The Lion King (2019)

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Regarding the Disney Renaissance of animated features, one cannot deny the success of 'The Lion King.' It was always my favourite of the animated classics, and it is abundantly clear from the Box Office numbers this particular film provided that I'm not alone. It's the first of these Disney "live-action" (I mean, this is 99% CG, save, apparently, for the opening 'Circle of Life' sequence) remakes to reach the Top 10 box office opening weekends (domestically), and it still holds its spot at #10, at least for the time being.

Regarding plot, this is precisely the same story we know from the 1994 film. Simba (JD McCrary/Donald Glover), a lion cub and heir of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones), is excited about one day becoming King. However, his evil uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) plans to usurp the throne with the help of a group of hyenas, Kamari (Keegan-Michael Key), Azizi (Eric André), and their leader, Shenzi (Florence Kasumba); Shezi being the only hyena whose character remained the same from the animated version.

Simba becomes exiled from his home at Pride Rock, and shortly thereafter, he meets up with a meerkat named Timon (Billy Eichner) and a warthog named Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), who both teach him how to live his life with "no worries." Hence, he does, turning his back on Pride Rock and his kingdom, choosing to grow up with a simplified life of laziness and bug-eating. But when things get bad back home, Simba's childhood friend, Nala (Shahadi Wright Joseph/Beyoncé), and a mandrill named Rafiki (John Kani) try to remind Simba about just who he is and where he's from to convince him to come back home.

It's funny to think about how I criticized 'Beauty and the Beast' for its "copy + paste" technique when, even in that movie, they still tried a new thing or two. Even though I met 'The Lion King' with a lukewarm reception, as I got what I expected, I can say honestly that I'd get the same movie (save a character change or two) with the '94 animated version. Everything here is just a CG upgrade that works better on the big screen than the small one, and its look is unique. But that's all this has going for it.

Where this movie dips for me is in the songs. The originals are better, both in sound and visuals, which may sound odd, considering a massive CG upgrade. For the best example, 'I Just Can't Wait to Be King' used to be bright, colourful, playful, and fun, but now it's just Simba and Nala running around with different animals. There's no "punch" to the sequence. 'Be Prepared' also comes across as half-assed, at least to me, a massive fan of the original song. The only real upgrade here is in Timon and Pumbaa's delivery of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight.' Otherwise, all songs in the original are better.

The way I see it, if the original had never existed and this came out as a whole new thing, I would see it as nothing short of excellence. But with the original being such a staple of my early life, helping me get through some of my worst days at school, it's kinda tricky to see this adaptation of the story and not miss some of what the original had to offer, particularly during musical sequences, and even character personalities, which is the problem with using realistic animals for a story like this. A lot of the time, these characters are physically expressionless.

My opinions on this movie are biased, as the original film was essential to my life. I can still go back to the '94 version of this story and get goosebumps as it surrounds me in great music, comedy, and nostalgia, like a cozy blanket. This adaptation could never have the same effect on me. This film is still good for what it is and introduces the story to a new generation. But in my humble opinion, there's no substitute for that original, which I can still happily watch today with a "Hakuna Matata" mindset.

3/5

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