Lion King best movie

In June 1994, Disney unveiled what would become one of its most beloved animated titles, The Lion King. The film was an early summer hit that year and went on to gross more than $950 million worldwide since its release. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below:

The biggest roar at the summer box office may well come from Buena Vista's magnificent animated feature The Lion King. Graced with heart, humor and boundless energy, this Walt Disney presentation should cut a huge swathe through all age groups. Young tots and adults alike well warm to its nourishingly wise storyline.

A certain blockbuster and a future classic, The Lion King is a scrumptiously delightful moviegoing experience.

From the stealthy array of talent selected to perform the voices, including such deep-tone stalwarts as James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, one almost expects a tragedy in the Shakespearean tradition. And, in certain aspects, The Lion King does fit this bill. Instead of the house of Hanover or Stuart, the drama centers on the reign of the mighty lion Mufasa (Jones), the king of a perfectly balanced African kingdom of animals who thrive in stunning abundance. A beneficent monarch, Mufasa, raises his young male cub, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, then Matthew Broderick as an adult) to know that "we are all connected in the great circle of life."