NO THANKS

Rating: 3/10 (12 April 2020)

Deflated version of the original classic. Had to cleanse my palate by re-watching the original.
The original animated movie is one of my favorites. I am not a fan of remaking blockbuster movies so I can't lie and say I went in with an open mind. However, I understand it's a low hanging fruit, lazy tactic to make money and provide job opportunities.
The movie is not bad per se. This version was just bland and took all of the fun out of a beloved animated movie. I am not ashamed to say that I'm a middle-aged woman that practically knows the entire script of the original movie and sings along like a 5 year old child. I had no desire to sing along or bob my head with this version w/ the exception of the Lion Sleeps Tonight. If you have children I IMPLORE you to initiate them with the original version first.
My items of note:
*CGI was pretty good
*They knew better than to replace James Earl Jones!
*John Oliver was a decent recast for Zazu. *Robert Guillaume (RIP- Rafiki), Jeremy Irons (Scar), Nathan Lane (Timon), Whoopi and Cheech were highly missed. The hyena scenes were just sad and pitiful.