The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
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Cast: Beyoncé Knowles, Billy Eichner, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, Eric André, Florence Kasumba, James Earl Jones, JD McCrary, John Kani, John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Shahadi Wright Joseph.
Director: Jon Favreau.
Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Animation
Runtime: 110 minutes.
Rating: 7/10.
From Disney Live-Action, director Jon Favreau’s all-new The Lion King journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolises his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother-and former heir to the throne-has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of new-found friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Thumbs up:
I loved this movie. The few changes from the original dialogue made it feel fresh and the CGI was stunningly rendered. Not only do the animals look and feel realistic, but the scenery around them wasn’t even filmed in-camera, and the movie feels the complete opposite of that. It truly feels like National Geographic went out and captured footage. Donald ‘Childish Gambino’ Glover was definitely a good choice for adult Simba, while Beyoncé voiced Nala perfectly. James Earl Jones (Mufasa) notably is the only voice actor from the 1994 original to return.
Thumbs down:
Many Disney fans find it rather disappointing to see them try and replicate their classics instead of expanding upon them. This ultimately sucked the life out of it. It’s a remake that could’ve improved, but instead, it felt less alive, despite being more life-like; the songs lost a lot of their presence because of visual style that didn’t keep up with the music; characters lost their dynamism and presence.
Verdict:
Visually entertaining, and the voice cast keeps it relatively fun, but it’s just the same old story with little to no changes to any original scenes or dialogue.
