The words “live action” have, in recent years, seen Walt Disney Pictures look at some of their classic animated films and give them a new treatment. Whereas previously, these films were fully animated whether through animation cels or computer-generated, they were essentially “cartoons” and provided several generations countless childhood memories. Those were the cases with 2016’s The Jungle Book, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast, this year’s Dumbo and Aladdin, and coming projects like Mulan and The Little Mermaid. All that being said, how then could Disney and Director Jon Favreau possibly do a “live action” adaptation of the 1994 classic, The Lion King?
The story, as most of us know, is now very familiar. The cub Simba (JD McCrary) is born to Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Sarabi (Alfre Woodard), a couple of lions who rule the Pride Lands in Africa. Mufasa’s brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) covets Mufasa’s throne but has already been defeated in battle. Mufasa educates his son on his responsibilities as king and the delicate “circle of life” that all the animals follow. Scar manipulates Simba into a gorge, forcing Mufasa to rescue the cub even as Scar plots their demise with a pack of hyenas.
When Mufasa meets a gruesome end, Scar tells a shocked Simba to run away and never return. Far from his home, Simba befriends the meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and the warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), who teach him about their philosophy of “hakuna matata,” which means to forget their worries. Years pass, and the adult Simba (Donald Glover) is living off the land with Timon, Pumbaa, and their other animal friends. Suddenly, Simba’s childhood friend Nala (Beyonce Knowles-Carter) arrives and tells Simba that their pride needs him. Still heartbroken over his father’s death, Simba refuses to return, until the old shaman Rafiki (John Kani) reminds Simba who he is inside.
It’s a testament to the 1994 original directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff that it is so loved by people and that Disney even thought of giving it this version of their “live action” reboot treatment. Of the voice actors from that film, only James Earl Jones returns for this 2019 film, and Favreau has said that he wanted Jones to bridge the two films. Jones always brings a sense of gravitas to any role he portrays, and he sounds like a king who has ruled longer this time around. Glover was an inspired choice for Simba, as the sometimes-“Childish Gambino” gets to sing as well as voice the title character struggling to come to grips with his identity.
The major story change noticeable here is that Nala is given more to do, perhaps necessitated by casting Beyonce as the character. She isn’t just “Simba’s friend and future wife” here, and even “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” is turned into a duet instead of just accompanying music for their reunion. Like the original, Hans Zimmer’s score as well as the music composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice are perfect for the setting. In fact, the opening sequence is almost a shot-by-shot perfect recreation of that iconic 1994 original. Eichner and Rogen step easily into the shoes of Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumbaa, just as John Oliver does for Rowan Atkinson’s Zazu. John Kani also does a more than capable reinterpretation of Robert Guillaume’s Rafiki. Which takes us to the one character who needed to be sensational yet wasn’t.
Ejiofor gives his all for a Scar who looks beat up and literally scarred from a fight with Mufasa instead of looking menacing and plotting evil. That is to be expected, of course, since the original Scar was modeled after the original voice actor, the great Jeremy Irons. It’s not Ejiofor’s fault that he’s just not as good as Irons because, quite simply, nobody is. Therein lies the inherent problem with this remake compared to the original. Say what you will about classic animation, but credit has to be given to that animation style for being able to show emotions and expressions on characters and animals that no CGI can. After all, real lions can’t exactly be shown with fear or remorse or panic on their faces, and neither can hyenas or other animals.
It is that detachment that ultimately left me wanting with this version of The Lion King. Don’t get me wrong, the computer-generated cinematography was great, as every craggy rock, wet body of water, and shrubbery looked as real as the filmmakers could make it. However, using CGI animals to convey emotion just doesn’t work. The desire to compare the 2019 version to the 1994 one is inevitable, and the clearly superior one is the film that is universally-loved but by no means does that take away from the beauty of this remake.
About the Author:
Jason Inocencio was once the Digital Editor of adobo magazine who still loves seeing great campaigns from all over the world. He proudly shows off his love for all kinds of geeky things, whether it be movies, TV shows, comics, sports, or trivia.
