With Dumbo and Aladdin in the same calendar year already, it is clear that Disney is doubling down on their live-action remakes. This time, it’s arguably Disney’s most beloved animated film, the Lion King. Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and The Jungle Book, once again helms the latest Disney remake.
FYI, this is an animated film and if it does get nominated for ‘Best Animated Film’ at the Academy Awards, don’t be shocked. There is nothing “live-action” in this incarnation of the Lion King and everything is CGI, including the landscape.
Positives
Does it really have to be said? The visual effects are absolutely revolutionary and not just the actual animals themselves but also the scenery. This is a gorgeous film to look at, with excellent production design, cinematography, filmmaking, etc. I mean, just look at the images below. This is photo-realism taken to the max level. These aren’t real animals trained to behave a certain way but fully computer-generated!! Absolutely astonishing and game-changing! This movie is definitely deserving of any, and all, visual effect accolades.
Despite the terrific color palette, this movie felt dull until Timon and Pumbaa show up. The fan-favorites, voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, are absolutely terrific and have excellent chemistry. They add a much-needed jolt of energy to this lifeless film and their banter is absolutely fun to watch. If only, they had more to do…
James Earl Jones is once again excellent as Mufasa. His commanding presence permeates all the scenes he’s in. Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose name I still need to copy-paste from Google, is surprisingly good as Scar and is just the right amount of menacing and conniving. The hyenas, who were portrayed as idiots and a big joke in the 1994 animated version, are far more realized and terrifying in this new one.
Negatives
The biggest problem of the remake is that it’s extremely unnecessary. It’s essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the beloved 1994 animated film with very little additions, which is why I am extremely disappointed by it. There is absolutely zero narrative changes and is arguably the least-risky remake Disney has produced so far. I know some people will be pleased to learn that Disney didn’t tinker with the existing source material but for me, doing something a little different and potentially failing is more appealing than not taking any creative risks at all.
Speaking of the characters, most of them still don’t have much to do. The adult versions of Simba and Nala, voiced by Donald Glover and Beyoncé respectively, are given far less-screentime and don’t seem to have the level of emotion they should. It’s probably a little sacrilegious to say but here I go – Nala was a pretty under-developed character in the original film too. By adding Beyoncé, I was really hoping for more characterization for Nala but alas, we don’t get more. This is especially disconcerting considering Naomi Scott’s Jasmine in the Aladdin remake had a much better, more progressive arc than her animated counterpart.
The degree of verisimilitude to create the most realistic-looking animals is also one of the problems as the creatures don’t emote much and are far less expressive than their ‘animated’ counterparts. This is an issue the Jungle Book didn’t have. Even though the animals looked pretty realistic, they also had an ‘animated’ feel to them. The Lion King goes all-in for the utmost-realism but suffers a little, as a result.
Rating – Not A Recommendation
I can’t help but echo what I’ve been hearing from most critics. It is a “soulless” remake that has nothing original to offer. Aside from the stellar visuals and charming friendship/banter between Timon and Pumbaa, the 2019 Lion King is just another corporate-produced retelling of a beloved film that simply exists as a cash-grab.
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