Criticism of The Walt Disney Company feature the theme of the circle of life. Alleged similarities in the characters, beginning with the protagonist lion cubs "Kimba" and "Simba", include the evil lions, the one-eyed Claw and Scar, the sage baboons Dan'l Baboon and Rafiki, the animated birds Pauley Cracker and Zazu, and the pair of hyena sidekicks (it was a trio in the Disney film). "The Lion King" co-director Rob Minkoff deflected criticism of similarities in the characters by stating it was "not unusual to have characters like a baboon, a bird or hyenas" in films set in Africa. Both films feature the protagonist looking up
The Lion King (soundtrack) 2010, Rhapsody called it one of the all-time great Disney & Pixar Soundtracks. ! colspan="3" | Original album release ! colspan="3" | Original cast recording ! colspan="3" | Sing-Along shortform ! colspan="3" | Hans Zimmer Re-release ! scope="row" | Worldwide (IFPI) The Lion King (soundtrack) The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original motion picture soundtrack for the 1994 Disney animated film, "The Lion King". It contains songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer for several tracks. Additional performers