Move over, Williams, Elfman, Horner, and the rest of you--Zimmer is still the Violin King now and forever! ...Okay, bad puns aside, The Lion King's soundtrack does well to stand against the likes of Star Wars, Avatar, and Batman (1989) for its impressive range of orchestral and choral compositions (and I'm not talking about the vocal tracks). Although Zimmer is often criticized for being "too bombastic" by the average moviegoer, I'd argue that the epic factor plays a huge role in accentuating the more action-oriented or triumphant sequences. Thankfully, Lion King's score balances out the emotional moments while maintaining levity with the action on screen, melding seamlessly with the viewer from scene to scene.
and for the record, the vocal tracks are awesome; Be Prepared still has to be outdone by any other Disney villain song--fite me