Unnecessary

Rating: 3/10 (24 July 2019)

The CGI remake of arguably Disney's most popular movie of all time was a bullseye in animation, and a floppy miss in everything else. Disney wanted to create a "realistic" adaptation of the original 1994 film, so they spend a whopping sum on the CGI effects, as well as the cast. When comparing to the original (because that is inevitable), the original is like a large fruitbowl of a wide selection of fruits in all sorts of striking colors and shapes, whereas this remake is a plain rice cake. With few very (and one specific) exceptions, the voice talent was atrocious, with Zazu and the hyenas being the utmost worst. It seemed like most of the actors were just reading straight from the script for the first time. The voices in the original were all unique and brimming with character, but many voices in this 2019 version were simply bland and forgettable.
The script and dialogue felt like it couldn't make up its mind whether to stick to the original script or go in a new direction, making the flow feel rushed and confusing. The musical performances felt like neighboring countries had filed noise complaints against the characters, and Scar's "song" was just pathetic (for the record, in the original performance of "Be Prepared," the hyenas' march wasn't a rendition of a Nazi formation; it's a MILITARY march, to give the mass of hyenas the feel of an oppressive army, NOT a direct reference to the Nazi regime specifically). Almost every single joke added in, that wasn't in the 1994 movie, fell as flat as Zazu at the end of the original's version of "I Can't Wait to be King." Our theater was silent through most jokes. And with this version being more "realistic," emotion and character expression was completely nonexistent.
All in all, even if you're a huge fan of the original (who isn't?), this should be a hard pass.
Originally wanted to give it a lower score, but a 4 is more deserving because the animation was incredible, and there were a couple good moments that differed from the original story (LOVED Timon & Pumbaa singing "The Lion Sleeps"). Additionally, it's good Beyonce didn't have as prominent a role, but that's just personal opinion.