Lion King was never on my list, but my parents really wanted to see it, so I took them out a few months ago ffor my dad's birthday. A few seconds into the opening number, I was openly weeping in my seat and my parents were SO confused. There's something so sweeping and emotional about it - it's really worth the experience, IMO.
Of course, the rest of the show doesn't quite live up to that, but all in all, it was a fun night out. As someone who went with very low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised.