History YMMV / TheLionKing

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames Averted with the console games]]; while they are [[NintendoHard tough]], they're still solid games. Played straight with the NES and Game Boy ports of the games, which feel like lesser derivatives of the Genesis/Super Nintendo games; the former [[ObviousBeta wasn't even finished]]!

** As above, the [[NoExportForYou Europe-exclusive]] NES port was a port of the Game Boy version. Despite limited colour, it had sluggish and delayed controls. Physics and jumping precision were also non existent in this version. To make things worse, the box cover says ten levels. The game itself only has six, meaning the Adult Simba levels were either glitchy or they didn't bother to program it in. It's quite telling that when pirate companies made their own NES version that, while still an ObviousBeta, was nonetheless far superior to the official NES release.

** "Can't Wait to be King" is filled with very annoying puzzles with the monkeys and tricky ostrich rides between them (a mistake in the ostriches section can be fatal).

* HypeBacklash: 20+ years on, this show still regularly sells out in New York City, on tour, and in foreign sit-down productions (it's the only Disney show to truly become a blockbuster in London's West End). But with regards to the hardcore musical theatre fan community... it has a lot of haters on the Broadway.com message boards who think it's only worthwhile for the beautifully-staged "Circle of Life" number -- which is, of course, the first scene -- and nothing else. They chalk up its continued popularity to its LongRunners status giving the illusion of quality, package tour groups, families who won't expand their horizons to "real", non-corporate theatre, and foreign tourists who easily understand it. Because of its popular, critical, and awards success (in particular beating ''Theatre/{{Ragtime}}'' for Best Musical at the 1998 Tony Awards, even though that show won the Book and Score awards) only encouraged more and more {{Screen To Stage Adaptation}}s, particularly of animated/family-friendly features as opposed to more sophisticated, adult fare, it's one of a handful of shows accused of turning musical theatre as a medium into a shell of its former self (other shows with similarly bitter reputations include the Andrew Lloyd Webber canon, ''Theatre/MammaMia'' and ''Wicked'', and to a lesser extent ''Theatre/TheProducers''). Oddly, the stage version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' proceeded this show by four years and received a much chillier critical reception at the time, but musical theatre fans are rather more forgiving of its long-running success even though it's arguably just as guilty of ''Lion King'''s perceived sins.

** While many think the Adult Simba levels are somewhat easier than the cub levels, everyone agrees that "Be Prepared" is an exercise in frustration. The level is full of GoddamnedBats…including hyenas, cheetahs and literal bats. On top of that, there are lava geysers shooting from the floor, lava dripping from the ceiling and at one point, a river of lava that you have to traverse on a tiny floating rock. Good luck not getting knocked off! Oh, and not to forget that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking it's the only level in the game that is obviously not based on any scene from the finished movie]]. (Hakuna Matata is also based on a scene that ended up cut, but without WordOfGod you'd never realize.)

* OlderThanTheyThink: The bulk of the new songs, with some changed lyrics, originate from the album [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_of_the_Pride_Lands Rhythm of the Pride Lands]], which was released in 1995. Others were cut from the movie, or made it to the sequel.
* WereStillRelevantDammit: Productions have been known to incorporate pop culture references to break the fourth wall for comic relief's sake. Sometimes these can work, but others... not so much.[[note]]Case in point, during the penultimate Dallas show of 2018, Pumbaa quipped "Now that's what I call beating ''VideoGame/AngryBirds''!" after fending off the vulture trying to eat Simba. The audience collectively groaned, since ''Angry Birds'' is as of 2018 long past its time in the spotlight.[[/note]]

* {{Misblamed}}: This game is frequently erroneously associated with the Compaq Presario Christmas Day disaster of 1994 where the game was packaged with a line of Compaq computers that weren't properly tested with the game and led to bluescreens whenever the user attempted to boot it. This story actually belongs to ''VideoGame/DisneysAnimatedStorybook: The Lion King''; due to this misinformation, this also has led to people mistakenly believing there was a Windows port of this game when there wasn't (the PC version was for DOS).

* HypeBacklash: 15+ years on, this show still regularly sells out in New York City, on tour, and in foreign sit-down productions (it's the only Disney show to truly become a blockbuster in London's West End). But with regards to the hardcore musical theatre fan community... it has a lot of haters on the Broadway.com message boards who think it's only worthwhile for the beautifully-staged "Circle of Life" number -- which is, of course, the first scene -- and nothing else. They chalk up its continued popularity to its LongRunners status giving the illusion of quality, package tour groups, families who won't expand their horizons to "real", non-corporate theatre, and foreign tourists who easily understand it. Because of its popular, critical, and awards success (in particular beating ''Theatre/{{Ragtime}}'' for Best Musical at the 1998 Tony Awards, even though that show won the Book and Score awards) only encouraged more and more {{Screen To Stage Adaptation}}s, particularly of animated/family-friendly features as opposed to more sophisticated, adult fare, it's one of a handful of shows accused of turning musical theatre as a medium into a shell of its former self (other shows with similarly bitter reputations include the Andrew Lloyd Webber canon, ''Theatre/MammaMia'' and ''Wicked'', and to a lesser extent ''Theatre/TheProducers''). Oddly, the stage version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' proceeded this show by four years and received a much chillier critical reception at the time, but musical theatre fans are rather more forgiving of its long-running success even though it's arguably just as guilty of ''Lion King'''s perceived sins.

* HarsherInHindsight: ''Endless Night'' becomes even more heartbreaking after you learn that the actor who originated adult Simba on Broadway committed suicide due to a poor relationship with his father.
* HilariousInHindsight: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8M8x_0Qp0 The Madness of King Scar]]", in light of the plot of the animated sequel that was released a year after the musical premiered.

* {{Misblamed}}: This game is frequently erroneously associated with the Compaq Presario Christmas Day disaster of 1994 where the game was packaged with a line of Compaq computers that weren't properly tested with the game and led to bluescreens whenever the user attempted to boot it. This story actually belongs to ''VideoGame/DisneysAnimatedStorybook: The Lion King''; due to this misinformation, this also has led to people mistakenly believing there was a Windows port of this game when there wasn't.

** Also, ''VideoGame/DisneysAnimatedStorybook: The Lion King'' on Windows [[http://web.archive.org/web/20160308114233/http://alexstjohn.com/WP/2013/01/04/the-disnesy-disaster/ had an engine that made use of an]] [[UsefulNotes/ApplicationProgrammingInterface API]] that was untested with certain graphics drivers, which made it crash on certain [=PCs=]. This [[http://books.google.com/books?id=ltQ6LYHpmQEC&pg=PT182 directly led to the creation of DirectX]], as well as the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 95'' port to promote it.

* WereStillRelevantDammit: Productions have been known to incorporate pop culture references to break the fourth wall for comic relief's sake. Sometimes these can work, but others... not so much.[[note]]Case in point, during the penultimate Dallas show of 2018, Pumbaa quipped "Now that's what I call beating ''VideoGame/AngryBirds''!" after fending off the vulture trying to eat Simba. The audience collectively groaned, since ''Angry Birds'' is as of 2018 long past its' time in the spotlight.[[/note]]

* HypeBacklash: 15+ years on, this show still regularly sells out in New York City, on tour, and in foreign sit-down productions (it's the only Disney show to truly become a blockbuster in London's West End). But with regards to the hardcore musical theatre fan community... it has a lot of haters on the Broadway.com message boards who think it's only worthwhile for the beautifully-staged "Circle of Life" number -- which is, of course, the first scene -- and nothing else. They chalk up its continued popularity to its LongRunners status giving the illusion of quality, package tour groups, families who won't expand their horizons to "real", non-corporate theatre, and foreign tourists who easily understand it. Because its popular, critical, and awards success (in particular beating ''Theatre/{{Ragtime}}'' for Best Musical at the 1998 Tony Awards, even though that show won the Book and Score awards) only encouraged more and more {{Screen To Stage Adaptation}}s, particularly of animated/family-friendly features as opposed to more sophisticated, adult fare, it's one of a handful of shows accused of turning musical theatre as a medium into a shell of its former self (other shows with similarly bitter reputations include the Andrew Lloyd Webber canon, ''Theatre/MammaMia'' and ''Wicked'', and to a lesser extent ''Theatre/TheProducers''). Oddly, the stage version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' proceeded this show by four years and received a much chillier critical reception at the time, but musical theatre fans are rather more forgiving of its long-running success even though it's arguably just as guilty of ''Lion King'''s perceived sins.

* ''YMMV/TheLionKing1994''

* GoddamnedBoss: Scar gets very annoying. His attacks are not hard to dodge, but getting the right moment to throw him off Pride Rock can be frustrating. If he is not panting and you try to toss him, he'll pin you to the ground and and start ripping at you with his claws. It ''is'' possible to escape this, but the timing is extremely tight, and if your health is not full, you're pretty much screwed. Likely, you will have to drop him unsuccessfully many times.

** Also, ''VideoGame/DisneysAnimatedStorybook: The Lion King'' on Windows [[http://www.alexstjohn.com/WP/2013/01/04/the-disnesy-disaster/ had an engine that made use of an]] [[UsefulNotes/ApplicationProgrammingInterface API]] that was untested with certain graphics drivers, which made it crash in certain [=PCs=]. This [[http://books.google.com/books?id=ltQ6LYHpmQEC&pg=PT182 directly led to the creation of DirectX]], as well as the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 95'' port to promote it.

** While many think the Adult Simba levels are somewhat easier than the cub levels, everyone agrees that "Be Prepared" is an exercise in frustration. The level is full of GoddamnedBats…including hyenas, cheetahs and literal bats. On top of that, there are lava geysers shooting from the floor, lava dripping from the ceiling and at one point, a river of lava that you have to traverse on a tiny floating rock. Good luck not getting knocked off. Oh, and not to forget that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking it's the only level in the game that is obviously not based on any scene from the finished movie]]. (Hakuna Matata is also based on a scene that ended up cut, but without WordOfGod you'd never realize.)

* HarsherInHindsight: ''Endless Night'' becomes even more heartbreaking after you learn that the actor who originated Adult!Simba on Broadway committed suicide due to a poor relationship with his father.

* GoddamnedBoss: Scar gets very annoying. His attacks are not hard to dodge, but getting the right moment to throw him off Pride Rock can be frustrating. If he is not panting and you try to toss him, you lose. Likely, you will have to drop him unsuccessfully many times.

[[folder:Movie]]
* AccidentalAesop:
** Stemming from the FridgeBrilliance/[[FridgeHorror Horror]], Simba starts out bragging in his song "I just can't wait to be King". But the irony here is, the only way he will ever be king at all is if his father passed away (and that's presuming if Scar didn't kill Mufasa first). So there's a hidden message here that one shouldn't wish too much to grow up, especially in regards that one's parents won't be around forever.
** Heavy is the head that wears a crown.
* AccidentalInnuendo:
** Zazu's line in "I Just Can't Wait to be King" song:
-->'''Zazu''': I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair.
** Banzai's complaint about the fact he won't "be able to sit for a week". It explains why Ed could not stop laughing.
* AccidentalNightmareFuel: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C4yeyOB0Uw Both versions of the crocodiles]] in the "I Just Can't Wait to be King" song. The original ones are just downright creepy, whereas the new ones are freakishly creepy in the manner of ''WesternAnimation/JayJayTheJetPlane''.
* AlternativeJokeInterpretation: When Simba asks, "When I'm king, what will that make you?" and Scar responds, "A monkey's uncle." Was he calling Simba a monkey, or was he saying that it was unlikely for Simba to become king?
* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: During the Disney Renaissance, films that were based on fairy tales were extremely popular while Disney's original stories tended to flop with critics and at the box office. As such, Disney's executives put much more of their focus on ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'', which was in production as the same time as ''The Lion King''. Jeffrey Katzenberg once even remarked at a meeting with the animation staff that he believed that ''Pocohontas'' was going to be a "home run" while ''The Lion King'' was simply going to be a "base hit." ''The Lion King'' would go on to be one of the best reviewed and financially successful animated films of all time while ''Pocahontas'' opened to mixed reviews and is often regarded as start of the Disney Renaissance's decline.
* {{Anvilicious}}: Don't run away from your problems. Learn from your mistakes.
-->'''Simba''': I know what I have to do, but going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long.\\
[=*Rafiki hits Simba over the head with his stave*=]\\
'''Simba''': OW! Jeez, what was that for?!\\
'''Rafiki''': It doesn't matter! It's in the past!\\
'''Simba''': Yeah, but it still hurts.\\
'''Rafiki''': Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: After the fan backlash after Don Hahn remark's that Mufasa and Scar weren't related, the film's director appeared in an episode of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYKgStQxixs&t=1226s Honest Trailers Reactions]] where he reconfirmed that they were indeed brothers.
* BadassDecay: Scar suffers from this when he becomes King. Gone is the charismatic manipulative schemer of the story's first half, replaced in the final half with a far less intelligent, spoiled brat of a tyrant instead. His laziness and self-indulgence alienated any potential followers, and his taunting of Simba during the final battle leads to him confessing to Mufasa's murder, giving his nephew and the lionesses the determination needed to turn the tables on him.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: Adult Simba. Depending on who you ask opinions are divided into three camps, he's either a likeable, sympathetic protagonist; the least interesting character of the movie; or a jerk who was willing to let everyone starve until Rafiki, Nala, and Mufasa forced him to fight Scar.
** Timon and Pumbaa are this to some. Either they are hilarious comic relief characters who provided a moment of levity after a very serious scene or are annoying characters who overtake the movie and aren't funny. It didn't help that [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa outside of]][[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Disney/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf Young Simba,]][[ItsPopularNowItsucks they were the most aggressively marketed characters of the entire movie]]. But, with most agreeing that most elements outside of them and the visuals were underwhelming in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019'' remake, they have basically been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** The "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywjX6AF6oVc I Just Can't Wait to be King]]" scene (which also counts as a DisneyAcidSequence) and the scene where Timon does the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN1ujKFjxnc hula]]. {{Justified|Trope}} in that they were both meant to be distractions. The first one does get a brief callback later during Simba and Nala's reunion.
** The "When I was a young warthog" bit. It comes out of nowhere and is instantly forgotten once Timon stops Pumbaa from making a PrecisionFStrike. Timon was originally planned to have a verse going into his backstory as well, but it was cut for time.
* CompleteMonster: [[Characters/TheLionKingScar Scar]] is [[TheResenter the envious]] younger brother of King Mufasa who, upon losing his position as next in line to the throne by the birth of his nephew Simba, sought to take it by force. First [[EvilUncle tricking the young Simba]] and his friend Nala into entering the Elephant Graveyard to be killed by his hyena henchmen, Scar next orchestrates a wildebeest stampede and tosses Mufasa to his death after he attempts to rescue his son. Blaming a grief-stricken Simba for his father's murder, Scar forces him into exile before commanding the hyenas to finish him off. Upon [[TyrantTakesTheHelm taking control]], Scar's [[TheCaligula incompetence as king]] leads to a famine, with Scar uncaring that he is sentencing everyone to death, even striking Mufasa's widow Sarabi unconscious when she criticizes his rule. Upon Simba's return, Scar takes advantage of Simba's lingering guilt over his father's death to attempt to execute him publicly, pausing only to mockingly reveal his role in Mufasa's death. Later, to save his own life, he attempts to foist the blame on his hyena henchmen before attempting to kill Simba, even after the latter spares his life.
* DesignatedMonkey: Zazu seems to be this, merely for ''following directions''.
* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The song "Hakuna Matata", rather like "The Bare Necessities" in ''Disney/TheJungleBook'', does a very good job of making a slacker life with no responsibilities seem like a fun and wonderful thing to adopt. Granted, that is kind of its point in-story (to offer Simba something so attractive it would make him get over his suicidal depression and forget the things that traumatized him), but the upshot is that the song's message and popularity make it pretty easy to forget that what it's endorsing is actually a bad thing (at least, if taken to the extremes Timon advises and Simba nearly loses himself in).
* DracoInLeatherPants:
** Scar. Especially with the Awesome Music that is "Be Prepared". Cue endless fanfics with him as the hero.
** Shenzi and her pack. It sure doesn't hurt to have Whoopi Goldberg's talents.
* EnsembleDarkHorse:
** Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are among the most popular villain sidekicks within the Disney Animated Canon, which probably stems from their hilarious chemistry and the fact they end up the ones who axe off Scar. And Shenzi is ''very'' popular among Furries.
** Sarafina; Nala's mother, could also count. She only has one line of dialogue yet there are fan comics and fanfictions about her and who her mate is and how she gave birth to Nala and/or Mheetu.
* EvilIsCool: Scar, so very much. [[Creator/JeremyIrons His voice is cool]], his design is cool, his VillainSong is cool, [[spoiler: he's one of the few Disney villains to commit murder on-screen and actually ''succeed'' in his plans]], and he's also an awesome fighter. He's a fan-favorite among the Disney villains, and one of the few who can give [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]] a run for her money in terms of popularity.
* {{Fanon}}: Has [[Fanon/TheLionKing its own page]].
* GeniusBonus:
** With the "Circle of Life" monologue, Mufasa taught many of us the concept of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeostasis homeostasis]].
** Not as much as the above (it's second grade science), but Mufasa's technically right about bodies becoming the grass when they die (albeit indirectly, through [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposition Decomposition]]).
* HarsherInHindsight: When Scar attempts to avoid confessing that he was the one who killed Mufasa, he tries to say "Truth is in the eye of the beholder", before Simba cuts him off with a paw on his throat. Scar is clearly trying to weasel his way out of justice, but his statement that the truth depends on what one sees as the truth gets a lot harder to look at with the rise of alternative facts in the current decade.
* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: In the 90's, no one really took JTT seriously and was mostly seen as a tween heart throb, mostly for his huge fan following with tween girls, and his only notable role was in the sitcom ''Series/HomeImprovement''. And yet he surprisingly does a great job, especially during Mufasa's Death.
** To some this could also be the case with Moira Kelly, at least those who only know her for her infamous role as Mandy Hampton in ''Series/TheWestWing''.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** At one point, Pumbaa asks Timon what he thinks the stars are. The meerkat responds that they are "[[Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog fireflies]] that got stuck up in that [[BuffySpeak big bluish black thing]]".
** Early in the film, Zazu jokingly says that Scar will "make a handsome throw rug". Three years later in ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'', Scar makes a cameo...''as a throw rug''.
** During "Be Prepared", Banzai briefly wears a horned skull that resembles the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Dovahkiin's]] characteristic helmet.
** "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula??" In Nathan Lane's [[Film/TheBirdcage next movie]], he does one of those things.
** [[http://mashable.com/2015/02/26/what-color-dress-blue-black-white-gold/ "Gee, he looks blue..." "I'd say brownish-gold..."]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POeeTmtKLWs&gl=SG&hl=en-GB Timon and Pumbaa performing Ben E. King's "Stand by Me"]]. Fast forward to 2016 and we have ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', whose story also revolves around a prince journeying to reclaim his throne (among other similarities). The game's theme song? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv2DSmy3Tro A cover]] of "Stand by Me".
** There was originally going to be a naked mole rat in the movie, but it was replaced with a [[MisplacedWildlife gopher]] because they were afraid of it turning out too disgusting. Later, Disney would give us ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', where one of the main characters was a naked mole rat... That ''wasn't'' disgusting at all.
** One of Timon and Pumbaa's traits that defines their friendship besides "Hakuna Matata" is their insatiable appetite for bugs and doing anything to get them. Another pair of HeterosexualLifePartners from ''WesternAnimation/SuperNoobs'' would feature alien warriors with similar sounding names who have a very similar appetite except its for candy rather than bugs.
** Shenzi was originally written for Tommy Chong in an attempt to reunite him with Cheech Marin, but turned it down because the two were not on speaking terms at the time. Chong eventually wound up in the [[WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}} second installment]] to the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon to outgross this film.
** Disney's [[Film/TheJungleBook2016 Jungle Book remake]] drew some attention due to casting many actors who had also appeared in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse [[note]]Creator/JonFavreau, the film's director, also directed the [[Film/IronMan1 first]] [[Film/IronMan2 two]] ''ComicBook/IronMan'' films[[/note]]. Jon Favreau appears to be continuing this tradition in ''The Lion King'' remake, by casting Creator/DonaldGlover, who appears in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''[[note]]Favreau also reprises his role of Happy Hogan in that film[[/note]], as Simba, John Kani (King T'Chaka in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' and ''Film/BlackPanther2018'') as Rafiki, Alfre Woodard (who also appeared in ''Civil War'' and ''Series/{{Luke Cage|2016}}''[[note]]albeit as two different characters[[/note]]) as Sarabi, Creator/FlorenceKasumba (one of the Dora Milaje soldiers Ayo in ''Civil War'', ''Black Panther'', and ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'') as Shenzi, and Creator/ChiwetelEjiofor (Mordo from ''Film/{{Doctor Strange|2016}}'') as Scar.
** The movie was originally going to feature a rock python, one that was going to be Scar's NumberTwo, but that was ultimately scrapped and no snake appears in the movie. Rock pythons do get to appear in [[Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride the sequel]]... as part of an angry crowd of animals who hate Scar and his followers.
** The hyenas are a trio that have a member who's always laughing, and his name is [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy Ed]].
** At one point in the movie, Timon says "What's in a name". Especially funny considering [[Theatre/RomeoandJuliet what]] is the main source material of the [[Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride sequel]]...
* HoYay: Timon and Pumbaa become huge HoYay targets during the film and the future appearances they would make afterwards. First off, they are mostly seen together. They also live together and travel together wherever they go. They also decide to raise a child together with that child being the lion cub Simba. This also may not count due to it not making it through the final cut of the film, but a deleted scene was supposed to have Pumbaa snuggling up next to Timon with Timon feeling a bit uncomfortable about it. For what it's worth, their actors consider them a gay couple. It also helps that the original script had Simba being taken in by a family of meerkats including Timon's wife, who were all then replaced with Pumbaa.
* HypeBacklash: The film still holds a spot amongst the highest grossing films of all time and is well-regarded by most, often a contender for Disney's best animated movie, which says alot. It's natural that some people are taken off by all this praise and consider the movie overhyped.
* JerkassWoobie: The Hyenas are more of this variety. As much as they worked for Scar it was more out of desperation for food and being too stupid to realize that Scar was only using them.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: After murdering Mufasa, Scar sends the hyenas after Simba. The hyenas refuse to venture into the thornbushes as Simba escapes through them, so they decide to let him go, assuming he'll die in the desert, and kill him if he returns to the Pridelands.
* MemeticMutation: Almost every line of the movie. A few examples:
** "No king, no king! Lalalalalala!"
** "I'm surrounded by idiots."
** "Mu-fasa!" "Ooooh! Do it again."
** "Is that a challenge?!"
** "Cactus butt!"
** "THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!"
** Many a fan has jokingly rewritten Simba and Mufasa's conversation about the Shadowlands so that it refers to a bitter sports team rivalry, a city rivalry, a {{fandom rivalry}}, etc.
--->"Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is ________."\\
"Wow! But what about that shadowy place?"\\
"That's ________. [[TakeThat You must never go there, Simba!]]"
*** Similarly, a screencap of them looking over the Shadowlands has been captioned with (usually sports related) jokes such as [[http://www.quickmeme.com/img/04/04c21bb0fdf885d72021b46aaa6ec837a23bd7224618da6abdce7b8a0b0b672a.jpg this]].
*** Additionally, the dialogue is [[BeamMeUpScotty often shortened to]] "One day, Simba, all these will be yours." Which led to a Creator/MontyPython joke afterwards:
--->[[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail "What, the curtains?"]]\\
[[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail "No, not the curtains, Simba."]]
*** [[https://i.imgflip.com/w6wq8.jpg This one]] combines "You Must Never Go There", with the [[Film/ANewHope original]] "WretchedHive".
** The log scene.
** Rafiki's pose at the end of "Circle of Life," holding baby Simba. Cue hundreds of people doing it with their pets. (Or their actual children.)
*** [[http://data.whicdn.com/images/24446753/large.jpg When your phone has no signal so you go all Lion King on it.]]
*** Usually accompanied by a rendition of the very first moment of the film: "''Naaaaaaaaaaaants'' ingonyama ''bagithi Baba''!"
*** When [[DarthVaderClone Kylo]] [[TheHeavy Ren]] was first shown in the months leading to the release of ''Franchise/StarWars Episode VII: Film/TheForceAwakens'', [[https://40.media.tumblr.com/e3b8f9487818367f0bc4c3555de9ea45/tumblr_o015hw3TPs1rey868o1_500.jpg a popular image]] showed him being held by Darth Vader (the joke being that Creator/JamesEarlJones [[ActorAllusion voiced both Vader and Mufasa]]). It became HilariousInHindsight when the film revealed that [[spoiler:Kylo Ren was Vader's grandson.]]
** [[http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2014-12/30/7/enhanced/webdr01/enhanced-4377-1419941902-3.png IT'S A FUCKING LION]]
** Nala's "[[http://i.imgur.com/R3J7veq.jpg Do me]]" eyes.
** It's very popular to take the scene of Scar saying "Long live the king" as he prepares to drop Mufasa off the cliff, and re-enacting it with other characters when one usurps another in some manner.
** [[spoiler:[[JustBetweenYouAndMe "I killed]] [[ItWasHisSled Mufasa."]]]]
** Timon and Pumbaa are talking about [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/thedress-what-color-is-this-dress the dress]].
--> '''Timon:''' Gee, he looks blue.
--> '''Pumbaa:''' I'd say brownish-gold.
* MisaimedFandom: It has been argued [[https://www.elespanol.com/social/20180827/simba-malo-rey-leon-no-dado-cuenta/333467194_0.html here]] that Mufasa and Simba may be the actual villains, and Scar and the hyenas just poor victims. Remember the first scene of the film, where all the animals bow in reverence to the birth of a new cub of their predators? A shameless CultOfPersonality. The "circle of life"? Propaganda to justify the FantasticCasteSystem. The hyenas are the only ones who defied this, and were exiled to the elephant cemetery as a result. And what did the evil Scar proposed, after all? Equality, welcome them into the kingdom, and kill those who enforce this caste system. Unfortunately, his rule had to take place amid a drought. At the end of the film, Scar is dead, Simba is back and the new king, everyone is happy... and the hyenas are nowhere to be seen. Likely exiled once again.
* MoralEventHorizon: Scar when he kills Mufasa. He provides the image for the MoralEventHorizon/{{Disney}} page. The next notch up is when he tells Simba his father's death is because of him, further traumatizing a kid who has just lost his father.
* {{Narm}}:
** [[http://pridelands.eu/image4223.html This Scar moment]] during the Be Prepared musical number where it looks like Scar is posing for some porno magazine.
** When Mufasa is saving Simba from the stampede and a wildebeest bumps into them, knocking Simba out of Mufasa's mouth. The sound effect is just hilarious.
* NarmCharm: The movie is generally overblown most of the time, but the images of Mufasa in the sky were just ridiculously cheesy and goofy, especially in the sequel. Others got a bit choked up, considering what a TearJerker both his death in the first film and his benediction to Simba when he took the throne were. In fact, the producers had thought about removing them for those reasons, before deciding to leave it in.
* NewerThanTheyThink: The 2003 Platinum Edition release added a new song, "The Morning Report". Some viewers saw this as a case of Disney restoring a CutSong originally intended for the film[[note]]''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' was re-released to IMAX theaters and home video the previous year with cut song "Human Again" re-inserted: The Broadway soundtrack and sheet music list a 1991 copyright date for "Human Again", matching the year of the movie's release rather than the play's 1994 premiere.[[/note]] However, the insert and sheet music for the Original Broadway Cast recording list a 1997 copyright date for "The Morning Report", three years ''after'' the theatrical release. On releases of the movie that relegate "The Morning Report" to the bonus features, the song has an introduction explaining that John and Rice wrote it especially for the Broadway musical.
* OlderThanTheyThink:
** There are two lion brothers. One's the king, and his envious, childish brother, resentful of him, manages to get him out of the throne, so he can claim it himself. After he does, things go downhill, making everyone hate him. [[Disney/RobinHood Sound familiar]]?
** The part about a lion prince trying to do a proper roar (and failing to even scare vermin) is similar to a 1956 short called "Lion in the Roar".
** "Simba"'s name just [[ADogNamedDog means "lion"]]. It is [[OneMarioLimit probably not going to be used much anymore]], but prior to the film's release it wasn't uncommon to see lions in fiction with this name. For example, the 80s cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' had one episode featuring a lion named "Simba" . The same situation also popped up in an episode of the original ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'', dating it all the way back to the late 60s.
* PopularWithFurries: The franchise is one of Disney's biggest fandoms and has a huge following amongst furries, despite almost ''none'' of the characters being anthro. It's gotten to the point where it's often assumed that every lion OC is a ''Lion King'' fan-character.
* RetroactiveRecognition:
** In the Japanese dub, Creator/MitsuruMiyamoto as adult Simba, before hitting big as [[Anime/TheBigO Roger Smith]]. Oddly enough in the Japanese version of the musical, young Simba is played by no one else than Creator/KenshoOno when he was a kid, before hitting big as both [[Manga/KurokoNoBasuke Tetsuya Kuroko]] and Film/HarryPotter in Japanese.
** In the Mexican Spanish dub, young Nala is voiced by Karla Falcón, before her StarMakingRole of [[WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi Yumi]] and [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Ino Yamanaka]].
* SignatureScene: As one of the most beloved entries in the entire Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, it has several.
** The opening "Circle of Life" sequence where Rafiki blesses the newborn Simba and presents the future king to his assembled subjects. So iconic that the 2019 remake made sure to duplicate it ''shot for shot''.
** The VillainSong "Be Prepared," featuring pyrotechnic effects that were mind-blowing to see in animation at the time, and widely considered one of the best of its kind in Disney history.
** The wildebeest stampede, which initially got a lot of press for featuring an unprecedented amount of CGI a year before ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' really showed what could be done with it, but quickly became hugely regarded for its emotional impact, both the NightmareFuel of the stampede itself and the {{Tearjerker}} of Mufasa's death.
** "Hakuna Matata," with the introduction of Pumbaa and Timon providing a much-appreciated lighter mood after the stampede, and a tremendous earworm that provides its own important story progression with the montage of Simba growing to adulthood halfway through.
** Simba talking to Mufasa's spirit in the clouds, who convinces him to take back his responsibility to rule Pride Rock, which probably more than any other scene has been subjected to countless parodies without losing any of its original power.
** Simba and Scar's climactic slow-motion duel, one of the few times that a Disney hero and villain get to have a real knock-down, drag-out fight, and fully living up to the entire film building up to it.
* SignatureSong: "Hakuna Matata" is currently the most famous song from the movie, but "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" are well remembered as well. All three were nominated for the 1994 Academy Award for Best Original Song, with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" winning it. As for the movie's score, Mufasa's haunting, majestic theme "This Land" serves as the main instrumental theme of the film.
* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing:
** Timon and Pumbaa seem to have less of a BaseBreakingCharacter status in certain other countries (some examples being the French, Norwegian and Polish dub) as people have noted their voices to be "more enjoyable" than the English.
** The German dub is superbly cast (Thomas Fritsch as Scar, Joachim Kemmer as Rafiki, Eberhard Prüter as Zazu and Ilja Richter as Timon are notable standouts), and the songs are very well translated.
** Timon and Pumbaa are absolutely adored in the Swedish dub, courtesy of being voiced by two guys part of a famous national comedy group named "Galenskaparna & After Shave" [[note]] For those curious, it's basically the Swedish equivalent of Creator/MontyPython but with a lot more singing in it. [[/note]] In fact, when Timon's VA died in 1997, most of the Swedish-speaking fandom would never accept TheOtherDarrin as the true Timon. Frank Ådahl is also considered a more fitting VA for Adult!Simba than the original. Lest Scar should be mentioned, being voiced by the late Rikard Wolff; many Swedes agree that he couldn't be more perfectly cast even if you tried.
** In general: for people who don't care for Creator/MatthewBroderick's voice, many will find a lot of Adult!Simba's dub voices to be superior to the original.
** The Norwegian dub is also highly beloved for using an AllStarCast with incredibly fitting voices, the crowner going to young Simba voiced by Eirik Espolin Johnson, adult Simba being voiced by seasoned voice actor Håvard Bakke, and Timon by famous comedian Åsleik Engmark.
** The Hebrew dub is considered among Israelis to be one of the best of Disney's Hebrew dubs. Timon's VA, comedian Tomer Sharon AKA Tomash, is especially lauded by fans young and old. For his part, Tomash has embraced the role, even admitting he's similar to Timon himself. Another VA universally lauded by Israelis for his role in the Hebrew dub is Eli Gorenstein as Scar, who voiced many Disney villains with his distinct baritone.
* TastesLikeDiabetes: Cub Simba and Nala can come across as this to some. Simba's MouthyKid and slight RoyalBrat tendencies help balance the cuteness, though, as does Nala's skill at sassing back at him.
* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: There is much controversy (READ: FlameWar) over whether this film is a ripoff of ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'' or not. There are several differences, although there are many similarities. Here are the key differences in the narrative:
** ''The Lion King'' lacks any human presence. In ''Kimba'', humans were often present [[HumansAreBastards as enemies]] like [[JerkAss Hamegg]], or simply as [[HumansAreFlawed unwittingly doing harm]].
** In ''Kimba'', [[BigBad Claw]] is a rogue lion who wants to be king with two hyena minions, but is continually beaten down by Kimba after he attempts to take over the jungle when Hamegg kills Caesar. In ''The Lion King'', [[CaptainErsatz Scar]] is Mufasa's treacherous brother with three named hyena minions and hundreds more nameless ones, so he hatches a plan to become king by organizing the death of Mufasa and Simba. He succeeds at killing Mufasa and scaring Simba away, and is a far more effective villain than Claw was. In addition, the hyenas in The Lion King were originally planned as African Wild Dogs - they were presumably changed either because African wild dogs aren't as well known as [[TheHyena hyenas]], or simply because hyenas [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute look more "evil"]].
** Claw is a lot closer to Scar in the manga, managing to become the de facto leader of the jungle in Kimba's absence and dying after his and Kimba's first battle instead of hanging around to suffer VillainDecay. He does not however have his hyenas in the manga. Scar also shares many characteristics with Hamegg, being smug, flamboyant, having Nazi associations (in the manga [[spoiler: Hamegg is eventually revealed to have been a SS officer]]) and being the person who killed Kimba's father and sent him into exile. In the manga he is also [[spoiler: spared by Kimba when he is defeated by him just to be killed by Claw instead, like Simba spares Scar before he is killed by the hyenas]]. Hamegg however has HiddenDepths and a sympathetic side that Scar do not share.
** In ''The Lion King'', the circle of life is used to get around CarnivoreConfusion. In ''Kimba'', Kimba decrees that the animals should only eat insects and plants and live in peace with each other; however, this causes quite a few problems, and Kimba has to learn the hard way that [[KnightInSourArmor Caesar]] was right about the animals.
** ''The Lion King'' is about Simba accepting his responsibility as king in the archetypal [[TheHerosJourney Hero's Journey]]; ''Kimba'' deals with the title character learning how to use his responsibility wisely '''after''' he's become a young king. Another key difference is that Simba is kind of a [[JerkAss prick]] when he's a little kid, and Kimba is TheWisePrince. In fact, Simba much more closely resembles Kimba's BrattyHalfPint son Rune, who goes trough similar character development, than he does Kimba himself. Likewise Mufasa is closer to adult Kimba than he is to Caesar who is much more of an WellIntentionedExtremist (which, [[{{Irony}} amusingly]], somewhat becomes Simba's forte in Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride).
** In ''Kimba'', both of Kimba's parents are dead and he more immediately becomes king. In ''The Lion King'', only his father is killed, and he blames himself for it, running away from his responsibility. His mother, Sarabi, lives to see his coronation.
** Despite being DuelingShows, both are quite good on their own merits. It's best to think of the situation as being more like how ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven'' borrowed from ''Film/TheSevenSamurai'', even though ''The Magnificent Seven'' was more of a direct lift of ''The Seven Samurai'' than ''The Lion King'' was of ''Kimba''.
** The most famous iteration of ''Kimba'' in the West, the anime made in the 1960s [[InternationalCoproduction with help from NBC]], also contains a lot more, ah... ''fantastical'' elements, such as [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever giant radioactive grasshoppers]] and unfrozen mammoths, and is far more comedic in tone than ''The Lion King'', while still being DarkerAndEdgier than its [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation Western contemporaries]]. The Lion King focuses more on heavier themes like guilt, the loss of a father/king, and accepting responsibility - it actually started a trend for Disney films to be DarkerAndEdgier, in that its follow-ups, ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'', ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' and ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' often dealt with much heavier themes such as racism and war to variable success. However, The Lion King is STILL LighterAndSofter than the Kimba manga and later remakes of the series, which often edged into [[BittersweetEnding Bittersweet]] or even {{Downer Ending}}s.
** For what it's worth, the film may have originally been planned as a ''Kimba'' remake - however, because the rights to Kimba are entangled with multiple companies, including Creator/{{NBC}} (as with many anime that have been dubbed - that's why ''[[VideoGame/JumpSuperStars Jump Ultimate Stars]]'' can't make it to US shores, due to the dubbing rights being split among Viz, Creator/FUNimation and 4Kids, among others), it simply wasn't possible to get the rights. Regardless, production was far enough along that it was likely too late to change things aside from the names and Simba's fur color - in addition, the film's development had a lot of cut characters who didn't correspond to Kimba's cast. As a matter of fact, there are still two characters in The Lion King who bear no resemblance to anyone in Kimba - [[EnsembleDarkhorse Timon and Pumbaa]].
** Timon and Pumbaa could be seen as highly mutated versions of Kenichi and his uncle who (at-least in the manga) takes care of Kimba until he returns to the jungle and also have something of a FatAndSkinny character dynamic. Only Kenichi sticks around however and his personality is completely different from Timon's.
** Irony: The smoking gun in favor of it being originally planned as a remake and having to be retooled? Creator/OsamuTezuka himself [[WordOfGod wanted to see]] Disney [[WhatCouldHaveBeen remake]] Kimba.
** Matthew Broderick claimed once that when he signed on to do the film, he was point blank told that this was supposed to be an adaptation of ''Kimba''.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** Some fans feel Shenzi, Banzai and Ed could have been given more depth and portrayed in a more sympathetic light. The fact that they barely appear in the sequels and (from the sounds of it) won't appear in ''The Lion Guard'' doesn't help.
** Sarabi is also relatively underutilized despite being TheHighQueen of Pride Rock. Her character is basically just a voiceless cameo in the sequels (though sadly that was because [[AuthorExistenceFailure Madge Sinclair had passed away]] by that point).
** Some feel Nala is underused. It doesn't help that she barely appears in the sequel.
** Zazu, who is constantly treated like the ButtMonkey and ExtremeDoormat throughout the ''entire'' movie, and barely appears in the second half.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Simba's years growing up in the Jungle with Timon and Pumbaa is [[TimeSkip entirely glossed over]], although one of the sequels does touch upon this by showing him being raised by Timon and Pumbaa.
%%* TooCoolToLive: Mufasa.
* ToughActToFollow: This movie was the tough act the rest of the Disney Renaissance had to follow. This most notably affected ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'', which is the ''only'' Disney Renaissance film to be graded Rotten on Website/RottenTomatoes, and ''Disney/{{Hercules}}'', which got strong reviews but a relatively paltry take at the box office (and earned a '''lot''' of hatred in [[AmericansHateTingle Greece]]).
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
** Crossing into WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical below - a number of critics, professional and otherwise, note that the movie's attempted aversion of PredatorsAreMean creates a system of government literally ''built'' on killing and otherwise exploiting equally sentient creatures by having the predators continue to prey on other animals. Mufasa's "Circle of Life" speech is meant to assuage such implications, but it's not hard to see that as cold comfort to the gazelle or wildebeest who winds up on the lions' menu for no other reason than circumstance of birth. And of course, some critics take it a step further and use the whole movie as proof (or scorn it as denial) that any and all exploitative systems of government (capitalism, monarchy, etc.) are inherently bad even if a "good" leader is in charge.
** Zazu tells Simba and Nala that they'll be married due to "tradition," without them having a single say in whether they decide to be with someone else. It's not hard to side with Simba wanting to abolish this tradition.
* ValuesDissonance: Simba wants to get rid of betrothed marriages, as he sees it as disgusting. While at the time, he is a kid, the movie's attempt to portray this as arrogant falls really flat, especially with the knowledge of the damage that arranged marriages can do. The sequel later goes out of its way to show that people should be free to choose their love, instead of it being decided for them.
* ViewerGenderConfusion: Lots of viewers have mistaken Shenzi for a guy, which is [[GeniusBonus rather hilarious when you consider how real female hyenas are near-identical to the males for very strange reasons]].
* WeirdAlEffect: Not a lot of people are aware that "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" existed for over 30 years before this movie came out.
* WhatAnIdiot:
** Scar ordering Simba to run away rather than just killing the boy himself.
** And then, at the end, ''telling'' Simba that he killed Mufasa when he had no reason to do so and was on the verge of total victory.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Several German critics did not take kindly to the film's references to ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill''. Some simply thought Nazi references were in bad taste for a kid's movie, while others actually accused Disney of endorsing fascist aesthetics. [[http://www.zeit.de/1994/48/triumpf-des-willens This review]] from ''Die Zeit'' offers one of the more extreme reactions.
* WinTheCrowd:
** If there was any doubt on how this film would do, the teaser using the "Circle of Life" sequence and the rapturous audience reaction to it settled them all.
** Disney briefly flirted with the idea of re-releasing ''Beauty and the Beast'' in 2010 as a 3D movie, but scrapped it. 2011, ''Lion King'' ended up getting the re-release to theaters and made well over $150 million. Disney would subsequently re-release ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', and ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' over the next two years.
*** While the 3D rerelease of ''The Lion King'' was a smash success, the one of ''Beauty and the Beast'' was less so, so Disney [[WhatCouldHaveBeen shelved their re-releases for the time being]].
* TheWoobie:
** Simba's father was murdered by his uncle, who made him think it was his fault.
** Mufasa was betrayed and murdered by his own brother, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter whom he trusted implicitly]].
** Nala's best friend ran away from home after his father died and she grew up under Scar's despotic rule.
** Sarabi. Her husband was murdered and she was forced to serve the guy who did it. And, for some time, thought her son was dead too.
** Zazu is constantly abused throughout the film, and no one seems to like him. Even by the end of the film he doesn't gain any respect. In-Universe Woobie, anyone?
* {{Woolseyism}}:
** The DVDCommentary talks about a Japanese Woolseyism they didn't even realize they had made at first. Specifically, the commentators mention that they got no reaction at all from the first Japanese audience they showed the film to, up until just before Mufasa's evening talk with Simba where Zazu says "Simba... Good luck," which ''brought the house down.'' Upon asking about it afterward, they learned that "Good luck" is something Japanese people often say to each other when they're about to go get reprimanded, which they unwittingly paralleled with the scene.
** In the Spanish release of the film. In the scene where Banzai is kicked in the rib cage by Shenzi before he mentions Mufasa again. In the original English dub he says "¿Qué pasa?", a Spanish line that means "What's up?". In the Spanish dub the line was dubbed as "¿Con mostaza?" which means "With mustard?". This was likely done because of phonetic similarities, but since this comes right after Scar jokes about the hyenas eating Zazu, it fits the scene perfectly. Likewise in the German dub he says "Mit Wasser?"[[note]] "With water?"[[/note]] which sounds pretty similar to "Qué pasa". In the Polish version, Banzai says "Kiełbasa" [[note]] Sausage[[/note]], which is pronounced "Kieubasa" and sound phonetically similar to the original.
** In the original English version, when Rafiki first starts bothering Simba, Simba simply calls him a "creepy little monkey." In the German dub, his line is ''Was soll denn das Affentheater?'' Idiomatically this translates as "What's with the crazy antics?", but ''Affentheater'', which means "farce" or "craziness," translates as "monkey theater." In essence, not only is he saying Rafiki's crazy, but it's a clever pun on his species. (A similar English pun could've been, "Will you quit with the monkey business?")
** In the Mexican Spanish dub, during the final duel between Simba and Scar, Simba's voice became more deeper and creepier, compared how his voice sounds in the original English version, when he speaks louder than usual, and how he normally sounds before that battle in that dub, probably to emphasize he's going to kill Scar for good this time.
*** In the Japanese dub of the same scene, Simba uses ''[[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns kisama]]'' on Scar for the same effect, while his voice tone goes between the English version (louder) and the Mexican one (deeper). Oddly enough, Scar doesn't use ''kisama'' on Simba, despite being the main villain and the one who wants to see Simba ''dead'' more than anyone else.
** Also, in the Japanese dub, Scar speaks with a thick French accent in his voice, not to mention he uses sometimes ''adieu'' rather than ''sayonara'', possibly to simulate Scar's British accent.
** In the Mexican Spanish dub, Pumbaa's famous ''[[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!]]'' was changed with ''¡YO SOY UN CERDO DECENTE, NO SOY UN PUERCO!'' (literally: "I'm a decent PIG, not some HOG" or more idiomatically, replace "hog" with "stinky pig"). As a matter of fact, "puerco" is also a very old Spanish slang for a Jew converted to Christianism. It also means that Pumbaa got offended with him being compared with his more [[MessyPig smelly, domestic cousins]], being Pumbaa a wild warthog.
* WTHCastingAgency: Skinny, nerdy sounding actor Creator/MatthewBroderick as a lion can seem like an odd fit. To some, though, [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct he's actually great in the role in spite of that]] while, to others, [[BrokenBase he's the weakest actor in the film]].
[[/folder]]

** Shenzi was originally written for Tommy Chong in an attempt to reunite him with Cheech Marin, but turned it down because the two were not on speaking terms at the time. Chong eventually wound up in the [[Disney/{{Zootopia}} second installment]] to the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon to outgross this film.

** Also, ''VideoGame/DisneysAnimatedStorybook: The Lion King'' on Windows [[http://www.alexstjohn.com/WP/2013/01/04/the-disnesy-disaster/ had an engine that made use of an]] [[UsefulNotes/ApplicationProgrammingInterface API]] that was untested with certain graphics drivers, which made it crash in certain [=PCs=]. This [[http://books.google.com/books?id=ltQ6LYHpmQEC&pg=PT182 directly lead to the creation of DirectX]], as well as the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 95'' port to promote it.

* UnfortunateImplications
** Some see the villain Scar being darker-colored than the other lions as racist, although it helps that he is voiced by a white man (and one of the good lions, Mufasa, is voiced by a black man.)
** Some read Scar as gay, which is unfortunate since he is the villain and arguably the only gay character in the film. However, this unfortunate implication of gays being evil can be mitigated if you also read Timon and Pumbaa (two of the good guys) as gay.

** Zazu tells Simba and Nala that they'll be married due to "tradition." without them having a single say in whether they decide to be with someone else. It's not hard to side with Simba wanting to abolish this tradition.

** Timon and Pumbaa are this to some. Either they are hilarious comic relief characters who provided a moment of levity after a very serious scene or their annoying characters who overtake the movie and aren't funny. It didn't help that [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa outside of]][[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Disney/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf Young Simba,]][[ItsPopularNowItsucks they were the most aggressively marketed characters of the entire movie]]. But, with most agreeing that most elements outside of them and the visuals were underwhelming in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019'' remake, they have basically been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.

* HypeBacklash: The film still holds a spot amongst the highest grossing films of all time and is well-regarded by most. Less people are likely to call it "the greatest animated Disney movie" though, with critics calling it predictable due to similarities with not just ''Kimba'', but also ''Hamlet'', and also {{narm}}ish.
* InformedWrongness: Timon and Pumbaa's "Hakuna Matata" lifestyle has its merits and isn't hurting anyone. "Put your past behind you and don't worry about anything" might be shaky advice if you're a young prince whose kingdom is currently being run by a tyrant, but Timon and Pumbaa raised Simba without ever knowing this about him. Indeed, if Simba had been anyone else, he would have been perfectly fine in riding out the rest of his days in that jungle, utterly free from responsibility.

** Scar's BadassDecay after actually becoming king, where he goes from a cunning mastermind to a petulant manchild of sorts who refuses to do anything about the plight he's brought upon the kingdom, retorting Sarabi's protests with "[[ItsAllAboutMe I am the king, I can do whatever I want!]]" It's almost comical just ''how'' out of his depth he was once actually stealing the throne.

** "Hakuna Matata," with the introduction of Pumbaa and Timon providing a much-appreciated lighter mood after the stampede, and a tremendous EarWorm that provides its own important story progression with the montage of Simba growing to adulthood halfway through.

* EarWorm: Both of the console games do a decent job recreating the movie's soundtrack in chip tune.