Visually stunning... and that's pretty much it.

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2020)

The animation FX here are astounding and Jon Favreau has made another excellent adaptation to look at, just like The Jungle Book.
It lacks the heart and soul of the original in almost every way. The only part of this I genuinely enjoyed was Seth Rogen and Billy "On The Street" Eichner playing Timon and Pumbaa. Whilst Billy is no Nathan Lane, he brings something new to the role as does Seth Rogen. My only criticism is the way they handle Pumbaa's rage against the hyenas. Instead of "They call me MR. PIG!" a line about bullying is shoehorned in.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is a great actor but his voice lacks the gravitas and sinister elements that Jeremy Irons pulled off. He never feels threatening.
James Earl Jones is a tired old man and it's so obvious here as he reprises his role of the murdered king. The character has lost his majesty through Jones' weak delivery.
Beyonce's Nala getting pointless lines just to give her more to do is so obvious. "Lions, attack!" was so unnecessary and this isn't an isolated incident.
I know they couldn't carbon copy the original but any time it strays from the main plot in any way it's incredibly jarring and distracting.