My views: 12
My aunt took me to see this in a theater when I was 4. I was so enthralled that I begged my mom to let me see it again almost as soon as I got back. So I saw it in theaters a second time with my mom and my sister, who was 2, and who I'm pretty sure hadn't ever been to a movie theater before. And for many years to come, apart from a brief obsession with Pocahontas, The Lion King was my all-time favorite movie.
If this was a blog about the movies I'd seen the most from 1993-2002, I'm pretty sure The Lion King would be number 1, or at least number 2. In fact, this was the first movie I ever kept track of. As I'm sure I've mentioned, my family didn't have a VCR or DVD player for a long time when I was growing up - which I think has probably helped me appreciate movies more than I would have otherwise - but my grandparents did, so whenever I'd visit them I would watch this movie. My grandma, who refuses to re-watch a film she saw once 40 years ago, was greatly amused by my ability to watch this over and over, so she'd always ask me, "How many times have you seen it now?" And for a while, I could answer her precisely. But I didn't write it down, so I lost track around 10 or 11, and honestly, I think that's part of the reason I eventually started writing down the movies I watched. Anyway, although the way I'm doing this blog dictates that I report only the 12 views that took place from 2003-2012, I feel the need to point out that I've actually seen it at least 22 times in my life.
I love pretty much everything about this movie. When I was little it was mostly about the talking animals and the songs, but as I got older I started to notice the important life lessons incorporated into it, lessons about friendship and courage and responsibility. Now, I mainly watch it because it reminds me of my childhood, in a bittersweet way. My aunt, who first took me to see this, as well as Mulan and Tarzan and several other Disney films, died of cancer in 2002, and this film still reminds me of her. It also reminds me of my grandparents' old house, which they have since had to sell. These are happy memories, but also somewhat sad because they're gone. But, as Rafiki says, "The past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." Simba lets his painful past drive him away, which is partly good because otherwise we never would get to meet Timon and Pumbaa, but definitely doesn't solve his problems. Ultimately, he still has to face his past and his responsibilities, no matter how painfully difficult it is. And in a way, that's life in a nutshell.
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