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 (franchise) theme from "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly". During its release in 1994, "The Lion King" was widely praised and acclaimed, grossing more than $783 million worldwide, becoming the most successful film released that year, and as of June 18, 2018 is the thirty-seventh highest-grossing feature film of all time. The film was the highest grossing animated film of all time until the release of Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo", a computer-animated film. "The Lion King" is still the highest grossing traditionally animated film of all time in the United States. The film received many award nominations. It won the Academy