The Lion King is a 2019 an adventure story about a young lion cub prince who flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.
It’s safe to say that of the many highly influential and iconic films in the Disney canon, 1994’s award-winning animated film The Lion King is easily one of – it not the – most beloved they ever made. I watched it in theaters on release and several times since in various formats right up to a few nights ago to sort of prep myself for the remake, and it still moves me. The art style, the voice acting, the music, the set pieces, the balance of drama and comedy … it’s a true masterpiece, and hence feels a little untouchable in terms of doing it again. Yet, that’s where we are and I think that’s important to say. We are in a different time and young audiences (and surely older, too) expect more out of their animated films, the medium growing to this weird state of ultra realism that by its very nature strips away the very reason that makes animation so fun, its ability to not be real.
The Lion King of today is, like its predecessor, a magnificent looking spectacle, the new film directed by Jon Favreau – who brought us the very successful The Jungle Book, itself also a remake of a Disney classic – a stirring piece of computer-generated art that is almost breathtaking to watch, the entire film’s greatest achievement its remarkable authenticity. These look so much like genuine African animals in their natural habitat it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference. And while that is incredibly awe-inspiring to see on the big screen – knowing that gifted CGI artists created such things – it is also where the movie finds it first stumble, the filmmaker’s unwavering commitment to realism making the very moment one of these creatures open their mouths to talk look more than a little awkward. Animals can’t speak like humans of course, nor express with emotion the way we do so while they look sensationally true to life in nearly everything they do, they are hopelessly false looking when trying to use words. But I quibble.
Here’s the story, though surely you know it. A lion cub named Simba (voiced young by JD McCrary) is born into royalty, the son of the King of Pride Rock, Mufasa (voiced again by James Earl Jones). He knows one day he will be king and learns as well that his best friend, a girl cub named Nala (voiced young by Shahadi Wright Joseph) will be his queen. However, Uncle Scar (voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor) isn’t all that happy and schemes to unseat his brother and take the throne. He does this by partnering with the evil hyenas, who lead a herd of wildebeests into a gorge where little Simba is trapped, luring Mustafa in for help. The king dies, betrayed by Scar, and Simba runs away, believing he is to blame for the loss of his father. Out in the wilds, the cub is soon befriended by a warthog named Pumbaa (voiced by Seth Rogen) and a meerkat named Timon (voiced by Billy Eichner), teaching him a new philosophy on life. Simba grows into a strong adult (voiced by Donald Glover), feeling free of his guilt until one day Nala (voiced as an adult by Beyoncé) finds him and tells him how Scar has taken over and ruined the pridelands. Now all Simba needs is the courage to stand up and take back his rightful place as king but needs help from his friends to save the day.
It’s not exactly a shot-for-shot remake though a lot of it is close, some of the songs reworked and resung, many familiar scenes tweaked and given some spin, so purest who have been against this from the start will have plenty of fuel to ignite their fires. I’ll admit, I was not all that happy with some of the changes but twenty-five years of adoration for one thing, seeing it turned into something else, is hard to not be shaken by. If you are a fan of the first, it’s going to be jarring. These are legendary characters given new skins and voices and to see and hear them as such feels, well, strange. If you’re new to The Lion King then this won’t be a problem and in fact, this very well could be as impactful for those of us who were so touched by the original.
Somehow though, I doubt it. The larger problem with this new movie is its timing. Feeling as if the producers worked too hard to try and put their stamp on something new, they linger on iconic moments too long, miss the punch of the jokes made famous in the other, and generally overwork the movie to excess. It hurts the pacing and the fun. There are two big laughs that are well earned but the rest of the movie is somewhat static. And that’s because the animals, forced to be rigidly authentic, have no capacity for personality. They can’t dance and swing about, they can’t raise their arms and make goofy expressions, they can’t roll their eyes, smirk, giggle, or stick out their tongues. They can’t be funny. And so, they aren’t human, which is what the animated film layered so well into these characters. We could identify with them in way that’s impossible here. Yes, little Simba is achingly adorable and King Mustafa is spine-tinglingly impressive, but they are lions, straight up, and with their mouths sort of opening and closing in sync with words, it looks off-putting.
Additionally, this is a dark and violent movie, no blood, but much more aggressive than its source. The rousing last battle is extended to include a fight with the females and ends up trapping itself in a corner doing so, but it’s potentially very scary for young eyes. However, there is much to celebrate as well, with the aforementioned wildebeest stampede again, simply jaw-dropping, and the reuse of Hans Zimmer‘s thunderous and deeply emotional score absolutely the best thing going. This music back in theaters is a treat all its own. The Lion King is entirely unnecessary but there’s nothing half-hearted about it, the team clearly, lovingly, pouring everything they have into it. It’s deeply flawed but it’s warm and at the very least progressive.