The mind is a funny thing, playing games with your memory. Its favourite trick is nostalgia - a cruel mistress and double-headed Janus, making you feel all warm and fuzzy until your world comes crumbling down and you realise the truth. Remember those films and tv programmes you used to watch as a child? Yeah...well...they're all rubbish.
Except there is the odd exception, The Lion King being one of them. Seventeen years after its original release, it's still as brilliant as ever. You will still cry at Mufasa's death. You will sing along to every single word. You will laugh until your belly is sore at Timon's hula dance. Goosebumps will prick every inch of your skin as Simba rises as the true king, Hans Zimmer's score soaring with every raindrop. You will watch in awe as the African savannah is brought to life in magnificent animation.
In short, this is the same incredible film you remember it to be.
So what of the 3D? It's pointless and unnecessary. Except the odd bird flying at you, the effect actually emphasises the fact this is absolutely a 2D film, created on layered handrawn cells that those stupid glasses make ultra-visible. And the sumptuous visuals are jaw-dropping enough on their own: from the spooky lighting of the elephant graveyard, to the lush rainforest and that slo-mo shot of Simba running across the desert. At the least, this is an opportunity to see the film on the big screen in all its glory - the opening sequence is worth the entrance fee alone.
So what are you waiting for? This is the greatest Disney film; the greatest animation film; the greatest kids film; and one of the greatest films of all time. You owe it to your memory and your inner-child.
5/5
And just for banter...
