The Lion King is a long awaited Disney Live Action remake of the 1994 animated film. This is the third Live Action remake of 2019. While Aladdin was a crowd pleaser, read more about that here, Dumbo was a frightening disappointment that can be read here. This leaves the jury out on what exactly to expect walking into The Lion King.
The film follows Simba (voiced by JD McCrary as young Simba and Donald Glover as adult Simba) on his bumpy journey from cub to king. The plot keeps to the same story line as the original (an evil uncle, a murder, new friends and new ideas, and the quest back home). The visuals are striking and the picture is sharp, transporting viewers to the perfect African scene. An audible sigh in awe was echoed through the theater at the first look at baby Simba. Scar was perfectly villainous in looks and voice (I get the impression his spirit human is Snape from Harry Potter).
Movie goer and Disney lover, Teresa, shares her thoughts on the remake. “Oh my gosh, I love it! It is so cute. It has the perfect amount of cheesy but still follows the original. Seth Rogen is the perfect Pumba.” The adaptations are heard in the dialogue oppose to story line adjustments. Timon and Pumba going back and forth between “I can’t!” gives the right amount of touch in the 2019 film. The film also squeezes in a Beauty and the Beast reference towards the end, see if you can recognize it! Perhaps underestimated as a smaller supporting role was Zazu. John Oliver is the perfect voice to Zazu, the bird (hornbill specifically, I looked it up for you) that claims watch for the King. Echoing Teresa, Seth Rogen was equally hilarious in his role as Pumba.
The film is a great story about bravery, and learning the balance between responsibility and enjoying life as is, aka hakuna matata. The classic fan favorite songs were back and more powerful than ever (thank you queen Bey). This movie will be sticking around for weeks to come.
Movie times: click here
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama
Run Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Director: Danny Boyle
Voice Actors: Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Seth Rogen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Rating: PG for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements .
