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[singerguy04]

I think its just the studio that makes it seem overrated and people are just in disagreement with that.

Except for the fact that before Finding Nemo, TLK was the most successful animated film of all time... or something like that.

[ajmrowland]

I think its just the studio that makes it seem overrated and people are just in disagreement with that.

Except for the fact that before Finding Nemo, TLK was the most successful animated film of all time... or something like that.

once again: hype

[PatrickvD]

In terms of ticket sales in a single run, not many animated features can rival The Lion King. Wether you like the movie or not, it was a huge hit.

For example, it sold about twice as many tickets as Deathly Hallows Part 2, the highest grossing film of the year.

[disneyboy20022]

I believe this is where the hate is the most by far...

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ChCV75q9f3g" frameborder="0"></iframe>

[BelleGirl]

I believe this is where the hate is the most by far...

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ChCV75q9f3g" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Luckily we don't have to see it. The original movie version can be played instead.

[Lazario]

I think one of the reasons this movie was hyped so much is that they wanted to sell the viewers on how much they would like the voices (since almost all of them, children will recognize).

I didn't know any of the voice actors as a child, except maybe JTT--but I didn't watch Home Improvement, so it must've been from some other things he was in at the time. I know you've complained about him before, but I don't really like Broderick either voice-wise, tbh.

You'd be surprised how many kids from 9-13 would have known about Mr. Bean, Star Wars, Sister Act, Cheech and Chong (plus Cheech Marin was also in Married with Children, Ghostbusters 2, Ferngully, The Golden Palace, and Shrimp on the Barbie - yes I saw that movie), and probably Ferris Bueller. The rest of the voices are familiar-sounding. I'd heard or seen every single one of these actors in something else at the time: Robert Guillaume who did Rafiki (A Different World, Driving Miss Daisy, and Captain Planet), Nathan Lane (Addams Family Values), Jeremy Irons (Die Hard with a Vengeance - I didn't see this movie in the theater), Ernie Sabella (Saved by the Bell), and of course everyone knew of Jim Cummings.

(sorry, Frankenollie- I outright disagree with you on the inherent quality of the songs... well, except for "Be Prepared")

I’ve never been hugely crazy about “Be Prepared” myself; I find “Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel” to be the best from this film, although they aren’t the type of songs I listen to very often--and they're far from my favorite Disney songs. I do feel they are great mood-setters though.

"Circle of Life" is covered by my turn-everything-up-to-11 complaint. You're right that it's okay for mood but it had no character to it and whatever work it did building up the movie I feel was deflated by the scenes that follow. Where we have to go "awww, Simba's so cute" then- "wait... that's Jonathan Taylor Thomas, isn't it? Aw, crap!"

I really like that gif! I want to flash it at Confused Matthew (a movie reviewer) who made an hour-long movie complaining about The Lion King. He split the movie into three videos and posted them on his website.

I actually thought his review and analysis of the film was brilliant. And would-be spot-on except for 2 things: he was a little too hard on Timon & Pumbaa on moral grounds (they really did like him and want to be his friends), and "Be Prepared" was a good song but he seemed to be looking for it to push the story somewhere rather than just be a good character show. It's a half-hour (NOT hour-long, Sky) long and contains more than a few curse words but it's really good:

http://www.confusedmatthew.com/The-Lion-King.php

LK could have been alot more like Bambi, with a bigger emphasis on visual, atmospheric storytelling instead of constant chatter, but it sadly didn't.

I actually think Lion King is better than Bambi.

[PheR]

I think TLK is kind of 'hated' by Disney fans, but LOVED by everyone else, see:

DISNEY FANS:
Most Disney fans are fans of the human/romance/menken formula, that's why most people here became disney fans in the first place, and that's why you'll find lots of love for mermaid, BATB or Aladdin in Disney forums, everybody was expecting PATF and Tangled to follow this formula and when they see a new Disney princess sketch or hear new Menken music, everybody loves it. So seeing a Disney movie which is a lot different from all this becoming such a hit, it kind of annoys human/romance/menken fans imo. ¿what do you like most? 'part of your world' secuence or 'just can't wait to be king'? the average person will tell you that 'part of your world' is cute but cheesy, and 'can't wait to be king' is fun, while a Disney fan would be having a heart attack.

GENERAL PUBLIC:
We all know the average public loves generic/friendship/male-oriented plots a lot more than the 'stereotypical' Disney flick, that's why PIXAR movies are so successful, specially 'Toy Story' or 'Nemo', TLK is more Pixar/Dreamworks like than disney like and families embrace this movies we know that, imo TLK is the beginning of this animated movies era, that's why every Disney animated classic since TLK failed at being as huge at the box office, no post-TLK Disney classic made big money until 'Tarzan' and 'Lilo & Stitch', which are both this kind of film as well, that's why 'Rapunzel' got more testosterone and became 'Tangled' and promoted the way it was, and surprise! big boxoffice numbers

The little mermaid was such a hit because it was so fresh at its time, and BATB was the glorification of that style, they made it bigger, Aladdin was a different kind of tale but they used the same style for a third time and people loved it, but then TLK came changing everything and became so huge that the rates for Pocahontas were really big and the rest is history...

So you go ask whoever you want what's their favorite Disney movie and lots of them will say 'The Lion King', but ask the same question here,the results will be really different. We're about to get a Diamond edition in a couple of weeks and we have a 36 page thread filled with offtopics about it, but wait until a couple of weeks before 'The Little Mermaid' release and see...

[MattDean]

I believe this is where the hate is the most by far...

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ChCV75q9f3g" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Luckily we don't have to see it. The original movie version can be played instead.

You'll be pleased to hear it's not in the Diamond Edition presentation. No option to view it seamlessly inserted either. It's now a paltry bonus feature!

Matt

[Wonderlicious]

Probably just the usual "it's cool to hate on popular things" deal

Yeah, I'd say that for the most part. The fact that it was so popular and so iconic makes it equally open to criticism in its own way. Most non-Disney diehard fans would probably list this as one of their favourite Disney films.

As for my opinions on the film, I like it, but I wouldn't call it one of Disney's absolute best. I haven't seen it in some time, though.

[Goliath]

I hate it when people say "they just hate it because it's popular", like has been said at least 10 times in this thread. Cheap, lazy cop-out.

@Goliath: I do agree that the movie is pretty pretentious, that it beats you over the head with its ideas and that it heavily relies on cliches, but I feel just about every film between Aladdin and Lilo & Stitch have the same flaw (except perhaps TENG). Just because TLK shares the same flaw with others doesn't mean it's any less detrimental here, to be true, but I do feel this film was only the tip of the iceberg from that perspective.

I don't agree at all. (Surprise!) True, thos other films had their own respective messages and they were not always too subtle, but they never had the laughable 'heavy symbolism' that was so obvious, yet had to pass for 'deeper meaning' that TLK had. I mean, Hunchback had 'God save the outcasts', okay, but that is just a character singing to God. Not exactly light stuff, but it's not pretending to be more than reality: in real life, people in need (certainly in that time period) turn to God for support. But TLK has a baboon making silly noises that have to pass for wisdom, has him exclaiming cliched saying that have to pass for philosophy, and then the whole Mufasa-in-the-sky... Ugh.

I've seen people commenting on YouTube that this is the most deep, profound, philosophical thing they've ever seen in a movie. I feel sad for those people.

[DisneyJedi]

You'll be pleased to hear it's not in the Diamond Edition presentation. No option to view it seamlessly inserted either. It's now a paltry bonus feature!

Matt

It was NOT a seamless addition on the initial DVD release! 'Human Again' in Beauty and the Beast was a seamless addition! All they did was re-animate an entire sequence for Lion King and add a song in the process!

[Rose Dome]

I think that like every other Disney film, The Lion King has it's lovers and it's haters. It's never been my favorite, but I don't consider it the lowest of the low either

[Prince Edward]

I never hated The Lion King. I got several versions of the soundtrack on CD, I watched the film at the cinema in 1994, I've got the VHS and the DVD and will get the 3D Blu-ray. But it has never been among my top Disney-films, I like the movies with people better than the stories with animals. So I have always cared much more for all the other films from the golden 90s (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and to a lesser degree Mulan and Tarzan).

I think that The Lion King is overrated compared to the other Disney-films, when my friends talk about how much they "love" Disney, it's always about them seeing The Lion King in their childhood. The Lion King is a great film, but I don't think it's the best animated Disney-film and I do think it has gotten to much attention on the expense of movies like Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast etc.

[KubrickFan]

I hate it when people say "they just hate it because it's popular", like has been said at least 10 times in this thread. Cheap, lazy cop-out.

I think that people who don't like a hugely popular movie tend do be more vocal about it. So the more popular something is, the bigger the inevitable backlash (justified or not) will be. We saw it happen with Titanic and Avatar too. I think that those two movies deserve the hate a lot more than The Lion King.
A great movie makes me forget the plot holes and bad things it features, and The Lion King does that. I wouldn't call it the best thing Disney ever made, but it's high up there. Maybe that's just because it's a movie I grew up with and watched very, very often, but I genuinely like it. So be it.

I've seen people commenting on YouTube that this is the most deep, profound, philosophical thing they've ever seen in a movie. I feel sad for those people.

Yeah, that's a bit ridiculous, but you have people saying those things about Star Wars or, again, Avatar too.