The Lion King (Dir: Jon Favreau, 2019).
Disney’s reboot binge continues with yet another high tech adaptation of an animated classic, this time renaissance era blockbuster The Lion King (Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff, 1994).
As I am certain you are aware, The Lion King tells the story of young lion and future king Simba (voiced by Donald Glover). Simba's father Mufasa (a returning James Earl Jones) is killed by his brother and Simba's uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Scar leads Simba to believe he is responsible for Mufasa's death and goes into hiding. Believing Simba has been killed by hyenas, Scar takes his place as king of the Pride Lands. However, Simba is rescued by comic relief duo meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). When Simba's hideout is discovered by cub-hood pal Nala (Beyoncé) she tells him of his uncle's despotic machinations. The two lions, with Timon and Pumbaa in tow, return to fight Scar and reclaim the crown.
Walt Disney Pictures have been in the lucrative remake business for some years. Inevitably it was only so long before they would turn their attention to their most profitable 2D animation The Lion King. With Jon Favreau announced as director and a distinguished vocal cast attached, it was clear that this 'Hamlet with lions' was in safe hands. Maybe a little too safe, however, as this admittedly highly impressive movie offers few surprises. Still, what worked before works again and there is certainly little to dislike about this retelling.
As I am certain you are aware, The Lion King tells the story of young lion and future king Simba (voiced by Donald Glover). Simba's father Mufasa (a returning James Earl Jones) is killed by his brother and Simba's uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Scar leads Simba to believe he is responsible for Mufasa's death and goes into hiding. Believing Simba has been killed by hyenas, Scar takes his place as king of the Pride Lands. However, Simba is rescued by comic relief duo meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). When Simba's hideout is discovered by cub-hood pal Nala (Beyoncé) she tells him of his uncle's despotic machinations. The two lions, with Timon and Pumbaa in tow, return to fight Scar and reclaim the crown.
Walt Disney Pictures have been in the lucrative remake business for some years. Inevitably it was only so long before they would turn their attention to their most profitable 2D animation The Lion King. With Jon Favreau announced as director and a distinguished vocal cast attached, it was clear that this 'Hamlet with lions' was in safe hands. Maybe a little too safe, however, as this admittedly highly impressive movie offers few surprises. Still, what worked before works again and there is certainly little to dislike about this retelling.
As you would expect with Beyoncé and Donald Glover in the cast, the soundtrack is excellent. Their duet on 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' is a particular highlight. The new recordings of the Tim Rice & Elton John compositions are handled beautifully. Arrangements are much the same as before yet the quality of the performances mean they are at least a match for the originals. In many instances I think the more r'n'b infused take on the songs works better than the Broadway-pop of the original. Another musical highlight is the Jackson 5-esq 'I Just Can’t Wait to Be King', given new vigor by JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph as young Simba and Narla respectively, backed up by an astonishingly lifelike chorus of singing and dancing wildlife.
There is, undoubtedly, a lot of fun to be had from watching elaborately staged musical numbers performed by ‘real’ animals. Yet while this is appealing it also can’t help but feel a little like a lavish experiment, rather than a movie experience proper. One drawback of the incredibly photorealistic CGI is it is so lifelike as to make the animals oddly less expressive, resulting in many scenes lacking the emotional weight of the original 2D animation.
Director Jon Favreau was tasked with bringing the movie to 'life' after the blockbuster success of his previous Disney reboot The Jungle Book (J Favreau, 2016). While I am a fan of Favreau’s work as director, the movie so slavishly follows the original that he leaves little of his stamp upon it. Ultimately, the shadow of the original Lion King looms so large over this version that it is hard not to make constant comparisons between the two.
A lot of talent was involved in the making of The Lion King and the result is a good movie. More than that, it is a very impressive movie. But with songs, dialogue and entire scenes lifted from the first film it feels patently unoriginal. Fundamentally, it is the same movie as before, but this time with real fake lions. As such, as great as the production is, this new King is unlikely to usurp the original as your favourite musical Shakespeare adaptation with Lions.
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