Celebrating "The Lion King"

Twenty years ago today, The Lion King was released into the "wild." I went out and saw it during opening weekend with two friends from "Rocky Horror." I immediately fell in love with it and went on to see it many more times during that summer and throughout my first year of college. I lost track of how many times I saw it in the theater. (And it wasn't even as much as some of my "Rocky Horror" friends who went practically every day...and yes, I was jealous of them.) I still love this movie and remember most of the lines and lyrics from the songs. Just hearing some of them on the Disney station of Pandora brought me back to the first time I saw it. In honor of The Lion King's 20th birthday, I wanted to share my top 10 favorite things about this fabulous film!

1. "Hakuna Matata". I still say "no worries" all the time. "It's our problem free philosophy..."



2. In relation to #1, Timon and Pumbaa. They stole the show and are the best Disney sidekicks ever, in my opinion. I love how they interact and they're just so funny. See The Lion King 1 1/2 for more fun with them!

3. The score. I don't normally like when background music from a movie is included on the soundtrack, but I would listen to it on this one all the time. It was moving and haunting and made me feel like I was sitting there watching the movie. I especially love "Under the Stars."

4. The scenery, which was breathtaking. I love how they animated the waterfalls to look almost realistic.

5. The hyenas. For villian sidekicks, they were just so funny. Ed was the best with his crazy laugh. He made me crack up all the time. And we can't forget "Mufasa!" "Oooh, do it again..."

6. "I Just Can't Wait to Be King". Such a fun and cute song. The animation that goes along with it is really funny too. I also love how Simba and Nala harmonize on "see here." It's the little things, right?



7. Rafiki. Such a wise old monkey. Gotta love him! Before Elsa came along, he taught us that the past is in the past (even though Timon said we have to put our past behind us altogether). However, he also taught us that we can either run from it or learn from it.

8. Quotable lines. Then again, I saw the movie so often that I could practically act the whole thing out. Really though, there are some memorable lines that come from this movie.

9. A despicable villain. I love a movie where I can truly hate the villain and wish for his/her demise. Scar is definitely one such villain.

10. Simba and Nala as kids. They were such cute little lions and I didn't want them to grow up. I love when they're in the "elephant graveyard" and pinning each other.

There you have it. I'd love to hear YOUR favorite things about The Lion King!