“The Lion King”: How does this Disney classic hold up after almost 30 years?

On June 24, 1994, Disney released one of its biggest animated films: “The Lion King.” The movie came off the heels of three other massively successful animated films for Disney: “The Little Mermaid” (1989), “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), and “Aladdin” (1992). 

“The Little Mermaid” is known for starting the second golden age of Disney animation, called the Disney Renaissance, after a series of animated films that underperformed following Walt Disney’s untimely death in 1966. This period ended with 1999’s “Tarzan” before what is often known as Disney animation’s second dark age where the studio’s success started to backfire again. 

However, “The Lion King” undoubtedly was the peak of the Disney Renaissance. 

Other Renaissance films like “Pocahontas” (1995), “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), “Hercules” (1997), “Mulan” (1998), and “Tarzan” (1999) were by no means disappointments, but they never quite reached the iconic status of “The Lion King” and its aforementioned predecessors. 

“The Lion King” even today remains one of Disney’s most beloved films, with a live-action remake in 2019 that will also soon be five years old. 

So how does the film hold up after almost 30 years? In my opinion, it remains a massively impressive film, and I definitely don’t see the popularity of it going away anytime soon. While my personal favorite animated Disney film is “The Little Mermaid,” this one still is easily in my top 10, if not top five. There are so many things to love about it. 

For starters, the animation is gorgeous. You really feel the majesty of Africa throughout the entire film through vast landscapes and great lighting. For comparison, other animated films that take place on the African Savannah, such as “The Wild Thornberrys Movie” and “Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa,” enjoyable as they are, cannot measure up to how it is depicted here. 

The movie makes you feel like you are in nature throughout the entire runtime. This is made even more grand through Hans’ Zimmer’s score, which goes along perfectly with the scenes it is in. His other major Disney score roles include the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series and “Muppet Treasure Island.”

This film is also one of the riskier Disney films. For those who don’t remember, there’s a pretty hardcore death scene. Unlike “Bambi“ where the mother is killed off-screen, we see Mufasa’s body. This was a really big deal for Disney back then, as Disney’s animated films tended to steer away from on-screen deaths outside of villain deaths. I highly doubt this film would be rated G if it came out today. 

The songs are also great, with “Circle of Life” being my personal favorite. 

The film’s epic opening song, “Circle of Life,” matches perfectly with the vast visual landscapes that accompany it. However, they’re all wonderful. Like the best Disney films, they legitimately drive the story and in no way feel like filler. 

Scar is also a great Disney villain. He truly is a character you love to hate, and Jim Cummings does a great job of giving him a deliciously evil voice. I also like how he’s the only orange lion to give a contrast to the other yellow lions, making him stand out more as the villain. “Be Prepared” is also a monumental villain song that is one of my favorite Disney villain songs, top five easily. 

The comedy is also a lot of fun with Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu being the obvious comedic relief characters who are often the butt of the joke, such as during the song “I Can’t Wait to Be King.” The dim-witted hyena trio, especially Ed, also fit this character trope. Ed just does nothing but laugh, and it’s really funny. 

The overall story is full of emotion, and the message of not running from your past and taking responsibility is a very mature message for Disney. 

If I have any nitpicks about the movie, it would be Doug Walker’s decision to have the lion pride only side with Simba after Scar admits to killing Mufasa. After Simba admits to killing him, convinced that he caused his father’s death before Scar confesses to the crime, no one seems to help Simba when Scar and his hyena henchmen corner him, leaving him to dangle off a cliff. 

I can see why some would have an issue with this, as it suggests admitting responsibility for past mistakes will turn everyone against you unless it turns out it wasn’t really your fault. Despite having a nitpick with it, I don’t think this ruins the message in any way. 

I think it’s natural everyone would be shocked at such a revelation, even if I personally find it hard to believe the pride could believe baby Simba could pull off a straight-up murder of Mufasa. 

There’s also some controversy with Simba and Nala being brother and sister, but research shows this is perfectly normal in lion pride. 

“The Lion King” has very few flaws. It was also remade in 2019, and in my opinion, it doesn’t measure up. 

While there’s a few good things about it, such as Timon and Pumbaa’s voice actors (Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner) having funny lines that weren’t in the original film, it overall seems very watered down and much of the epic, grand scale is simply not there. 

I feel “Be Prepared” was butchered and turned into more of an overly long speech than a song. I also don’t like that the act of Rafiki hitting Simba with his stick was cut. It was a memorable part of the original because it encapsulates a message about how the past can still hurt. 

The original will always be the best, and a lot of others think that too, not just me. Kids or no kids, everyone should see this amazing film.