20 Reasons Why Everybody Loves The Lion King

By Laura Hurley /

18. The Animation

As wonderful as are the songs of The Lion King, the musical numbers would be nothing without the rich animation. The background is constantly moving, with early morning mists hovering over the savanna and bugs crawling on logs and grasses blowing in the breeze. The use of colors creates visual themes, ranging from the distracting bright shades of Simba€™s exile to the expansive golds and deep greens of Mufasa€™s kingdom to the grey desolation of Scar€™s rule. Of course, color and background action are not the only remarkable visual aspects. The animators€™ extensive research of African flora and fauna pays off in big ways. Disney€™s lions may speak and sing and reflect upon the meaning of life, but they also stalk and strike and roar like the real thing. Also, The Lion King€™s understated usage of then-developing CGI within the bounds of standard animation is far less obtrusive than in others of the early 1990s, and the film is enhanced rather than overwhelmed by the combination of the two forms.