25 years since the jewel of the Disney renaissance was released, The Lion King is back in cinemas. Many have complained about the remaking of Disney’s classics, but unlike some of its predecessors Jon Favreau’s retelling still manages to find the magic of the original.
Captured in ultra-realistic definition, the story closely follows the 1994 animation. Many of the iconic lines and visuals recreated shot for shot. Much like ‘The Jungle Book’ the animals are fantastically bought to life. Every defined whisker movement and accurate mannerism feels like its picked straight from David Attenborough’s latest outing. With such realism a little of the facial dramatisation from the cartoons is lost but baby Simba is so adorable that this is easily forgiven.
The concern that the A list casting would overshadow the characters was quickly forgotten and crucially you do forget you are listening to Beyoncé and Childish Gambino singing whilst two lions frolic around a waterfall. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Mufasa, bringing that booming voice of power that was so unique to the cartoon. Similarly imagining anyone other than Jeremy Irons as Scar was tough. Admirably Chiwitel Ejiofor does a brilliant job making his Scar menacing and perhaps even crueller than the original.
The stand out casting is Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan as Timon and Pumba respectively. The two comedic giants are given the most freedom from the original and do a brilliant job making the roles their own. They provide most of the laughs throughout and the film responds to the wit they bring by building in confidence in the second half. (Look out for a particular line change in their rendition of ‘Hakuna Matata’ which was a real pleasure.)
As with the rest of the film, the music stays very faithful to the original. Hans Zimmer is back in the composing seat along with Lebo M and originals from Elton John. The power of the musical themes, especially Mufasa’s, are pushed earlier in the film and add gravitas when reprised and built upon during the films epic climax. There has also been a conscious effort in the music to include more of the traditional African influences which reflects the more realistic setting. Unfortunately ‘Spirit’ , the new song by Beyoncé, feels a little forced and adds little to an otherwise perfect score.
The film has been padded out by 30 minutes to make it a full 2 hours and whilst it’s barely noticeable some of the additions do feel forced. Simba’s declaration of ‘I am Simba, son of Mufasa’ or Nala’s ‘Lions attack! ‘stood out as additional lines that just weren’t necessary and ultimately very cheesy. However, these are minor issues and are outshone by the many ad libs (mostly from Timon and Pumba) that had the cinema laughing along.
The question as with any of these remakes in the Disney canon is – is it necessary? For someone who has the original in their top 10 films, the answer is probably ‘No’. But it’s a retelling of a story that’s a classic and there’s no denying that losing yourself all these years later in the ‘Pride lands’ is still utterly enjoyable and will bring the emotion from the original flooding back.
Written by Will
Hughes Reviews 