By who? Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 88%. 7.0 out of 10 from users on IMDb. $1.6 billion worldwide gross.
But then again, you're moving the goalposts. The original conversation was if Elton John could criticize the music. Now it's moved into "is this a classic" conversation. I never...
And the point is what, exactly? "All" he did was write the music. Elton John has a right to like or not like it. I never said he didn't. But just because he's not fond of it doesn't mean this version is any less valid than the Broadway show, the version that plays at Disney's Animal Kingdom or...
I am a fan of both versions, but I do like the animated better. But they're both 100% valid interpretations of the story and the dissing of the new (or the old, depending on who is talking) is silly as heck. Just because I like my homemade garlic bread better than my mother's doesn't mean hers...