"Be prepared" for a visual feast, even if the storyline is a little too familiar

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2019)

Naaaaaants ingonnnyaaaaaama bagiiiiithi babaaaa. If you're at all familiar with The Lion King, hopefully you sang along to that opening as I did. Just like 1994's animated counterpart, Disney's 2019 remake opens with a sunrise over the African savannah. It includes the same familiar songs, iconic images, and quotable lines of dialogue as the original - a source of contention for many critics and viewers alike. Unlike the original, however, this remake was approached with a meticulous attempt at realism among the animals and landscapes. While the realism inhibits the animals from showing full emotion on their faces, the classic story in a new medium ultimately wins out with help from an all-star cast, beautifully modernized music, and of course, gorgeous visuals.
You likely know the story. Lion King Mufasa and the rest of the kingdom celebrate the birth of the future king, Simba. However, Scar (Mufasa's sinister brother) has plans to become king himself. Simba struggles with his own identity as he must come to grips with his destiny and fight for the future of Pride Rock.
As mentioned before, Disney's remake contains some of today's finest actors and talents. Donald Glover voices Simba, BeyoncÃ© Knowles-Carter voices Nala, James Earl Jones reprises his role as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor voices Scar, Seth Rogen voices Pumbaa and Billy Eichner voices Timon (and that's just the tip of the iceberg). And they all (or almost all) do a stellar job in their roles. Donald Glover does a nice job portraying the complexities of Simba's internal struggles, while BeyoncÃ© commands her performance as Nala in a slightly larger role for the character than the original. Their duet together in "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" is truly breathtaking, and while BeyoncÃ©'s new single didn't fit perfectly within the film, the song itself is a nice addition to the lineup.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is menacing as Scar, but not over-the-top. I liked that his character wasn't crazy or too dramatic, but calculating and reserved. His rendition of "Be Prepared" (the biggest departure from the original tunes) may not be as memorable as the original, but it fit the character much better in this iteration of the film. Strangely enough, the least emotive and invested performance is that of James Earl Jones in his return as Mufasa. I'm sure it's a difficult thing to imbue life into a role you've previously performed (and much identical dialogue at that), but it very much felt separated from the rest of the cast's performance. In fact, it has been reported that Jones was the only member of the cast not to record dialogue with the rest.
On the other hand, Eichner and Rogen steal the show as Timon and Pumbaa, a pure result of recording (and likely riffing) alongside each other. They brought these characters to life in a completely new light, yet in a way that is completely aligned with the spirit of Timon and Pumbaa. I found myself smiling every time they were onscreen and wishing they had more screentime. One unexpected song from the duo makes a brief appearance in the film's finale, much to the applause and laughter of my theater's audience.
Now on to the real showstopper - the visuals. I can't speak highly enough of the work that Jon Favreau and his team put into this incredibly realistic portrayal of the animals and their homes. The animals look and move like real animals, the sun and rain look like real sun and rain - I could go on and on. One scene that built upon the original is 4 minutes of a tuft of hair floating through various landscapes and situations. That may sound laughable and/or boring, but it turns out to be an impressive display of the film's animation and a visual representation of the film's "Circle of Life."
Despite the incredible visuals, the biggest flaw with this remake lies in its biggest strength - the realism. We can't see the pain in Mufasa's face as Scar betrays him, or Simba's smile as he enjoys "Hakuna Matata" life. A few dramatic moments were either unemotional or even laughable because of the lack of emotion. On the other hand, that wasn't the goal of this film, and they did a lot within their limits. Simba's chest heaves and ears go back when he's sad. Scar's eyes narrow when he's scheming, and Timon's head droops when he sees Simba and Nala together. This is far from the emotion of the original, but somewhat unique when seeing how "real" animals portray those emotions. And yes, I know that if these animals were real they wouldn't talk, but with that aside, the animators truly tried to stay within what an animal can and cannot do. I admire their effort, but ultimately this falls flat, even if there wasn't a previous version to compare it to.
I would be remiss to write a review and not mention Hans Zimmer's incredible update to his original Oscar-winning score. His new arrangements fit the film's tone perfectly, and the new recordings and orchestrations of even the same cues are fuller, crisper, and feel very organic. Zimmer mentioned wanting this iteration of the score to feel like a live performance, bringing in more musicians and performers than even the last time. It's hard to explain, but I really believe he achieved this goal.
I truly understand the complaint that many have had with this film's so-called "shot-for-shot" remaking of the story. Little-to-none has been changed about this story from the original version, and many specific shot selections (such as the opening sunrise) are nearly identical as well. However, I didn't go into the film expecting them to change much at all about what might be the most beloved animated film of all time. In 2017's Beauty and the Beast, the story beats were the same as the original, the dialogue didn't change in many places, and many shots were recreated (the same goes for Disney's 2019 Aladdin). In fact, several of Disney's attempts at drastic departures from their original animated counterparts have not been well-received (Dumbo 46% on RT, Maleficent 54%). In other words, this is far from Disney's first "shot-for-shot" remake, and anything other than that would have likely faced even more criticism.
Some would say this dilemma means Disney shouldn't remake their old films at all, but I disagree. I loved seeing this new version, flaws and all, as I have with their previous remakes. One of my dear friends shared a touching story about a little girl that watched 2019's Lion King having never seen or heard of the original. If these remakes are introducing younger generations to classic stories, that is a noble task in and of itself. Does this entirely justify remaking all Disney's animated films? And to what extent should the films remain "the same" and still be praised? I don't have the answers to those questions, but I don't mind seeing these remakes as long as they're high quality - and so far I've felt the quality has been impressive.
Lastly, in judging and scoring this film, I have to evaluate its competitors in the family film categories. At the end of the day, I would want to sit down with my family and watch this remake of The Lion King before I would rewatch The Secret Life of Pets 2, UglyDolls, or The Lego Movie 2. If that's the 2019 competition for a family film, then I could never rank The Lion King the same or worse than those - flaws and all. I'm subtracting a point for originality - because it is, in fact, a very, very close remake of the original, and subtracting a point for the lack of emotional range from the characters. The updated music, voice cast, and incredible visuals all make this film worth a watch, even if the story is a little familiar. Score: 8/10.