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Film · 1994 · Animated
The Lion King
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
1994
★ 7.5 editorial score
Still the highest grossing hand-drawn film ever made: Disney sent a young cub into exile with a Shakespeare plot, and the opening sunrise raises the hair every time.
“The Lion King has no human characters, no Alan Mencken score and no familiar fairy tale as a source. If the original script borrows from anything, it's Hamlet...It's a hugely entertaining blend of music, fun and eye-popping thrills, though it doesn't lack for heart. The father-son relationship is movingly rendered. And John's songs, enhanced with African choral arrangements by Hans Zimmer, are a touch of terrific.”
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