The Lion King Review - Extreme Makeover of the Original toon classic

Still from The Lion King trailer

The Lion King
U/A: Animation, Adventure
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Oliver
Rating:

Disney remasters its animation classic giving it more runtime, spiffier graphics, and more song but it's really not as satisfying as the original. 25 years after the original animated classic came out, this reboot version looks like its reinventing the wheel without travelling any new ground. The latest technology might have assisted in the photo-real imagery but the lip movements don't quite give us the impression that they are real live talking animals. And the pace is a little too slow to allow for any magic or kinesis. The list of voice-artists dubbing for the animals, sounds like a Hollywood Who's Who, so the attraction for this spiffily revised entity is enormous. And the new generation who haven't seen the 1994 classic are sure to get entranced.

Watch the trailer of The Lion King here:

Nostalgia takes precedence even with modern remakes. Who can forget the magic of the original - its memories still fresh and enticing in our mind. Jon Favreau's IMAX 3D converted version is Majestic, with beautifully-rendered digital animals on a stunning, brilliantly photo-realised form of the African landscape(as if shot on location). Jeff Nathanson's new screenplay follows very closely in the footsteps of its predecessor

The story of youthful foibles getting forgotten in a coming-of-age moment is old hat. Lion Cub Simba ( McCrary) is declared the future King, set to succeed his father, Mufasa (Jones). His vile uncle, Scar (Ejiofor), tricks Simba and Mufasa and manages to usurp the throne. Simba goes into exile while Mufasa gets killed in the melee following a stampede. Simba makes new friends, the warthog Pumbaa (Rogen) and meerkat Timon (Eichner). But Nala( Knowles-Carter) his childhood friend urges him(adult Simba voiced by Glover) to come back and take over his old responsibilities -which also includes saving his Pride from a ruthless bunch of hungry hyenas.

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan pairs up with son Aryan to voice Mufasa and Simba in The Lion King

The Lion King doesn't have the flexibility of hand-drawn animation. The hyper-photorealistic depictions don't allow for a display of emotion. The animals talk and sing but they don't look excited, or sad, or afraid! The CGI is top-of-the-line but was it really required? Also the narrative indulgence with asides (among them a dung beetle rolling a ball of poop up a hill) that take away from the main theme, puts the entire experience at a higher risk for boredom. Nevertheless, Jon Favreau's upgraded version is still stunning and enticing enough to grab your attention!

Also Read: Why Shah Rukh Khan loves The Lion King

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