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Disney continues to roll out the live-action remakes of their most beloved animated films—now releasing multiple remakes each year. But the remake of 1994’s The Lion King is a little bit different, using CGI animation to make the animated characters look like live characters.
The “live-action” remake of The Lion King returns to the Pride Lands of Africa, where Mufasa (again voiced by James Earl Jones) rules over the land. With the birth of the new prince, Simba (voiced as a cub by J. D. McCrary), Mufasa’s brother, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), becomes even more bitter and jealous, determined to become king in any way possible. After Scar kills Mufasa, a guilt-stricken Simba goes into hiding and begins a new life with happy-go-lucky new friends. But when he’s reunited with his old friend, Nala (Beyoncé), grown Simba (now voiced by Donald Glover) realizes that it’s time to step up and take his place as king.
While some of Disney’s remakes have added new twists on the original stories, offering more background or maybe an updated point of view, The Lion King sticks to what we know. The remake may not be word for word, but it’s definitely true to the original—for better or for worse. On one hand, that means that there’s nothing here to anger fans who adored the original. But, on the other hand, it also means that everything here is so familiar that it might make audiences wonder why this remake was necessary. The characters are (generally) the same, the story is the same, the songs are the same.
One of the film’s greatest challenges, however, is its lifelike CGI cast. Though the animals here definitely look realistic—almost as if the lions at the zoo suddenly broke out into song—the lifelike animation has its limitations. These characters may look like they’re talking, but it’s hard to give these characters the facial expressions and personalities of the original animated characters.
Of course, there are also things that the remake can do that the original couldn’t. With these lifelike characters, the action is also lifelike. That antelope stampede may have been scary in the original, but with real antelopes, it’s terrifying. And that helps to increase the tension and drama of the animated classic.
In the end, though, The Lion King remake tells the same beloved story with more lifelike animation. The characters are similar and the all-star cast does a decent job (though, admittedly, their singing abilities could have used a little extra work). But there simply isn’t enough here to make it feel like a necessary remake of a Disney classic.
Blu-ray Review:
In order to make this new version of The Lion King, director Jon Favreau and his team needed to figure out how to pay tribute to the animated classic while using innovative animation techniques to create something new. And that’s the focus of the extras on the film’s Blu-ray release.
The bulk of the extras are featured in the The Journey to The Lion King. This lengthy, three-part feature looks first at the music—from the work of Hans Zimmer and Elton John on the original to the two returning and working with producer Pharrell Williams. The second part explores the ground-breaking animation and virtual reality technology used to create the sets and the characters—as well as the new ways used to capture the performances. And the final part talks about remaking the classic and retelling the timeless story.
Other extras include More to Be Scene, which shows three different scenes in various stages of production. If you love the music of The Lion King, you’ll want to check out the two music videos and the song selection feature, which allows you to jump to your favorite songs. And Protect the Pride discusses the challenges that lions are facing in the wild—and how the Disney Conservation Fund is working with other organizations to help.
If you weren’t amazed by the production of The Lion King when you first saw it, you definitely will be after watching the extras. The Journey does take some time to watch, but if you’re fascinated by digital animation—or voice performances—it’s worth your time.
