For a few weeks now, I’ve been bouncing around on the internet and reading reviews of Disney’s new live action re-make of ‘The Lion King’. The majority of them are not positive. And for the life of me, I just don’t get it.
Granted, different films connect with different individuals for different reasons. For me, ‘The Lion King’ is a personal one; my first born child arrived days after the 1994 original opened in theatres, so there’s a special sentiment with the film – and I suppose that makes my opinion a little biased. But what I can’t figure out – the majority of the criticism…at least, from what I’ve seen….is that it isn’t ‘fresh’ enough. Not enough Beyonce. Doesn’t take chances, etc. etc.
For the record…in my opinion, of course…’The Lion King’ is great BECAUSE it doesn’t blaze new trails. Director Jon Favreau’s picture isn’t supposed to be a groundbreaking new take on an animated classic….it’s a tribute to its greatness. And it succeeds.
Let’s start with the visuals; stunning. A lot of Favreau’s offering is a shot-by-shot re-creation of the original, especially the opening sequence in which the animal kingdom descends on Pride Rock to welcome the new king of the jungle. That was an ambitious scene when it was ANIMATED – now, it’s simply jaw dropping. The music is as good as it’s ever been and – pun intended – doesn’t really skip a beat (even Beyonce belts out an original song, ‘Spirit’.) And the vocal cast is great…dare I say, even a slight improvement from ’94, at least when it comes to Donald Glover and Beyonce inheriting the pipes of adult Simba and Nala, originally from Matthew Broderick and Moira Kelly….yup, in neighborhood, that’s called stepping up a notch. Chiwetel Ejiofor makes for an imposing Scar, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are playful enough to do the heavy comedic lifting as Timon and Pumbaa, and really….how could you possibly do this WITHOUT James Earl Jones as Mufasa, one of cinematic history’s most underrated performances. Bringing him back was the only way to go. (How good is Jones? How often do you think, in watching either version of ‘The Lion King’, “hey, that’s Darth Vader”. You probably don’t. Cue microphone drop.)
But above all else, Favreau captures the emotion of what has always been a stunning achievement. This is a ravishingly gorgeous piece of work that, twenty five years later, still resonates. And for those who don’t agree?
Hakuna Matata.
