The Lion King

The Lion King is a broad family adventure that works because it treats its animal kingdom like a full-size stage for loss, duty and growth. By our assessment, it remains strong in its clear storytelling, memorable songs and the easy way it moves between spectacle and intimate emotion. The African setting and the circle-of-life structure give it a shape that is simple to follow but not thin. Its downside is that it is so cleanly designed that some viewers may find the moral lines obvious and the emotional machinery plain to see. Among animated adventures it sits near the top of the mainstream tradition, and it is still the one people reach for when they want a classic, highly polished studio story.