Disney Movie Review: *****The Lion King 1994

 The Lion King is a fantastic movie and deserves great praise.  This was when aDisney was making good movies and they all seemed to hit.  The Lion King (child Jonathon Taylor Thomas, adult Matthew Broderick) runs away when his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones) is killed, thinking he will be blamed.  It was actually Scar (Jim Cummings) who killed his father with the help of the hyenas.  Simba meets a couple friends, Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) A meerkat and a warthog.  Simba grows up with these two friends who teach him to not worry about anything.  It is only when he is visited by his childhood love, Nala (child Niketa Calame-Harris, adult Moira Kelly that he is reminded of his responsibilities.  However it is the baboon sage, Rafiki (Robert Guillaume) that the Lion is inspired to return to the Pride Lands and reclaim his kingdom from Scar and the hyenas.

This story has a very good theme--remembering who you are.  I really enjoyed this movie.

Christmas Movie Review: **I'll be Home for Christmas"

This Christmas season fare stars Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a spoiled brat, Jake, and Jessica Biel as his girlfriend, Allie.  He is so caught up in his own world, he doesn't want to go home from school for Christmas, but is tempted when his father offers him a car, and old antique.  He plans to travel home with his girlfriend, but a rival kidnaps him and leaves him in the desert with a Santa suit glued on.
This is not a very good movie.  It may be cute at times with the things that happen to someone traveling cross country in a Santa suit with no resources.  The idea of the movie is that Jake grows and matures, and starts to really appreciate his family.  (He turns down the car int he end.)  But he is still misusing others, stealing a sleigh even at the end.  Everyone is just suppose to accept his greater need.