Reviewing - The Lion King (2019)
It's beautiful and way too familiar but totally worth it.
A brilliant, massive yellow sun surfaces over a deep red horizon, its light shimmering through the heat of the Serengeti. From the silence bursts a mythic Zulu cry – a lone voice heralding the dawn of a new day. Within moments, the voice is joined by a chorus of additional singers, their voices harmonizing in a deeply resonant chord. It is morning, and the animals of these African plains arise with purpose.
The new King has been born.
I have always loved The Lion King. 1994 was both the year it was released and the year I was born, and as I’ve grown, so has my appreciation for the film. For as long as I could coherently express my own ideas, I’ve declared that it was my favourite film ever – and by the time I reached high school, I was confident enough to call it the greatest movie of all time. This is not the lighthearted hyperbole of a teenager. I still whole-heartedly believe this. There is not a single movie that can compete with the power of The Lion King, and I have vehemently defended this point ever since.
I have the original VHS copy of the film, a limited-edition DVD boxed set that includes sketches from the animators, and a third copy of the film on Blu-Ray. I once did a project in school that examined the puberty-driven bildungsroman-esque nature of Simba’s tale, and I’ve used clips from the film as presentation illustrations on more than one occasion. I’ve seen the Broadway musical twice, was first in line for the 2011 theatrical re-release, and saw the 2019 film adaptation in an IMAX theatre on opening night. There’s a reason that I’m the committed fan that I am. The film is a triumph of animation, cinematic storytelling, music, and the human spirit – all at once. Regardless of whether you agree or not with my (admittedly controversial) claim that it is the uncontestable king of movies, you cannot deny the societal and cinematic impact it has had in the short twenty-five years it has existed. Who hasn’t held their baby up like Rafiki held Simba? Who hasn’t used the ‘circle of life’ as a quick way to sum up the mortality of man or the idea that we are part of a fragile global ecosystem? Who doesn’t know what “Hakuna Matata” means?
It is currently 2019 – the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Lion King – and the year that Disney releases a photorealistic film adaptation of their animated classic. This remake stars some of the decade’s biggest stars (perhaps none more iconic than Beyonce), but it also retains the most significant voice of the original – James Earl Jones as Mufasa. In light of this milestone, I felt that it was finally time to write my review of the film to end all films. And what better way to do justice to this masterpiece than by reviewing not only the 1994 original, but the still-running 1997 Broadway musical and this new 2019 remake as well. So without further ado, let’s dive in.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the last week or two before the 2019 Lion King remake was released, I was really nervous about it. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes were giving reviews that were mixed at best. A lot of them had similar gripes. The photorealistic animation style deprived the characters of facial expression, the plot was an almost-exact replica of the original film, and the film felt like nothing more than a cash grab. Knowing how important the original is to me and how much I wanted today’s generation of moviegoers to enjoy the story, all of these criticisms got me worried about the continuing legacy of the 1994 hit.
Thankfully, I was not let down by Jon Favreau’s adaptation as the credits began to roll last night in the theatre. Although some of the criticisms I’d heard were fair points about the film, the sheer beauty of the animation was more than enough to outweigh them. Everything in this movie is stunning. The fur on these lions is so rich that you could almost feel what it would be like to dip your hands through the screen and pet them. More than looking real, the animals all moved realistically too. You could see the weight of Mufasa’s great paws as he set them down. Not for a moment did I question the reality of the set pieces – I knew that the animals had to be animated, but the various locales looked so crisp and clear that the thought of them being a work of manmade digital construction didn’t even cross my mind until well after the movie had ended. The fact that I forgot multiple times that I was watching an animated film speaks volumes about the insane distance we’ve come in the world of animation in a short 25 years.
Were The Animals Expressionless?
Because everything looked so real, it’s true that the animals lost that sense of human expression that was so present in the original. The nuances of human facial communication are no big deal to put onto a traditionally animated character, but I suppose it just didn’t work with this iteration during production because the characters rarely show any emotion facially. There are times where the emotion present in the voice actor’s performances seem to contrast the somewhat monotonous expressions of their characters. I can admit that. But look, it’s clear that Favreau was going for as much realism as possible. The “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” sequence has lost the zany vibrance of the original, and Rafiki’s discovery of Simba being alive now has a logical (albeit unlikely) path of explanation instead of just expecting the audience believing that Rafiki caught a whiff of Simba over a distance of uncounted miles. I don’t think this was a necessarily bad decision. Because these animals look and act so realistically (aside from them speaking English – but there’s not much way around that), the danger that they face feels that much more real. I’ve seen the original film dozens of times, but the hyenas, the stampede, and final fight atop Pride Rock all had me feeling incredibly tense. When the young cub Simba is surrounded by snarling lifelike hyenas, I was so much more worried than I was in the 1994 version – because I know how real hyenas eat their food. Yes, the expressions are diminished, but I think that if there was a way to make those expressions look anything but goofy, they would have gone for it.
Was It Too Similar?
Now to address the point of this remake being a shot-for-shot replica of the original. The opening sequence is as close to an exact copy as you’ll find in the film, and the opening Zulu chant is the exact same track from the original. I actually think they should have done something else. Sure, I imagine many would say “You can’t top the original chant. It’s iconic. Irreplacable.” And I’d probably agree with you, but if you’re going to remake the movie, you’ve got to be prepared (see what I did there?) to take a few creative risks. I can’t see myself ever listening to the 2019 “Circle of Life” over the original – but that didn’t have to be the case. There are plenty of covers to iconic songs that take familiar melodies in exciting new directions. Even if this film had given me a “Circle of Life” that tripped in trying to do something new, I would have at least given Favreau points for his effort. Timon and Pumbaa’s “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is a great example of this – they took something from the original and tried something different, and it ended up being delightful. With “Circle of Life”, they didn’t have the courage to change things up. Now, at the same time, you’re always going to have people who look at a remake and say “This is too close to the original” and people who say “This is too far from the original”. Favreau had an impossible task in that respect. All I’m saying is that in the case of the opening track from this adaptation, I think Favreau should’ve done what the original film did: come in with a gutsy and unexpected bang. If you just replicate the original’s gutsy and unexpected bang…well, it loses its impact, I think.
All of that said, this film isn’t an exact replica of the original. There are a few instances where it's so reminiscent of the 1994 classic that it can be a bit boring, but there are plenty of new bits that make up for this. And again, the magnificence of the animation really goes a long way in convincing you to cut them some slack.
Okay, forget about all that stuff. Let’s get into all the really amazing parts of this movie. This is what I was most looking forward to – the ways that Favreau would take the original characters in compelling new directions.
The Good Stuff
First of all, Zazu is a true hero in this film. There are multiple times where he bravely throws himself in harm’s way against foes far more powerful than himself, and you can’t help but feel respect and admiration for this tiny obnoxious bird.
Shenzi is now the Queen of the Hyenas, and works more as a partner with Scar than as a subordinate. This was a really interesting change. In doing this, the authority of Scar was by no means diminished, but the villainous nature of the hyenas was really delved into. Through this change, it becomes clear that Mufasa hasn’t just been keeping the hyenas out of the Pridelands because he’s racist. Mufasa’s been keeping the hyenas out because Shenzi’s leadership has run the hyena-controlled lands into oblivion. She’s the antithesis to the Circle of Life – an endlessly ravenous despot akin to Tolkien’s Ungoliant from The Silmarillion. Setting her up as the central opponent to Nala during the climactic battle was also a great way to give Nala more time in the spotlight.
On that note, Nala definitely gets more screen time, which is great. She hasn’t lost any of the initiative or determination that made her so formidable in the original. Beyonce did a great job giving an authoritative voice to Nala in that regard.
Simba’s mother Sarabi gets an expanded role too. The fact that Scar tries to court her instead of Nala (as he does in the Broadway musical) makes a lot more sense. When Scar hits on Nala in the musical, it’s definitely creepy and uncomfortable. When he tries to subdue Sarabi, it’s still certainly villainous, but it loses the factor of “Eww, she’s like way younger than him”. I also found it interesting how they reworked the bit where Scar originally smacked her to the ground into the beginnings of a fight scene. This is certainly more empowering to Sarabi’s character, but I’m not sure which version is better. Both have an emotional impact as Simba jumps in to protect his mother. You can decide that one for yourself.
Kamari and Azizi replace the hyenas Banzai and Ed from the original. Again, this is a moment where the 2019 adaptation has the guts to try something different, and it works. They’re funny in their own different way, and though they play a very minor role, they’re still fun to have around.
Last but not least in terms of characters, Timon and Pumbaa steal the show just as they did the first time around. A lot of their jokes are new, which makes them the freshest part of the film. Their “In The Jungle” sequence made me laugh out loud, as did their reinvention of the “live bait” bit. Though this film loses some of the whimsicality of the original, these two characters manage to break the fourth wall on one or two occasions without ruining the tone Favreau is going for – and that’s not an easy trick to pull off.
I really loved the final fight. When Scar and Simba go at it, you feel the energy and intensity of an all-out lion fight. Every hit and roar impacts you. The hyenas versus the lionesses has all the epic-ness of a summer blockbuster, and the brilliant colours of the raging flames lights the whole scene up. It’s a masterfully executed scene that definitely does the original proud.
Wrapping Up
This remake is not the original, and it never will be. That said, I loved the experience of reliving the original’s timeless story in a computer-generated world so real you could almost taste it. No one can say that Disney did not pull out all the stops to make this film a success. It’s a star-studded cast with a thrilling score and unbelievable visuals. Even if it’s a bit too cut-and-paste at times, it honours the original by executing itself with excellence and showing solemn respect for the themes and ideas put forth by the 1994 version. And even though they’re not actually in the movie, the soundtrack has two new songs in particular that rock – Elton John’s “Never Too Late” and Lebo M’s “Mbube”. Though I will never choose to watch this film instead of the original, this is a terrific spiritual descendant. Just as Simba will try to be the King his father knew he could be, this film too bears the weight of its father’s crown. Simba won’t ever be Mufasa, but he’ll end up being his own thing. And that’s okay. And hey – this movie may not be perfect, but Hakuna Matata.
If you read this whole thing, you might be interested in some of my other reviews of hit films. Check them out here.