One of the finest, by any standard you care to set

Rating: Null/10 (31 October 2015)

By the year 1994, The Walt Disney Animation Studio had been split in two. The A-team was working on Pocahontas, which was supposed to be their ultimate magnum opus, their new Sleeping Beauty, which would set the standard for animated movie greatness. Whereas the B-team was working on The Lion King, to give the audiences something to tide them over until Pocahontas would sweep them off their feet.
It's funny how these things work out sometimes. How blind people can be to their own work.
Because The Lion King was huge when it came out. It was a cultural phenomenon equally as groundbreaking as Jurassic Park a year earlier, and Disney would have to wait almost two decades until Frozen came along to achieve the same kind of wall to wall cultural hype that followed this movie from day one. And you know what? It earned that hype and recognition. It is a masterpiece, one of those perfect films that populate people's top lists. And it doesn't earn that through harsh themes, dark characters and cold, realistic truths about the human condition. It has those, being one of the most mature Disney films ever made, but at its core it's a movie about triumph, about accepting responsibility, about the fact that it's okay to be afraid, shocked and ashamed, but that at some point you have to well, let it go.
It's also one of the most colourful Disney films, with an amazing cast of identifiable, likable and instantly recognizable characters. All of its songs are born classics, the sound design in general is phenomenal, as is the voice acting. The story flows seamlessly and goes to some pretty dark places for an animated family film, but it never feels like it's unfair or doing it for the wrong reasons. It has dark scenes and themes because at some point kids need learn about them, and this is the perfect film to teach them.
The Lion King is my favourite Disney film. Has always been. It taught me that what I did or, even more importantly, didn't do affected not just me but all those around me. It taught me that those around me affect me as well and I should be respectful of the fact, of those connections. It taught me about bravery, friendship and family. It taught me that sometime truths can be used to manipulate people and that sometimes a lie is the sweetest truth there is. It is an important part of who I am today, and because of that it has my respect and love.