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 Simbas exile to the expansive golds and deep greens of Mufasas kingdom to the grey desolation of Scars 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. Disneys 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 Kings 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.
Fiction buff and writer. If it's on Netflix, it's probably in my queue. I've bought DVDs for the special features and usually claim that the book is better than the movie or show (and can provide examples). I've never met a TV show that I won't marathon. Follow on Twitter @lah9891 .
