Brilliant Animation! 7/10

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2020)

Review:
I must be one of the only people in the world that wasn't a big fan of the original, which is why I wasn't that excited about this film. I must admit, the CGI is pretty amazing, and the way that the director, Jon Favreau, adapted the 1994 movie for a modern age, was quite impressive. It did lack the wit that Timon & Pumba brought to the original film, and the storyline was exactly the same, so there weren't any surprises. With that aside, it's still a well-made film, which includes some of the same songs that we all grew to love the first time around, and I still found the emotional storyline, touching. In terms of entertainment, it's perfect for the whole family, and the cast was a great choice for all of there roles, but it seemed a bit too safe, in terms of the director thinking out of the box. If you're not aware of the original plot, the film is set in the Pride Lands of Africa, where the lions rule over the animal kingdom. King Mufasa & Queen Sarabi's newborn son, Simba, is presented to the gathering animals by Rafiki the mandrill, the kingdom's shaman and advisor. Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands and explains to him the responsibilities of kingship and the "circle of life", which connects all living things. Mufasa's younger brother Scar covets the throne and plots to eliminate Mufasa and Simba, so he may become king. He tricks Simba and his best friend, Nala (to whom it is expected Simba to marry) into exploring a forbidden elephants graveyard, where they are attacked by spotted hyenas, led by the ruthless Shenzi. Mufasa is alerted about the incident by his majordomo, the hornbill Zazu, and rescues the cubs. Though upset with Simba, Mufasa forgives him and explains that the great kings of the past watch over them from the night sky, from which he will one day watch over Simba. Meanwhile, Scar visits the hyenas and manages to convince them to help him overthrow Mufasa in exchange for hunting rights in the Pride Lands. Scar sets a trap for his brother and nephew, luring Simba into a gorge and having the hyenas drive a large herd of wildebeest into a stampede that will trample him. He informs Mufasa of Simba's peril, knowing that the king will rush to save his son. Mufasa saves Simba but ends up hanging perilously from the gorge's edge. Scar refuses to help Mufasa, instead sending him falling to his death. So Sad! He then convinces Simba that the tragedy was Simba's fault and advises him to leave the kingdom and never return. He orders the hyenas to kill the cub, but Simba escapes. Scar tells the pride that both Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and steps forward as the new king, allowing Shenzi's clan to live in the Pride Lands. Simba collapses in a desert by Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog, who are fellow outcasts. Simba grows up in the oasis with his two new friends and other animals in their oasis, living a carefree life under the motto "hakuna matata" ("no worries" in Swahili). Now a young adult, Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who turns out to be Nala. She and Simba reunite and fall in love, telling him that the Pride Lands have become a drought-stricken wasteland under Scar's reign. Feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off. He then encounters Rafiki, who tells him that Mufasa's spirit living on in Simba. Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him that he must take his rightful place as king. Realising that he can no longer run from his past, Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands. Will Simba save the animals from the evil Scar, and revenge the death of his father? I don't want to spoil the ending if you've been living under a rock most of your life and don't know what happens, so I will stop the explanation right there. For those people who are not into there Disney type animation movies, it's still worth a watch because the CGI is outstanding. The music didn't seem as magical as it did in the original film, and I was a bit disappointed with the Elton John song at the end, but the attention to detail was brilliant, even though they could have done more with the hair on the animals. Personally, I would watch the movie again, and in terms of the animation, it is the best that I have seen in a long time, but I was unable to give it a perfect score because the comedy element needed more work. Enjoyable!
Round-Up:
This movie was directed by Jon Favreau, who brought you Made in 2001, Elf, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Iron Man 1 & 2, Cowboys & Aliens, Chef and The Jungle Book. He is due to direct another Jungle Book movie but that is just rumours at the moment. He is definitely a versatile director, who has given his projects his all, even Cowboys & Aliens, and with a successful acting career, and an infectious passion for film, I commend him for his achievements in cinema so far. He has been responsible for some of the biggest movies of all time, including Iron Man and Elf which is always guaranteed an airing over Christmas time. His use of VR in this film was a unique method to show different angles of the characters and scenery on screen. The actors also acted out every scene, except for just talking into a microphone, so the chemistry between the various character's was actually real. It certainly deserved the massive profit that it made at the box office, and it's currently the 7th biggest movie of all time, beating the original movie which is in 49th place.
Budget: $260million
Worldwide Gross: $1.7billion
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Musical
Cast: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Oliver, James Earl Jones, John Kani, Alfre Woodard, JD McCrary, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Amy Sedaris and Chance the Rapper. 7/10