There's little here to recommend.
When you remake a classic, it has to be better or it will seem very unnecessary to the original audience. "Different" just is not quite good enough.
The 2016 remake of The Jungle Book is a great example. It took the original movie and breathed new life into the story with charm. I liked it more than I ever did the traditionally animated version.
In comparison, this version of The Lion King is the same, but updated. And those updates felt worse, almost each and every time.
The computer animation is certainly impressive in its photorealisim, but the characters were uniformly less charming and interesting as a result. The elephant graveyard is no longer terrifying. Pride Rock is much less majestic. The savannah seems sparse and empty.
The songs were anemic and underwhelming compared to the original soundtrack, which is one of the best Disney ever produced. The new version of "Be Prepared" would have fared better being left out of the movie entirely.
The new voice actors ranged from passable to forgettable. It was jarring seeing the incredibly realistic animals' mouths moving in speech.
Positives? Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner were amusing as Timon and Pumbaa. Realistic hyenas are certainly scarier and more menancing than cartoons.
If I had never seen the original Lion King. I would have though this was an okay, if unremarkable movie that looks more like a showcase for how far computer animation has come in rendering realistic-looking animals. If you see it, see it for that reason. I don't think I'll fell compelled to ever watch this version of the movie ever again.
The 2016 remake of The Jungle Book is a great example. It took the original movie and breathed new life into the story with charm. I liked it more than I ever did the traditionally animated version.
In comparison, this version of The Lion King is the same, but updated. And those updates felt worse, almost each and every time.
The computer animation is certainly impressive in its photorealisim, but the characters were uniformly less charming and interesting as a result. The elephant graveyard is no longer terrifying. Pride Rock is much less majestic. The savannah seems sparse and empty.
The songs were anemic and underwhelming compared to the original soundtrack, which is one of the best Disney ever produced. The new version of "Be Prepared" would have fared better being left out of the movie entirely.
The new voice actors ranged from passable to forgettable. It was jarring seeing the incredibly realistic animals' mouths moving in speech.
Positives? Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner were amusing as Timon and Pumbaa. Realistic hyenas are certainly scarier and more menancing than cartoons.
If I had never seen the original Lion King. I would have though this was an okay, if unremarkable movie that looks more like a showcase for how far computer animation has come in rendering realistic-looking animals. If you see it, see it for that reason. I don't think I'll fell compelled to ever watch this version of the movie ever again.
- lewiskendell
- Jul 21, 2019