Kim's Movie Korner

Movie Review: The Lion King (2019)

Twenty-five years after the original animated family classic took the world by storm, Disney under the tutelage of Jon Favreau has released a new “Live-action” animated version.  A polarizing decision without a doubt (I’ve had numerous friends and coworkers ask why? What’s the point? And poo poos the idea of eschewing traditional cartoon animation for realistic animation).  I’m not sure how to respond to all that and I don’t really want to, so I’m not.  For me, loved the original, curious to see what they did this time around and how I’d respond to it.

First and foremost, the cinematography and CGI work in The Lion King (2019) is stunning.  An absolutely amazing job has been done to painstakingly bring the cartoon animated world of The Lion King (1994) to “real” life.  This not only includes the overall look of the film but also frame by frame recreations of key scenes.  Simply amazing.  Th packed audience, both kids and adults (I, included) were all smiling and nodding with approval.

That brings me to the second point, yes, The Lion King (2019) does largely follow the original tale exactly.  However, as noted from the expanded running time of just under two hours, it also expands upon the story.  The film does a wonderful job fleshing out additional character beats, themes, and messaging beyond the original.  Enriching the story with the added layers. 

Thirdly, the music is just as powerful and moving and then some.  With Tim Rice, Elton John, Hans Zimmer, and Pharrell Williams all involved that’s to be expected.  What is an unexpected bonus is the new takes on some of the original along with the new music taking the original soundtrack to the next level.  Yes, you can still sing along and annoy your seat mates in the process, but updated versions of Be Prepared and The Lion Sleeps Tonight also add an entertaining and biting freshness to the soundtrack.

Speaking of bite, The Lion King (2019) certainly contains more than its G-rated predecessor.  The photorealism of the film also brings with it a starker/darker/grittier less kid friendly reality of the story that packs a punch.   The hyenas this time around aren’t cute in anyway, shape, or form.  They’re menacing, vicious, and can be a bit intense/scary for younger/sensitive kids.  I won’t lie, a few times during the initial hyena encounter as well as during the battle for Pride Rock, I was pushing back in my seat and uttering a few “damns” at the intensity of the violence.  While not gory, there’s also a little blood in a scene as Scar happily chomps on an antelope. 

The cast.  It pretty much goes without saying that having James Earl Jones back as the voice of Mufasa is pure awesomeness.  Once again, he doesn’t disappoint.  Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner did admirable jobs as Pumbaa and Timon truly making the characters their own to the extent I got lost in their performances not thinking about Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella.  Eichner really took me by surprised, I usually find him a bit much and can only take him in small doses, but here…nailed it!  John Kani’s Rafiki holds his own with the late, great Robert Guillamume.  Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Scar while lacking the punch of Jeremy Irons tone and sarcasm, more than makes up for it with his straight up obsessive, frustrated, rage.  The lack of subtly goes a long way. 

All told, I found The Lion King (2019) a well done, worthwhile, entertaining remake.  Yes, the original will always have a special place in my heart and memories, but this one certainly didn’t fall from the original’s tree.  In fact, I don’t know if it’s just my advancing age, the photorealistic CGI, the modernized music or what, but I found this version more emotionally impactful than the original.  A couple of times I was fighting back tears.  TLK(2019) is definitely made with a new audience in mind (I ended up next to a young girl that never saw the original and she was going crazy for this version), but also has plenty of appeal for us “older” original viewers as well.  Worth a trip to the theater.  Money and time well spent.  

Hakuna Matata. I’m giving this one a 9.