The Lion King (2019)

"The original loomed very large throughout the entire process of this. And so we always had the original standing by, sometimes [when] we're approving sequences, visual effects shots...we always had the old one available, let's just see what they did."
Jon Favreau, IMDb On the Scene

The above quote quite nicely summarizes the entire experience of The Lion King (2019), a remake of one of the top tier films in Disney's entire catalogue, a film so beloved that when it was re-released in theaters in 2011, it topped the box office for two weeks in a row, beating out it's competition of newly released films. Essentially it's a juggernaut, and as Disney has been remaking its animated classics into live action fare, Lion King was always a possibility. Of course, The Lion King is one of the few films of Disney's that feature no humans, so a new version would have to be completely animated anyway.

So Disney has come, guns ablazing, with one of the most gorgeously animated films ever conceived, with animation so photorealistic its a wonder to behold (the animals don't always feel natural in movement, but still images could be mistaken for photos of real wildlife). The opening scene, an almost shot for shot recreation of the original's Circle of Life, is quite stunning, to say the least.

And then the rest of the film happens. If you've seen the original, you know the story. Simba (JD McCrary as a kid, Donald Glover as an adult) is destined to rule the pride lands but his Uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is hungry for the throne and kills Simba's dad Mufasa (James Earl Jones, back from the first film), and convinces Simba he is to blame, sending him to exile.

Much of the film is beat for beat the same thing, scene for scene. Of course, things are slightly different, and some sequences are extended for no conceivable reason. Remember that mouse Scar soliloquizes to after the first song? Now you get about 2 minutes of that mouse running around before it crosses Scar. And remember when a grown Simba lays down after reflecting on his past, and cloud of dust travels inexplicably to Rafiki (John Kani in the new film) alerting him that Simba is alive? Well now that's an extended sequence of Simba's fur traveling through the wind until it's eaten and then pooped out by a giraffe (yes this actually happens), and then carried by ants to Rafiki. See, it's these little things that really flesh out the world and add texture the environment sorely missing from the original.

There are some positive elements in this film though, before I continue being sarcastic. The comic relief characters, including the Hyenas (Florence Kasumba, Keegan-Michael Key, and Eric André), Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), all shine because they are allowed to ad lib and add some funny new moments to the film. Similar to the recent Aladdin remake, Will Smith's Genie was at his best when he was being his own thing and not imitating Robin Williams. And here it is the same; when the actors make the characters their own, this feels like a fun new interpretation, not a rote, repeated sightseeing tour of stuff I know, done prettier.

But translating this film into realistic CGI means all the expressiveness of the original animation is lost. Gone is the wonderful color palette of the original, replaced by a gold hue that evokes the African plains, but doesn't tickle the imagination. And gone are the emotions exhibited by the characters; animals can only say so much with their face, and while I hear emotion from the performances, it rarely comes through in the animation of the characters (only Timon gets expressive). The original looms large, and the film seems to be relying on your memory of how the animated characters felt to inform what's going on in front of you.

Gone too are the inventive musical numbers; I mean, they're still there, but instead of transitioning into a fantastical setting for the likes Can't Wait to Be King or Be Prepared, it keeps things literal, grounded in reality. The songs are still fun to listen too, but not very much fun to watch (I also feel sorry for any kids whose definitive Hakuna Matata is sung by Seth Rogen). And Can You Feel the Love Tonight is staged during daylight (I'm sure you'll see this primary criticism all over the internet on this point).

I guess what angers me most about all these remakes is that they're boring. There's nothing interesting or exciting about them, they bring nothing new to the table, and any perceived plot holes are given an unnecessary amount of time to fill in. Do something different with the material! Maleficent (2014) set out to tell the story from a new perspective, and Favreau (who directed this film) brought fun new energy to his The Jungle Book (2016), making a film that is reminiscent of the original but also very, very different. There's even some Disney films I'd love to see a remake of. Pinocchio (1940), one of the best films Disney's made, is based on a very bizarre book and a new interpretation would be fascinating to see. Or The Black Cauldron (1985), one of Disney's great failures based on a fairly beloved series that deserves a second chance. Besides The Little Mermaid, Disney is at the end of its Renaissance era films to pillage. Let's just hope they don't decide to make a live action Toy Story.