In my opinion The Lion King is a classic, and always will be. I was delighted to discover, 17 years after its first release, that a new generation would have the chance to sing along to its wonderful soundtrack and challenge itself not to shed a tear or two during the film's pivotal moments.

The film's plot line is by now familiar to anyone reading this (if not – where have you been? You poor thing): a young lion cub, Simba, is born to the powerful King Mufasa, thereby knocking uncle Scar off his post as second-in-line. The jealous Scar gets his yes-men, a pack of hyenas, to cause a stampede in which Mufasa is killed and ensures Simba think he is to blame.

Cue Simba's exile, Scar taking his place as King, and the environmental message that if you let your uncle who is not a tree-hugger take over your place as rightful king, the flora and fauna will suffer 'cos he just doesn't respect the 'circle of life', dontcha know.

Of course, as with most animated films that I can think of regarding animals, a LOT of suspension of disbelief has to be applied; Simba eats miscellaneous creepy crawlies instead of wildebeest, yet still grows up to be a fine strapping young fellow (seriously, how many bugs must that forest have had if a male lion normally eats 15lbs of meat a day?!) Also, if my knowledge of prides is correct, Simba and Nala (his childhood friend to which he is betrothed, later his girlfriend and then the mother of his own cub) is his half sister. Just saying.

None of this matters, though, when the sounds and colours of the African savannah are brought to the audience with such beauty and obvious love for the message the creators were trying to convey. Thanks to the music (The Lion King won two Oscars in '95 for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song for 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight') we feel the character's excitement, pain, sadness, joy, sadness and triumph.

More than 600 artists and over one million drawings ensured that we feel the scorching heat of the sun, the booming roll of thunder, the flashes of lightning and each drenching downpour of rain (how fortunate that the lightning storm started just in time for the fisticuffs between Simba and Scar near the end of the film).

I have to say that the 3D afterthought, added only recently, did not make much of a difference to my viewing experience. To my mind it's mainly intended for scenes where there's perspective; hence it came into its own when showing the wide spaces of the savannah and the stampede in the gorge.

Do I feel that these instances were enough, however, to bring value for money to the extra cost of a 3D ticket? No. Bearing in mind that The Lion King has also been re-released in 2D, I would say save a few Euro and go see it as it was meant to be seen, as the high quality of music and animation are what make The Lion King a classic and a must-see for the big screen.

Christine Brookes