A fair review

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2019)

I honestly don't think this movie warrants a 10 or a 1. It isn't perfect, but it is very good. Except for the talking animals, not much about this movie screams "animated!" Disney has completely mastered the photorealistic technique.
Timon and Pumbaa were, of course, a delight. Beyoncé wasn't annoying like I thought she would be. Donald Glover was kind of boring. I actually forgot who was voicing Simba and wondered if they'd hired a white guy to voice him, and how odd that was. But no, Donald Glover just added very little soul to his character. The rest of the voice acting was pretty good (especially Timon and Pumbaa).
Yes, this is 75% a shot for shot remake of the original. And I don't mind it. Why? Because the original has a pretty airtight and entertaining story as it is. I am glad they didn't try to extend the runtime or add filler just to get extra points.
A missed opportunity with "Be Prepared" (but good choice on removing the goosestepping!). But the other songs gave me chills. I grew up watching this movie with my sister and this was a great nostalgia kick, but also a technical masterpiece.
To the critics who are sad that the animated animals don't emote-I think the emotions were portrayed perfectly in a realistic way. To add heavy eyebrows or make the animals smile would have ruined the stunning photorealism. Emotions are portrayed well through the characters' voices, eyes, ears, and body language. If you need a smile or a frown to read emotion then you may want to look up from your phone every once in a while and interact with another living being.