Beautiful rendition that adds to the classic

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2019)

I came to the theater not expecting much more than a bland, two-hour version of the nostalgic classic - only to find a solid movie that pulls on my heart strings with great voice acting, thoughtful music composition, and magnificent graphics.
In many scenes, the voice acting delivers so well that I can sense the weight of every words. One would think that blending the human voice with the roars and growls of lions would detract from the immersion, but it felt quite the opposite for me - where each complements the others to make a whole that's more than the sum of its parts.
The music is as to be expected from Hans Zimmer - you get both the familiarity of your favorite musical but also the modernity through improved sound quality and creative (re)arrangement. I couldn't help but sing along to the notes of "Just Can't Wait to be King" and "Hakuna Matata", nor could I help being impressed and engrossed in the chant of "Be Prepared".
I only could enjoy the 2D version of the movie, the graphics are nonetheless stunning. In their recent movies, Disney really pushed the boundaries on what animations could do - cementing their position as one of the industry leaders.
It's very much worth a watch if you enjoy seeing what two decades of technology could do for your childhood memory.