if you are a professional critic, or haven't seen the movie, please read

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2019)

In light of the terrible reviews and before it's out officially yet, I wanted to share some facts and some thoughts.
1. It's essentially a shot-for-shot remake. You can have an opinion about that alone, but you have to know this going in. Don't be surprised as the movie starts, and then you want to hold that against it coming out. Find it within yourself how you feel about that now, then move past it. Because the only thing worse than a shot-for-shot remake, is if anything was changed from the original.
2. It uses state-of-the-art animation technology. This is stuff that wasn't around in 1994. It will be more photo-realistic. The animals won't have as animated or as personified facial expressions. It will be MORE real. Not totally real (as the movie wouldn't be in English, or any human language, and the lions would eat all the other characters in the first scene), just MORE real.
3. It uses voice actors that are more diverse and more relevant to culture and entertainment today, in 2019. Imagine being an 8-12 year old kid, watching the new Lion King, and growing up and listening to Beyoncé's music, experiencing Donald Glover in music or TV, seeing other actors in other great movies and hearing their voice and being like, "wait, were they that voice in that lion king movie?" And the world means something to them in that moment, and they feel like they just figured out a secret connection that no one knows but them, and they are slowly figuring out who they are and what kind of entertainment they like and and what speaks to them the most. It's beautiful. Just like we were when we realized Randy from Home improvement and Ferris bueller was simba, Darth Vader was Mufasa, mr bean was Zazu, Whoopi and cheech were hyenas, the guy from mouse hunt was Timon, and guy who sings tiny dancer and Bennie and the jets also sings all the movie songs we love.
In conclusion, if you are in high school or older, THIS👏🏼MOVIE👏🏼ISN'T👏🏼FOR👏🏼YOU. The movie from 1994 used the best animation and best voice actors from its time, and was SO GOOD that it has impacted and left a mark on kids ever since. 25 years. But time has changed, and the same story and characters can do the same for kids from now into another 25 years. Your opinion of it does not matter. It wasn't created for you. It's not trying to please you. Sure, you could say Disney is trying to make easy money. Duhhhh. They are a movie company. That's their shtick. But years of work still went into respecting the original film, while creatively making it new.
Still not enough? Then this movie is your step dad. He's not trying to replace your real dad. You and your real dad will still have a very close relationship. But your little siblings need a real dad, and that is what your step dad will be for them. Love your step dad for who he is. Do not hate him for something you yourself are accusing him of.
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.