since childhood. This is not to say I find other Disney movies equally rewarding now--Belle of Beauty and the Beast, for example, sorely lacks human qualities. Lion King comes across as powerful to a degree I never expected from a kids' movie. The theme of everything having its right place really resonates with me as an adult.
The Lion King makes a good case for the dictum "less is more." It doesn't try to grab your attention with pop culture humor or zaniness, something many cartoon movies before and since do. (At least, mostly. How would Timon have any concept of dressing in drag if none of the animals wear clothes and there are no humans to be seen?) And the story isn't hijacked by an unenviable romance as many of the princess movies are. When it comes to animation, though, more is more. How did it take me twenty years to notice how exceptionally beautiful this movie looks compared to every other animated movie? By the way, am I the only one who thought the bugs from the Hakuna Matata scene look delicious?
The effort, honesty and maturity of this movie contrast with that of every other Disney movie in a big way. Now that I compare it to Moana, Moana's concern with subverting older tropes highlights a reluctance to simply tell a story. The Disney people ought to have stuck to what made Lion King specifically work. Oh, and Jeremy Irons is 90 percent of why I like it. Which reminds me: This is not ideal for its genre, per se. I think keeping in the Be Prepared reprise would have helped the movie; it's only 90 minutes, so it's not like that would make it too long. Still, I doubt Disney could ever top this.