The Lion King (2019) | Film Review

They Just Couldn’t Wait To Remake King

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of The Lion King, and Disney’s monumental achievement in Africa’s animal politics has continuously stood the cinematic test of time. A simplistic yet Shakespearean story, hand-drawn animation, and an enigmatic score from Hans Zimmer complimented by a soundtrack from Elton John and Tim Rice combined to elevate the film past the barriers normally associated with “cartoons”, instead shot-putting it into the realm of “cinematic masterpiece”, beloved by everyone. With such a storied history stacked with success, it should come as no surprise that Disney and director Jon Favreau have decided to grab the mane of this beast for their current “live-action” remake trend. The question remains: can it live up to the history and magic of the original?

For the uninitiated, The Lion King follows the story of Simba, a spunky lion cub learning what it means to be King of the Pride Lands; a task his illustrious father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones, the only returning voice from the original) has managed for some time. Father and son lessons abound, as Simba desperately pines for his father’s approval by repeatedly placing himself – and even his future Queen, Nala – directly in harm’s way to prove his mettle.

Mufasa’s resentful brother, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor, who fiercely reenacts “Be Prepared” as a modern-day war chant), carries a sense of slight from losing his challenge for the throne years earlier. Understanding Simba’s plight, Scar manipulates the cub into accidentally orchestrating Mufasa’s demise, while simultaneously forcing Simba into fleeing, hiding from the shame of his actions. Taken in by the infectiously hilarious meerkat and warthog duo of Timon and Pumbaa (featuring the voice work perfections of Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, amazingly surpassing the team from the original film), a now grown Simba (Donald Glover) lives a worry-free existence far from the Pride Lands. After Scar and his hyena devotees consume every living thing in the area, forcing her pride to face extinction, Nala (Beyonce) sets off on a quest for help, only to find the long-thought dead Simba living his best life…and needing a reminder of his rightful place on the throne.

If that sounds an awful lot like the 1994 original, that is because writer Jeff Nathanson and director Jon Favreau have essentially adapted that story shot-for-shot. This is not much of an issue though, as the original screenplay was perfectly orchestrated, lending this iteration to focus primarily on bringing the visuals to life.

Be Prepared

Unlike Dumbo and Aladdin, this Disney remake is less live-action and instead more focused on creating an entirely new animation style, with its photorealistic computer generated imagery (CGI) and landscapes supplanting the classical hand-drawn style. It is a stunning and breathtaking achievement, as every lion, caterpillar, and leaf is vividly brought to life. When the various characters – aka animals – are in their natural habitat, it’s akin to enduring a Planet Earth documentary marathon. Each hair and action meticulously detailed, often fooling even the most seasoned filmgoer into believing that maybe lions CAN actually sing and dance.

Of course, that is where reality seeps through the cracks. When animals are prancing or playfully engaging in typical animalistic mannerisms, we’re in awe. Seriously, you will audibly “awwwwww”. But on occasion – especially during Simba and Nala’s otherwise stirring rendition of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight?” – it can be downright hysterical. Photorealistic talking meerkats I can get behind. Sashaying lions contorting their faces to evoke humanistic tics such as attempting to hit that high note, I cannot. Nowhere does the animation style here break more than during this duet, as Simba and Nala pointlessly attempt to outperform each other, but thankfully it’s short-lived. Regardless of a few whiffs during the mostly unnecessary musical numbers (it blended better in the 1994 version, though “Hakuna Matata” remains a rousing success), the CGI at work here should be taken as nothing short of fantastic, indicative of the future possibilities in film.

As far as our actors go, James Earl Jones remains the greatest voice actor in film. Even repeating a performance he has already mastered, he infuses The Lion King with the heart and drive it so desperately needs. Donald Glover and Beyoncé gracefully handle their roles, though surprisingly offer little in the realm of memorable. John Oliver offers a wonderfully on-point turn as the uptight bird-servant, Zazu, and I cannot stress enough how much Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen bring to this film as Timon and Pumbaa.

There was a pivotal moment early on in the film, where a despondent Simba flees due to his overwhelming guilt from his father’s death that was completely whiffed by Favreau and company. We as the audience need to whole-heartedly believe every ounce of this pivotal moment, and it simply does not land. It was such a tragic miss, in fact, that it easily could have lost my personal interest entirely. And then, Timon and Pumbaa arrived to completely salvage and revitalize every ounce of my enthusiasm. They are the rare exception in these Disney remakes of finding the perfect combination of talent and effects to winningly surpass an already classic duo.

The Circle of Life

As it stands, Disney has now released three remakes of their animated classics this year, with a seemingly infinite number waiting in the wings. But The Lion King is special in that this is one of their greatest successes, both in critical and audience response. Based on our current culture of nostalgia-based content, it was inevitable that Simba and friends would shine a light on the Pride Lands again, and Disney deserves enormous respect for such a bold attempt at utilizing unproven technology to reimagine one of their greatest films.

Does Jon Favreau’s The Lion King live up to the original? No. But it is near impossible to measure up to a film with that level of mystique. Does it deliver as a family experience hiding beneath a marvelous technical achievement? Absolutely. There is enough good here to demand you catch this iteration on the big screen. At the very least, grab your ticket so you can definitively witness one unavoidable truth: in any generation, James Earl Jones remains the one, true King.