Sean Marshall Disney doesn’t seem to be slowing down with their moves to
flip their beloved animated films to live-action films for a new generation of
moviegoers. In some ways, this change has been welcomed with open arms by
moviegoers that were around to see the original animated films but the
live-actions films like Maleficent, Cinderella & Aladdin have left most
moviegoers out of touch with the new spins on these films. Disney’s The Lion
King is the next to hit the big screen following Aladdin & is one of Disney’s
“high-end” films, because of its unforgettable songs, characters &
heartwarming story. However, did Jon Favreau taint the overall feel of the
original film or did he recapture the same refreshing essence that made the
1994 the hit it is today?
The Lion King follows Simba, a lion cub who is trying to learn the steps needed to one day become the king of the pride lands. Along the way, destiny is altered which will leave him on the run from his past mistakes & a jealous uncle, who wants the crown for himself. The live-action film basically follows the same formula as the 1994 animated film but with some new takes on the story. The film stars Donald Glover, JD McCrary, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Shahadi Wright Joseph & James Earl Jones.
When thinking about The Lion King, one would think that
there’s no way the writers or director could mess things up. I mean, the 1994
film to some is perfection across the board & really didn’t need a
live-action film since the animated film has aged well. But yeah, there were
some minor & big problems in the film that could’ve & should’ve been
avoided. The film definitely had a strong presence based of the realistic
animals & environments but lacked a soul. What made the animated film a cherished
hit amongst the many animated Disney films was that it felt vibrant &
alive. Even during its slowest points, the original still had life & that’s
what this film didn’t have. The characters at times seemed like a shell of
their animated counterparts & the once energetic praiseworthy songs felt
dry & less fun. JD McCrary & Shahdi Wright Joseph were the standouts in
this film & it’s their energy that kept the first half of the film alive.
Donald Glover & Beyoncé Knowles-Carter were soulless & lacked the
energy Matthew Broderick & Moira Kelly brought in the original. Chiwetel
Ejiofor also took the fearful Scar Jeremy Irons brought to life in the animated
film & turned him into a lackluster. Nothing about Scar stood out or made
him a memorable villain outside of him killing Mufasa.
Another big miss was the final act of the film which felt
rush & less tense that the original. The last thing that didn’t land well
with me was Billy Eichner’s take on Timon. Eichner is a gay actor & that
isn’t my issue, but my issue lies in the fact that Eichner changed Timon from this
straight forward, wise-cracking meerkat to Pumba’s gay best friend. Again, my
problem isn’t that the voice actor is gay but it’s that the character was of
Timon was changed to suit the voice actor. Despite its flaws, the film did have
some shining moments that followed McCrary & Joseph’s Simba & Nala. James
Earl Jones, as usual, did another fantastic job.
Jon Favreau did a solid job with bringing the environments & look of the characters to life but didn’t bring much out of the adult characters. It felt as if the screenplay of Jeff Nathanson was lazily written & lacked substance. This may have been due to the fact that they didn’t have to alter much from the original film but this just proves that the film did not need a live-action push on the big screen.
Is The Lion King a complete drag? No. It shines during the first half but falls short due to what seems like dry acting during the second half. If you haven’t seen The Lion King, which I doubt there’s a person who hasn’t, you should give this a watch. However, if you’ve seen the 1994 film, the live-action film has the body of the original but lacks the life of the original.
The Lion King
Pros
- JD McCrary & Shahdi Wright Joseph were perfect as yoiung Simba & Nala
- The environments & character designs were beautiful
Cons
- The change to Timon was uneccesary
- The second half of the film felt rushed
- Most of the adult characters lacked the energetic presence the voice actors from the 1994 film brought to the table
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