REVIEW: Disney’s The Lion King is a Visually Stunning Reboot
A young cub named Simba was first introduced to the world in 1994 when The Lion King premiered. 25 years later, Simba is being reintroduced, but not in the way many would have expected. When The Lion King first paraded onto screens, it was an instant animated masterpiece. Filled with fantastic characters and catchy music, Disney had another magic film to add to their vault. Jon Favreau brings this new version of our favorite characters to life using photorealistic computer animation.
The story is exactly as the original, aside from one minor change. Favreau and his team opted to not take any major risks with this movie and stuck to the animated classic, almost frame by frame. Simba (voiced by JD McCrary) is, once again, forced to flee his home and his pride after the death of his father. During his time away, he grows up and must come to terms with who he is and the responsibilities he has as king of the pridelands.
Jon Favreau’s The Lion King is visually stunning. From the movement of the animals to the swaying of the brush, it feels like you are watching an episode of Planet Earth and not a fictional movie. Favreau surpasses the photorealistic work he did in the Jungle Book and has set the bar for all future photorealistic films.
Favreau and his team stay away from anything seeming like a risk with the storyline. Instead trying to elaborate on certain plot points or add new, fresh takes to the storyline the team chose to play it safe. There are some changes in the dialogue and there is a new song from Beyoncé called, “Spirited” featured in the movie. Other than that it feels like you are watching the same movie from 1994, just with different voices. Unlike previous reimaginings of classic Disney films where the magic came from the new additions, the lack of freshness in The Lion King keeps it from being truly stellar.
Donald Glover and Beyoncé lead the star-studded cast as the voices of the adult versions of Simba and Nala. The two sound great when singing, yet it is hard to not think that you are listening to Glover and Beyoncé when you hear Simba and Nala speak. Chiwetel Ejiofor brings to life Simba’s Uncle Scar and does a fantastic job. Chiwetel manages to create his own version of the character and it is fantastic.
James Earl Jones brings the nostalgia as he returns to voice the original King of Pride Rock, Mufasa while Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner steal the movie as Pumbaa and Timon. These two are absolutely fantastic as everyone’s favorite warthog and meerkat. A number of their lines in the movie were improvised which makes their performance even better.
Disney’s The Lion King is beautifully brought to life and will have many audience goers strolling down memory lane. Was the movie absolutely necessary to remake? No, but if you choose to go see it this weekend it will be an enjoyable time.
Grade: B+