Review: Disney’s remake of The Lion King is stunning and impressive
It lacks some of the magic of the original, but it’s a story that’s powerful and the animation is amazing…
★★★★☆
After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery. (IMDb)
Is a photo-realistic animated remake of Disney classic The Lion King really necessary? Arguably not. But when you see what director Jon Favreau has created with this film, you can’t help but be impressed. It’s a major leap forward when it comes to animation, and is unsurprisingly spectacular and powerful. It boasts the same music and many of the same lines of dialogue, and yet it feels more worthwhile other shot-for-shot remakes (I’m looking at you, Beauty and the Beast) through strong voice performances and the compelling state-of-the-art visuals. This is an entertaining and modern update of this timeless tale, and it exists as something supplementary rather than a replacement to the first version. It’ll definitely find a lot of fans in kids who may have not watched the 1994 animated original too. If you do a direct comparison between the two, though, it’s obviously not much of a contest. The original has far more expressive character designs, more iconic lines and memorable moments, and an emotional richness that it’s difficult to surpass. It’s among the greatest classic animated films from Disney, so while the new one is surprisingly great and definitely an entertaining and stirring film, it isn’t as magical as the existing version of the story.
Back to the Pride Lands
From the very start, you’ll definitely have a sense that this is very similar to what we’ve all already seen, but I think most viewers will also be absolutely floored by the detail and quality of the animation. This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and is groundbreaking in the same way that Avatar was. And while the characters do look completely real, it’s a surprise and a delight to realise how much fun they still are to watch. There’s a good reason this story has stood the test of time. The Lion King is also clearly not exactly the same as the ’90s one, it’s about half an hour longer and adds multiple scenes to bring more depth to its characters. You’ll notice there are more scenes establishing the relationship between Mufasa and Simba, and certain parts of the story have been altered slightly or expanded. In general, though, it sticks to the formula of the original because it knows that it works.
It’s a sleek and compelling retelling
How much you feel that Disney remakes are a creatively bankrupt endeavour will affect how you feel about the end result of this one. But it’s hard to argue that it isn’t very skilfully produced and polished. The story flows well, has a good pace to it, and bits that are funny or emotional hit home exactly as they’re intended to. The importance of the presence of James Earl Jones as Mufasa can’t be understated. He brings so much gravitas and power to this whole thing through his voice. The rest of the voice cast is also tremendous, and even if you’re opposed to the photorealistic look, the compelling performances will hold your attention. Chiwitel Ejiofor brings an expected Shakespearean menace to Scar, Billy Eichner is a standout as Timon (who gets new jokes and is probably one of the most enjoyable characters to watch), and both Beyoncé Knowles and Donald Glover do excellent work as the older versions of Nala and Simba (the young actors in those roles, Shahadi Wright Joseph and JD McCrary, are also wonderful too).
Hakuna Matata
The temptation is always there to compare Jon Favreau’s Lion King to the original, but it’s going to come up short every time when looked at in that way. If you attempt to consider it as just a film in its own right, or something that’s more supplemental to the original, it’s pretty solid and entertaining. It doesn’t really put a foot wrong in any major way, and the songs, rousing music, voice cast and stunning animation help make it nearly as powerful. It’s a thrilling and exciting piece of big screen spectacle, and while it may not necessarily have all the magic, energy and wonder that its predecessor does, it’s still diverting and compelling. It’s a strange and unusual beast of a movie, but I think it’s not one that you’ll regret watching. Above all else, the visual impact of this film is astonishing and needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible to be believed.
Verdict
It’s really good. You’ll miss some of the original’s magic, but the animation is stunning and the voice cast is perfect. The emotional bits still hit home too.
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