This is the one I've been waiting for. Since September 2016, after the success of The Jungle Book live action remake, when it was announced Disney would be remaking one of its most iconic animated films of all time, The Lion King, and it would also be directed by Jon Favreau, this is the one I've been waiting for. The long-awaited live action remake of The Lion King is finally here. However, this one is different from every other remake that's been done so far, and there's a heated debated over words like live action and animation. But I'll get into those later.
I'll give a brief recap for anyone who has been living under a rock for the past twenty-five years. Yes, The Lion King came out twenty-five years ago! With its ground-breaking animation, powerful story, lovable characters and award-winning music, The Lion King is a Disney film that is just as popular today as it ever was. A lion cub and heir to be king, Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) is tricked by his uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) into thinking he is responsible for his father Mufasa's (James Earl Jones) death. He grows up away from the pride, but makes two friends: a warthog Pumba (Ernie Sabella) and a meerkat Timon (Nathan Lane). Eventually, Simba must return home and defend his family against his uncle.
The preview gave us a lot of screen shots that are nearly mirror images of the original film. The red paint being swiped across the brow of Simba, indicating he is the chosen one. Simba being held up and presented to all the animals who reside near Pride Rock. Simba, Timon and Pumba walking across the log in the moonlight. The epic battle between Scar and Simba. It's all there. While Favreau has promised to pay great tribute to the original 1994 film, he also said that the 2019 version will have it's own unique take on the classic story. The tribute was definitely there, though the differences between the versions were subtle as this modern remake was nearly identical from scene to scene throughout. They were subtle, but important and helped to make this a whole new classic. Slight modern twists to the classic songs, a little more modern dialogue, an Easter Egg to Beauty and the Beast, were all welcomed revisions.
While Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture in 1991, the Best Animated Feature category didn't exist until 2002 for films released in 2001. However, The Lion King was recognized and awarded greatly for it's music. It was nominated for three original songs and original score and won 2 academy awards. Hans Zimmer has returned to remake his award winning original score for the film. And Tim Rice and Elton John have both returned for updates to their classic songs like Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata.
While Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture in 1991, the Best Animated Feature category didn't exist until 2002 for films released in 2001. However, The Lion King was recognized and awarded greatly for it's music. It was nominated for three original songs and original score and won 2 academy awards. Hans Zimmer has returned to remake his award winning original score for the film. And Tim Rice and Elton John have both returned for updates to their classic songs like Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata.
And the legendary, iconic James Earl Jones returned to provide the unmistakable deep, regal sound of Mufasa. He was be accompanied by an all-star cast of characters like Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce Knowles as Nala, Seth Rogan as Pumba, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, and John Oliver as Zazu. Beyonce also contributed a new song in the movie that fit perfectly and seamlessly.
Favreau really took the Disney remakes to a whole new level and set the bar of realism through the roof with his live action remake of The Jungle Book. But there's a difference in The Lion King. In fact, there's something different that makes The Lion King unique from all of the live action remakes to date: there's no live action in this one. In Jungle Book, Mowgli and a few small set pieces were the only things that were not created by a computer; but it was executed to near perfection earning a 4.5 Star rating in my review. In Favreau's Lion King, all of it was created by a computer. So critics are reluctant to call it live action, but Favreau doesn't want it to be called animation. Whatever you call it, the preview looked absolutely amazing. They might have to create a new category of awards for these types of realistic movies through computer graphics.
Often times, the animation or CGI is so good that the slightest flaw will take you immediately out of the movie and distract you from the film. I hope this makes sense, but The Lion King was so absolutely perfect that it distracted me for much of the film. I went in fully aware that absolutely nothing on the screen was real. The water, the trees, the animals, the sky, the fire, none of it was real. And I found myself physically shaking my head in disbelief that the entire movie was completely realistic. I often got chills at the beauty and detail in addition to the tragic story and enchanting songs.
Often times, the animation or CGI is so good that the slightest flaw will take you immediately out of the movie and distract you from the film. I hope this makes sense, but The Lion King was so absolutely perfect that it distracted me for much of the film. I went in fully aware that absolutely nothing on the screen was real. The water, the trees, the animals, the sky, the fire, none of it was real. And I found myself physically shaking my head in disbelief that the entire movie was completely realistic. I often got chills at the beauty and detail in addition to the tragic story and enchanting songs.
I remember when they first "mastered" hair in animated films with Sully in Monsters, Inc. Well, Jon Favreau seems to be the master of bringing the world to life through computer graphic. I gave The Lion King 2019 a hopeful 5.0 Star Rating based on the preview and the film did not disappoint. I laughed out loud, I shook my head in disbelief, I got goose bumps and I loved every second of this movie. It not only compliments the 1994 animated film, this movie stands alone as its own unique and modern classic. I am proud to give The Lion King 2019 a perfect 5 Star Rating. So, what movie will be on my mind next? We shall see.
