The Lion King Review

Disney’s philosophy for producing realistic CGI retellings of their classics has proven not to be so problem-free. While some of the modern renditions of the Disney catalog have been enjoyable, no release has yet to match the heights of their animated counterparts. It’s apparent that the studio puts an incomprehensible amount of resources and effort into these movies to achieve the perfect amount of heightened realism, but making such drastic changes to the aesthetics often comes with great burdens. Although Disney’s new version of The Lion King features remarkable visuals and an incredibly gifted cast and crew, many of the same difficulties that plague the other modern remakes drastically affect this film. The change in style results in a less exaggerated and whimsical version that fails to reach the same emotional crescendos as the 1993 animated original.

Director Jon Favreau is no stranger to making decisions behind the camera for a major Disney remake. The CGI powered version of The Jungle Book that Favreau directed in 2016 is the by far the best of the new collection of old stories. His proven ability to make computer-generated worlds come to life is without a doubt one of the biggest reasons why Disney chose him to helm the studios' most ambitious remake yet. The directing choices made are never a catalyst to any of The Lion King’s problems, Favreau instead chooses to take a much safer route, including many scenes that are identical to the original. This may help cultivate the feelings of nostalgia that Disney hopes to invoke from those familiar with the 1993 film, but it ultimately restricts Favreau from instilling any of his personality into the finished result.

The Lion King retells the now-iconic story of Simba, a young lion who was born to one day be king of the jungle. However, after the tragic death of his father Mufasa, Simba is soon exiled when he is convinced by his maniacal uncle Scar that he is the reason behind what caused it. Now roaming freely with newfound friends Timon and Pumbaa in the place he was once set to rule, Simba begins to learn how to grow up and take back what’s rightfully his.

The amount of love and passion for the project given by everyone involved is immediately noticeable. The music, characters and memorable moments have all been handled with the utmost respect and care, but it’s the visuals that have been so obviously given the most attention. The various locations ranging from the stunning yet minimal Pride Rock to the lush vibrant jungles look like something out of a BBC Earth documentary, Disney continues to set the bar when it comes to achieving lifelike CGI, and The Lion King is the studios most impressive looking film yet.

The arresting and unbelievably lifelike visuals make for a film that is a pleasure to look at for its entire duration, but the realism achieved in the movie also causes The Lion King’s biggest weakness. Everything is so lifelike that it becomes distracting whenever the film attempts to reach any emotionally driven moment. The subtle nuances that can be achieved through traditional animation completely absent in the newest release. The realism of each character prevents them from conveying emotion through more exaggerated facial expressions or physical actions, resulting in many scenes that are hard to become immersed in.

The star-studded cast that has been assembled for The Lion King each give fantastic performances with a few exceptions. One of them surprisingly being top-billed star Beyoncé Knowles, who voices the older Nala in a calm and motherly tone. Although her beautiful voice always delivers on the songs that she’s featured on, her voice acting is far too distracting and ultimately doesn’t fit the character.

Although the story is indistinguishable and the visuals are mind-blowing, 2019’s The Lion King fails to match the beautifully timeless animated original. Ultimately, the time, love and money that was put into making this movie is impossible to miss, and gives the movie enough to be an entertaining watch.

Visually stunning but lacking heart, 2019’s The Lion King entertains but fails to come close to the animated classic.

Produced By: Walt Disney Studios
Runtime: 118 minutes
Rating: G