Disney's recent mission to recreate the magic of their classic animated films in an updated, live-action (or satisfactorily life-like CGI) format has left both critics and consumers divided. As a whole, The Lion King (2019) appears to be a shot-for-shot remake in which Jon Favreau rarely deviates from the original's pacing and cinematography. Even the score, by Hans Zimmer, is identical with the only exceptions being the rather impressive duet-cover of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Donald Glover and Beyoncé, as well as her original song "Spirit", a short, yet invigorating interlude for Simba's return to the pride lands.
This simple repackaging of content that is nearing a quarter-century in age has incited extreme disappointment in the more stringent fans of the original film and the hit Broadway adaptation, which has since become a mainstay in modern theatre. To be frank, The Lion King (2019) is, much like their less spectacular reskins Aladdin (2019) and Dumbo (2019), an obvious cash-grab from Disney. Because of this, The Lion King (2019) suffers the same fate of being an ironically less aesthetically impressive movie with severe shortcomings in cast performances.
The stunning CGI visuals of the remade film immediately sends chills down your spine as the haze of an orange-red sun ascends from the vast horizon alongside the seminal sound of the Zulu-sung "Circle of Life". My jaw immediately dropped upon my initial viewing of the opening scene. Then the nostalgia wore off. Unfortunately, this wondrous surprise and appreciation quickly fizzled out as I began to be ineffably unable to suspend disbelief. It may sound silly, to be suspended of disbelief in a children's movie about talking animals, but the 1994 original was successful in that feat, enthralling even an adult me in its world of stunning, psychedelic sequences, and tragic, bawl-your-eyes-out death scenes. Ironically the so-called "live-action" remake lacked characters able to emote, move naturally about their set, and communicate to the audience emotional cues that the original, animated cast, delivered seamlessly. It may seem petty to complain that lifelike lions aren't quite as able to emote in a human fashion as well as artificial, nearly-anthropomorphic renderings, however, it becomes a crippling blow in a movie that attempts to envelop you in its emotional themes of family, lineage, and the Circle of Life. In certain scenes, especially those with the hyenas present, it feels and looks unnatural to see the animal characters' mouths inextricably unable to match the performances of the voice actors.
As a whole, the performances, and musical performances from the new cast came across as lackluster and unspectacular, the only exception being "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", in which the Gambino-yoncé duet killed it. The most notable deficit was the lost magic in Young Simba's performance of "Just Can't Wait to Be King", and the scene in which adult Simba has the vision of his father in the sky. In the original, one can't really tell if the exaggerated animal characters and psychedelic colors are signs of Simba's lively imagination and dream of reigning after his father, or reality. This same magic and imagination are lost, replaced by weaker, more technically simple choreography that lacks the same intrigue. Similarly, Rafiki's scene where he re-introduces Simba to his father, reminding him the kings of the past are never truly lost, is instead replaced by a visually stunning CGI visage of Mufasa. Visually this change is a win, yet it fails to muddle the line between reality and Simba's mental landscape, hindering the emotional connection between him and the audience. This pattern of lost magic, in tandem with the voice performances of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, and Billy Eichner as Timon, unfortunately, leave the remake unable to keep up with its predecessor. The new-gen actors were simply unable to match the ground-breaking performances from Jeremy Irons (Scar) and Nathan Lane (Timon). This gap was most notable in the notorious "Be Prepared" scene, in which the old film's fiery, green-hued, evil anthem was replaced by a weak chant and underwhelming whisper performance from Ejiofor. Similarly, with Timon in the remake, the playful sarcastic nature was maintained but lacked the same comedic power Nathan Lane commanded. Fortunately for Disney, the saving graces were Seth Rogen's surprisingly lovable portrayal of Pumbaa and James Earl Jones' near obligate return to the mantle of the lion king, Mufasa.
As a whole, the movie was worth the price of admission for simply being able to relive a childhood favorite with modern graphical power but fails to keep up with the 1994 original. Instead, Disney uses a star-studded cast as a crutch for a film hollow of the magic that emblazoned the original as a cult-classic.
