Its all right...

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2019)

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I might as way say it - I enjoyed the remake of The Lion King (which I'll call LK2) more than the original (hereby called OG). Its possibly attributed to the fact that I saw the LK2 first, but even while watching the animated version, I felt it was really... choppy.
Without the nostalgia goggles, as an objective viewing, its not that different from the remake. In fact, LK2 is more drawn out, with the story really taking its time to explore themes and characters. Compare this with the OG, which just bounces from scene-to-scene-to-scene without holding on long enough for anything to marinate. I suppose you could say that about most animated films, but once you have a live-action that actually explores more, its hard to go back.
Here are a few things I did enjoy in LK2, which were missing in the OG:
The humor is better written, especially for Timon and Pumba. Most other lead characters have the same dialogue anyhow, so why bother comparing. The hyena antagonists are given more stronger plot threads as opposed to the OG,where they were just maniacally laughing. LK2 is also really beautifully shot; the photo-realism is a huge push in its favor.
I will say, however, that the original music is way better. Songs like "I just can't wait to be king" and "Be Prepared" are bright and colorful,with such a unique charm, I found myself just pulled into the world. If the remake didn't reuse the original soundtrack, and focused on a more updated version, I feel it would have been a better film.
I'll probably never see either of these films until I have kids, but I'm a little more inclined to choose the live-action story. Though the OG would have been amazing in its time, its definitely a kids movie going forward, as opposed to a more general-audience film.