Best Disney 2-D Theatrical Film?

[The Lion King]

Ernest, you give a great argument, and I'll admit that everything you're saying about Bambi is technically correct. It accomplished so much back in 1941 including the infamous scene where Bambi's mother dies. Even The Lion King's creators acknowledged that it was based on Bambi.

But in my defense, The Lion King was not explicitly based on anything else other than Bambi and Hamlet previously (a lot of people say "Kimba the White Lion", but I beg to differ). It is not a rip-off of Bambi, I think it's an homage to Bambi. The music isn't just merely "pop music", it is in my opinion, the greatest music score ever, and it literally comes to life in the film. The animation is right behind The Prince of Egypt as being the some of the most beautiful animation ever seen in an animated film.

A lot of people assume this about Lion King diehards, but I don't like the movie because of Timon and Pumbaa. I don't really get people who like it just because of them when the film offers so much more. Sure, they're awesome and they add a little bit of comedy to the boil and in themselves aren't bad characters at all, but what makes The Lion King great is that even without comedy, everything else in the film is so flawless and works as well as it can possibly work. It borrows key elements from Bambi and Hamlet, but that's all it borrows. It steals nothing, and instead, spit-polishes it and makes it it's own. This is no longer 1941, it's 2008, and The Lion King was made over 50 years after Bambi. Not that they are in any way lesser in quality, but in this day and age, people just no longer want films like Bambi and Fantasia. They need a little bit more.

The Lion King is a modern masterpiece, and because of the perfect, beautiful animation and art, great characters, the best music score ever, humour, emotion, and respect to both the audience and the films it "rips off", I consider it the greatest animated film of all time. It is so much better than the lifeless dreck we are being force-fed nowadays that it makes me want to cry. The only recent films that even come close to The Lion King, or indeed The Little Mermaid or Aladdin, are Happy Feet, Lilo and Stitch, Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo.

The Lion King's sequel, Simba's Pride, is an extremely rare example of a direct-to-DVD sequel being almost as good as the original, let alone sequels in general. It did a fantastic job on a presumably lower budget, and I don't really think it could've been improved in any way. It's also has an amazing soundtrack - possibly as good as the original's. I love it.

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Why.
If you're basing your evaluation on entertainment value alone, then the thread should be re-titled "most fun Disney animated film".

Entertainment value, if done exceedingly well, can make a film more than just "fun". Stop judging The Lion King on entertainment value alone because that isn't a legitimate criticism.

Dumb and Dumber has more laughs and is "more fun" than Schindler's List, The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull, but no one in their right mind would ever try and perusade people that Dumb and Dumber was a better film than Schindler's, Bull, or Godfather

Yes, but that's only because they're completely different in every single way and that no one in their right mind would compare Dumb and Dumber to Schindler's List, The Godfather, or Raging Bull if they were trying to make a point. You can't compare a comedy, which is possibly the polar opposite of those 3 drama films, to Shindler's List, Godfather or Raging Bull and expect it to actually prove a point. The Lion King isn't only "more fun" than Bambi, but it has more going on.