Disney’s “The Lion King,” directed and produced by Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), with visual effects by three-time Oscar winner Rob Legato ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone"), was – in a word – amazing. Within the first five minutes, you truly believe the realistic-looking jungle animals can talk and sing – serious kudos to the visual effects team. The film is hilarious and includes several nods to the original animated version that brought about several bouts of spontaneous applause from the audience. From James Earl Jones (Mufasa) to John Oliver (Zazu) to Beyoncé (Nala), this film is chock full of amazing talent, including Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) and Billy Eichner (Timon), the best friends of Simba, played by JD McCrary (cub) and Donald Glover (adult lion), respectively.

Of special note, to celebrate the release of Disney’s “The Lion King,” the Walt Disney Company has launched their Protect the Pride worldwide conservation campaign to raise awareness of the crisis facing lions and other wildlife across Africa. Disney has already donated more than $1.5 million to the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund and invites fans to help double that donation by purchasing special-edition products as part of “The Lion King” Protect the Pride campaign.

Disney’s “The Lion King” releases in theaters on July 19.