Not an ideal choice for younger kids, this hip and violent animated feature from Disney was nevertheless a huge smash in theaters and on video, and it continues to enjoy life in an acclaimed Broadway production. The story finds a lion cub, son of a king, sent into exile after his father is sabotaged by a rivalrous uncle. The little hero finds his way into the "circle of life" with some new friends and eventually comes back to reclaim his proper place. Characters are very strong, vocal performances by the likes of Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg are terrific, the jokes are aimed as much (if not more) at adults than kids, the animation is sometimes breathtaking, and the music is more palatable than in many Disney features. But be cautious: this is too intense for the Rugrat crowd. --Tom Keogh
Anybody who struts around with Simba's hard-won authority deserves this royal DVD read-along from Disney. Kids can recoil at Uncle Scar's dastardly deeds en español and discover that "hakuna matata" sounds pretty much the same in Spanish, French, Italian, or German. And should the dynamic storytelling fail to thrill your 4- to 12-year-old fan, a flurry of other interactive options await. Toggle to "Songs" for sing-along renditions of movie hits, including "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," and on to "Music Videos," where Elton John roars soundtrack favorites "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M groove to "Hakuna Matata." The "Vocabulary" feature allows for see-and-say mastery of a list of wildlife, while the "Game" section allows players to match paw and hoof prints to the proper beast and reassemble the scattered skeletal remains of an elephant. Original cast voices are featured, and grownups will be pleased by the package's reading component. --Tammy La Gorce
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Epic:
The best Disney animated film ever...This film had it all, it was funny, emotional, had family drama, and above all, great animation and songs! My personal favorite character is Rafiki, the Baboon! I still cant forget the line he says to Simbe, "Past can hurt, but as I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it!" it is so true! i loved Zazu's weirdness, and shenzi's humor, above all, i loved Pumba's innocence and Timon's intelligence! In short, i found the film the best film ever... The voice cast... more info
Makes no sense:
I ordered this movie on the 16th of July, and it has not been delivered. I tried to contact the seller, no response, now I have to wait for amazon.com to process my claim. Makes no sense at all.
Stay AWAY from this buyer!!!!:
I will never purchase from this seller again, its just a big rip off, you will never receive what you order, I shop on amazon quite often and have never had a problem until I came across this seller.
Dissatisfied:
the DVD was defective, I notified the seller and am still awaiting a replacement. I have returned defective DVD to the seller.