What from The Films is MOST Important/Interesting?

[PrincessKiara]

The story/plot has to be good and interesting for any feature to work.. however, the characters are also very important, obviously. What good is an interesting plot with dull characters?
TLK really has the whole package, everything works amazingly. Characters, story, pace, music, animation... the mix of action, comedy and emotion is just perfectly handled.

[Lauren]

For me, the most important thing from the TLK films (and any film in general) are the characters. As the viewer, you are following these characters throughout the story. In order for the audience to be invested in the characters, they need to have depth, likeable qualities, goals/passions, character development, things that make them relatable with the viewer, and they need to be interesting. If the characters were unlikable and dull, then the film has a huge problem since you can't follow the film's plot with any kind of investment.

Characters like Mufasa, Simba, Scar, Nala, Kiara, Kovu, and etc. are part of the reason as to why the films are so strong. Each of them are different from one another and the audience can connect to any particular character. They have dimension and they're interesting.

Of course the plot is important too, but the characters move the plot along. For example:

If Mufasa was not a good father to Simba and he didn't have the wisdom nor strength he had as an individual, his death would not have been as impactful as it was in the film.

If Kiara was a child who was very bratty and annoying, then Simba and Kiara's father-daughter relationship would not have been as important nor sweet as it actually was.

If Simba's nightmare was not included in the second film, then his overprotectiveness of Kiara would not have been as understandable. Also, Simba dealing with his trauma from the first film with his PTSD stage as an adult would not have been as important to his character depth nor as relatable if that scene wasn't there.

[gothprincesskiara]

For me its the Circle of Life, there is just alot of Science in those words