The Lion King

1994 · directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff · 89 min

28,044 feet · Prominence

14th of 15,261 films scored

Not coveredThe 14th highest film on the mountain, and The Rewatchables has never done it.

How this film scores

Draw86

$763m worldwide in 1994 — $1.70bn in today's money.

As released$763mIn 2026 money$1.70bnRank36 of 8,589In 19941 of 155

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise92

Critics 90, awards 35. Half each, so Praise lands at 92.

Critics90 → 45Awards35 → 18

Oscars1 won Original Score

Golden Globes1 won Motion Picture

How Praise works

Half critics, half a tiered award record where Picture and Directing carry most of the weight. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy88

Judged directly: Generational, and a Broadway institution.

Verdict88 of 100IMDb8.5 from 1.2mWikipedia91k views a monthAge32 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 31 of 3,430 films judged

89Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

89Annie Hall (1977)

88The Exorcist (1973)

88Saving Private Ryan (1998)

88The Godfather Part II (1974)

88Spirited Away (2001)

88The Lion King (1994)

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 86 praise 92 legacy 88averages 89, which places it at28,044 ft

How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

No scored career runs through this film yet. The people-side engine currently covers 108careers, and this film’s cast sits outside them. Top billing: Matthew Broderick, Moira Kelly, Jeremy Irons, Nathan Lane.