The Lion King (2019)

Voices of: Donald Glover, Beyonce, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones, John Oliver, John Kani, Alfre Woodard, JD McCrary, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Amy Sedaris, Chance the Rapper
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mistakenly believing he is responsible for his father's death, a young lion cub leaves the pride. Years later, he learns that the events surrounding his father's death were more complicated than he knew.

Review:

Tim: Disney's live action remake train keeps on running, and The Lion King may be one of the most ridiculous examples yet. This movie takes an animated movie and gives us a lesser version, with computer-generated animation, instead of hand-drawn. So technically, this is an "live action" animated remake of an animated movie. I'm just shaking my head here while Disney rakes in billions. It's a shame that this movie exists. Jon Favreau actually did a fairly good job with this- the 2019 version is a good movie. However, before anyone starts celebrating, this is a good movie that is a remake of one of the greatest movies of all time. When you look at it that way, this movie pales in comparison. It took the same story, made minor adjustments, and created a film that was significantly worse. People don't care, though, as they continue to flock to theaters.

I didn't hate this movie- it's the same story and much of the same dialogue as the original. That was too strong to create a bad movie. The whole film feels completely redundant (because it is), but it's a good story, memorable characters, and a decent amount of excitement. It's not going to be a terrible film, especially in Jon Favreau's capable hands. It can be good while simultaneously being disappointing. There's so many limitations here with the "realistic" take on the characters. It's actually somewhat boring to see the animals just walking around. It's missing a level of excitement by the constraint of keeping it believable with the animals themselves. "Hakuna Matata" is where this is especially obvious, but it happens throughout the film.

The voice cast was fine- I appreciated that it was a more inclusive, culturally appropriate cast. However, the originals were so iconic in their voice work, most of the performances here don't measure up. You have to give Disney credit for having James Earl Jones once again voice Mustafa. They knew his work couldn't be topped, so they just had him do it again. I'd listen to Jones any time, so no complaints from me. Donald Glover is fine, but he doesn't sound especially enthusiastic about being Simba. I didn't love his performance. Beyonce was okay, but nothing special. Chiwetel Ejiofor did some interesting things with Scar- his voice felt unrecognizable to me. John Oliver was inspired casting for Zazu. I loved Seth Rogen as Pumba and Billy Eichner did decent work as Timon (but I like the original better). Keegan-Michael Key and Alfre Woodard added solid work, too. As a whole, the cast was okay, but not as good as the original cast.

I though it was interesting whenever this film departed from the path of the original. It doesn't happen very often, but it was always welcome. Some of the fight scenes are extended, which was nice. I thought the best moment was the "Aren't you going to stop me? No, I'm not, you disgust me!" exchange. That was hilarious, but it might have been the only moment that felt "better" than the original film. The movie followed the script too closely and didn't really shine more of a light on any of these characters. That felt like a missed opportunity.

The film looks impressive- the computer animation is top notch and was often beautiful. It's hard not to get excited when that first musical note hits at the beginning of "Circle of Life". However, despite great visuals, this story doesn't have the same emotional resonance and impact as the first one. Disney clearly doesn't care, as this movie out-grossed the original (not adjusting for inflation- the original kills this one if you do) and made over half a billion dollars domestic. Still, it's frustrating to watch a good movie that's a remake of a great movie. We've been here before and it better the first time.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Lion King (1994)