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For some reason, I feel so filthy for saying that.

Shalimar Sahota: And there I was, thinking that maybe audiences were turning their backs on 3D. Maybe The Lion King is just one of those films people are happy to view again on the big screen, 3D or not, though personally I find the film to be a little over-rated (it just goes downhill midway through). Makes me wonder if the 3D-re-release of The Phantom Menace next year will open any higher. Following from what Brett highlighted, the TV spots do cleverly advertise the film as "For A Limited Engagement," which could mean anything. By not specifying an actual time period, and having the film open as well as it did, it can only mean that Disney will do a Hannah Montana and play it for as long as people are willing to pay for it.

Edwin Davies: I went to see The Lion King in 3D on Saturday with my sister, and we went solely so that we could experience the film on the big screen for the first time since we were children. Bear in mind that we watched the film literally hundreds of times when we had it on VHS back in the '90s, and as such we could probably quote it back to front. Yet we paid premium prices to see it again because it is such a landmark film for us growing up, and I can only assume that a lot of people who loved the film when they were children, many of whom will now have children of their own, wanted to relive that experience again. The fact that it is in 3D was immaterial. If Disney had re-released The Lion King solely in 2D, with the same two-week only strategy, it still would have won the weekend, because for a certain generation it is a cultural touchstone.

As for the 3D, I don't think it added much to the film itself, but it didn't really hurt the film either. Warning: Technical jargon ahoy. They used a positive parallax 3D process, rather than a negative parallax process, so instead of having the point of focus be outside of the screen, which would involve things and objects coming out at the audience, they have the point of focus lay behind the screen, which gives an impression of depth. It's the more aesthetically pleasing version of 3D - by which I mean it won't give you a throbbing headache all the way through the film - but it's also pointless, because it augments something that the eye and the brain already do; find depth in 2D imagery. I will say, though, that seeing a cleaned up print, projected on to a big screen, with proper theater sound...that was worth the extra price, for me, and I can't say that I walked away from the screening disappointed.

Reagen Sulewski: Something I'm surprised to see this morning is that Disney's stock price is down from Friday close, although I've never claimed to be a finance guru. This instantly adds hundreds of millions of value to the vault items. Not everything is going to be as successful as The Lion King (which as mentioned is their prize possession taking into account inflation) and we're not going to see, say, The Fox and the Hound 3D, but there's no reason they shouldn't be working towards producing one of these a year. Leveraging old content in new ways is a proven gold mine.

Kim Hollis: I think that regular readers here will know that I love animated films, and The Lion King is not just one of my favorite animated films ever, but also one of my favorite *films* ever. Like Edwin, I can quote it front to back with no difficulty at all - and that includes some interlude without having seen the film for probably several years. I was delighted to have the opportunity to see it again on the big screen. The 3D didn't matter a bit in my decision to go to the theater, but it was a nice bonus. I've now seen the film on opening day, when it hit IMAX and now for this re-release. I'd do the same thing for stuff like Spirited Away and Monsters, Inc., for what it's worth. There's just a richness to seeing this stuff on the big screen rather than on a TV - even a really nice HDTV. On top of that, there's something to be said for seeing these sorts of beloved films with like-minded fans. It really does add something special.

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