Beautiful but empty.

Rating: 4/10 (10 August 2019)

All the emotional resonance felt while watching this film is a direct result of remembering the first film, which isn't hard because this is a roughly shot-for-shot remake. It's a dangerous gambit to adhere so closely to the traditionally animated version, as it invites unfavorable comparison. The former's medium allowed for the expression of human emotion, wildly imaginative musical sequences, and gorgeously exaggerated color palettes that served the characters and the story. This one is so slavishly devoted to realism that the talking animals barely do anything beyond talk--stiffly--and an underwhelming performance from a talented cast can't make up for the mask-like muzzle the style fits them with. James Earl Jones turns in the best performance, perhaps because his iconic voice is larger than life (and can easily live behind such masks). Again, the movie looks good and there's nothing exactly wrong with (mostly) anyone's performance, it just can't live up to the original because the choices made by the filmmakers seem to make success impossible.
Most of the humor has been cut. Most of the delightful villainy that made Scar so menacing and entertaining in the original is gone (and "Be Prepared" went from my favorite villain song to an embarrassment). Original music retooled for this version fails to grab me, and the new original song is intensely forgettable. Beyoncé is a powerhouse performer--but she's not an actor. Her voice acting (a skill not even seasoned actors always possess) again falls flat, as it did in Epic.
The film presents absolutely no good surprises. The only deviation from the original is in seeing how much this new film lacks.
It's not unwatchable, but since you'll just be thinking of the other movie the entire time, I would just watch that one instead.