Retro-Reviews: The Lion King (SPOILERS)

We are all connected in the great Circle of Life...

To kickstart Retro-Reviews, I have decided to revisit my all time favorite Disney movie and quite possibly my all time favorite movie period. That is The Lion King, and it is quite hard to imagine anyone who hasn't heard of this classic. Well, to get down to it, let's go over the pros and cons of The Lion King: 

UPS

1. The music and animation. Both make for such a beautifully depicted environment, and when you put both together, you are in for a treat. Just watch the opening sequence and tell me your jaw doesn't drop in awe.
2. The characters are a well-rounded lot. Simba is an excellent protagonist to follow with a fantastic character arc accompanying him; Timon and Pumbaa make for a great comic relief duo while also having multiple facets to their characters that help them be more three-dimensional; Rafiki is probably my second favorite of them all (more on my favorite in a bit) for being such a wild and wacky character yet still holding incredible amounts of wisdom that help Simba find his way again; and Mufasa is of course an integral part to the story who is an interesting character on his own, with his death being one of the most emotionally devastating moments in all of film history. Other characters like Nala, Zazu, and the Hyenas are an endearing lot as well, and to round the group out is none other than...
3. SCAR! A big part of what makes this movie so special to me is that it holds one of my favorite villains of all time, let alone my favorite Disney villain. There is something about Scar that is so intriguing to me, and he really makes the most of his screentime as he is able to hit audiences hard by of course killing Mufasa. Scar is such a favorite of mine that I could go on and on talking about him, and maybe I will do just that ;)
4. The fact that the producers took a familiar story beat and gave it a twist. It would be easy for them to simply have Simba be this chosen one-esque character who is cast out by Scar and now works to get back what is rightfully his and get justice for Mufasa's death. While that pretty much is the case, we also have Simba endure conflict with himself due to his belief that he was responsible for Mufasa's death, and that right there is what makes the story so intriguing. We are not only rooting for Simba to defeat Scar, but we are also rooting for him to overcome his own personal demons, and by the time he retakes his throne and lets out his triumphant roar, all I could do is stand up and cheer at this incredibly earned victory. 
5. This, to me, is Disney at top form. This movie has a great story, wonderful characters, a strong hero, a marvelous villain, the right balance of tone, vibrant animation, and joyous music...basically everything that makes Disney stand out to so many. This is something that the whole family can enjoy, as it has all the fun and heart expected for this kind of movie while not shying away from going to dark and emotional places. I tip my hat to this movie for the risks that it took and know it will live on for generations of time because of this. 

DOWNS

1. The chunk of the movie that focuses on adult Simba after he meets Timon and Pumbaa and before he meets Rafiki and gets his much-needed reality check is easily the weakest part of the film, seeing as it puts Scar out of focus, establishes a romance between Simba and Nala that is barely fleshed out, and essentially boils down to being filler before the final battle. That being said, it is still has some solid moments and isn't enough to drag the whole movie down. 

OVERALL

The Lion King will always be near and dear to my heart. I don't think I will hold such a strong affinity for a movie as I do with this one. Now as for the live-action remake, I will remain cautiously optimistic, but what I have read about it has sure given me hope that it will be just fine, even if it may never exceed the original.

And that is it for my first Retro-Review, guys. Tune in for more posts along the way and till then, take care :)