Let me start by saying this, the original 1994 Disney animated Lion King is without a doubt one of the best films of our generations with a timeless story, excellent songs/lyrics, and even spectacular animation that makes the characters almost feel human. Later comes the Broadway Musical which changed the game for future shows on Broadway and around the world. So the idea of a live action remake sounds exciting especially coming from a highly regarded director such as Jon Favreau, who directed Disney's 2016 live action adaptation of The Jungle Book, which was one of the best films of that year and certainly a bar set for Disney's Live Action Cinematic Universe. However, when leaving the theater this past weekend after watching the film I found myself in the biggest pickle of whether or not I actually enjoyed the film. As you know the movie is about a young lion cub named Simba who is heir to the throne of his Pride Lands in Africa. He is manipulated by his uncle, a lion known as Scar, into believing he is the sole cause of the murder of the king, his father Mufasa. Simba is then forced to run away, where he meets everyone's favorite dynamic duo Timon and Pumbaa who watch him grow and live a carefree life until he is called back by his best friend and love interest Nala to save his land and family. Firstly, the visual effects for this film were beyond amazing and a huge step up from The Jungle Book. Easily the perfect candidate for the Oscars for Best Visual Effects, the little things made possible in the movie including the fur moving in the wind or being wet were jaw dropping and breathtaking. However, the one thing we were not able to fully compensate was the emotion behind the characters, meaning at some parts they felt very flat or unemotional. Without the emotions expressed on the animals faces it seemed as if the cast was just reading their lines in a recording studio waiting for a big pay day. The casting for the film was even perfect and on point with the characters, including the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Billy Eichner as Timon, and James Earl Jones once again reprising his role as Mufasa. Yet it seemed as if they were sadly plagued by a decent script with jokes written for first graders that were not as nearly as smart as the original film. I do like the little changes they made to the story, it was interesting to see some new takes on characters and scenes that gave the movie a breath of fresh air. Yet throughout, it just seemed as tho the scenes were emotionless and rushed to just move the story along to the films more iconic story points. With that being said there seemed to be numerous factors left out of the film from the animated film that took away from some of the character development of the film. Overall, as I much I loved the story of the film, I felt ambiguous and mixed. Definitely one to see on the big screen, it is yet a enjoyable film but missing something that the old film gave to us when we are all younger.
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