by Carl » February 24th, 2014, 5:59 am
The Lion King is timeless because of its very nature. The score, first of all, is just amazing. It gives off a certain mood and draws you in, it fits with the movie perfectly and with real life as well. The musical numbers were well-integrated into the story without seeming unnatural. None of the characters are unlikeable, the plot is based on a classic (hello, Shakespeare still sells, even centuries after his demise), and the emotion is raw and real. The voice actors were amazing, the animation is amazing, the growing-up-tale is priceless. The message always holds true, and the underlying messages do as well. The backgrounds are gorgeous. There's so much depth to everything; the story, the characters, the emotions, the scenery, the humor, everything. It was also spectacular that they didn't play off the predatory animals as having become vegetarians due to being "civilized." Carnivores have to eat meat to live and it bugs me when movies make them eat plants so they can befriend prey animals. TLK didn't do that. It's just such a magical and majestic experience that's just not going to be found in any other film.