The
animated 1994 classic The Lion King has always been one of my favourite films.
I watch it when I need cheering up, when I’m sick or if I feel like watching
something fun. So, when Disney announced that it was going to be their newest live-action
remake I was so excited, but also a little apprehensive. The re-makes so far have
been good, each one bringing something new from the original tale that it is
based on and expanding their original animated counterparts. But The Lion
King doesn’t really have source material. It’s loosely based on Hamlet
but there isn’t much room to expand the story. Either way, it was one of my
most anticipated films this year.
I
have to say, despite my concerns, The Lion King blows all the other live-action
remakes out of the water. It was incredible. They pretty much stuck to the
original story they had created in 1994 and it worked! They added a few new details and changed some
parts but everything thing they did change worked so well that it doesn’t
matter that it’s different from the animated version.
The
acting was superb and on point. Donald Glover was the perfect choice for adult
Simba with his laid-back but vulnerable personality and Beyoncé brought some
depth to the role of Nala. The voices of young Simba and Nala were done by JD
McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph. The playfulness and innocence they brought
to the role was perfect and really highlighted the fact that they are just
young kid, messing around and getting into trouble. Getting James Earl Jones
back for the role of Mufasa was the best decision by Disney. Having him reprise
his iconic role brought a dose of nostalgia to this new version that tied the
whole thing up so well.
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Two
of the standout characters in the animated version are the beloved Timon and
Pumbaa. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan did a stand-up job of voicing these two misfits.
Some of the iconic lines from the original came from these two and Eichner and
Rogan managed to make the characters their own and create some new iconic
moments. One of the most iconic lines from the original is at the end when
Timon and Pumbaa are used as live bait. Timon says ‘What do you want me to do? Dress
in drag and do the hula?!’ That line was allegedly improvised by Nathan Lane,
the original voice of Timon, so before I saw the film, I was hoping they wouldn’t
use that again and let the actors try something of their own. Seeing Timon and
Pumbaa singing the beginning of Be Our Guest to the hyenas was a highlight
of the film for me!
Another
stand out character in this film was Scar portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Everyone loves Simba’s evil uncle and in this new version, he was even more menacing!
Scar is such a complex character and that was really shown this time around. He was
dark and disturbing but also showed he was a coward and a bit spineless. He
makes promises to the hyenas, but then when he gets cornered at the end, he blames
it all on them. He is made to look a bit pathetic, having to get help in order
to overthrow his brother. The version new version of Be Prepared is so
chilling. You can hear the anger in his voice and slowing it down so it’s more
of a speech was a genius idea as it allows you to really listen to the words
and makes it so much darker and menacing.
I
think my favourite song in this film was I Just Can’t Wait To Be King. I
love the playfulness and innocence of this scene with Simba and Nala running
around with all the baby animals at the waterhole, trying to hide from Zazu. All
the songs were brilliant new versions. Though I do wish that in Can You Feel
the Love Tonight Donald Glover and Beyoncé’s voices were a bit more evenly
matched. They blended well together, and the song was beautiful as always, but Beyoncé’s
voice was a bit louder on the track so you couldn’t hear Glover as well in some
parts.
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There
were a lot of people when this film was announced, saying it can’t be called a
live-action film where there are no humans in it, just CGI animals. But they
did one hell of a job with the CGI and the backgrounds! It was visually stunning
and looked just like something you would find on a nature documentary. The attention
to detail was unreal and you can tell that a lot of love went into creating
this film. It made you get lost in the story and forget about the real world
outside of the cinema. And that is the sign of a fantastic film.
There
were a couple of things I wish they had added in. I was really hoping to get a
bit of background on Scar and Mufasa’s relationship but there wasn’t much of it
mentioned. Apart from that I absolutely loved it and it is now my favourite
live-action Disney has done to date. As soon as I heard the opening notes to Circle of Life I had a massive smile on my face. everything about this film was fantastic and I highly recommend going to see it as it will not disappoint!
Rating: 4 out of 5
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