Zero Emotional Impact - Nice CGI Though

Rating: 2/10 (20 April 2020)

Disney were too predisposed with trying to make a movie with the most lifelike and realistic CGI, that they never stopped to ask themselves if it would actually be of any benefit. To their credit, the CGi is absolutely fantastic and has almost surpassed the uncanny valley, however as stated already, it does nothing to enrich the movie or improve the experience.
I won't comment on the story, since there is none -- this is a direct ripoff of the original 1994 classic.
The biggest issue is the fact that Disney opted for ultra realistic CGI and anatomically correct animals, which results in all of the characters exhibiting the same, dull, emotionless gaze in every single scene. Some may argue that this is to be expected with CGI, however if Pixar have taught us anything, Disney could've gone with a more stylised approach with character facial expressions to help sell each scene.
It's difficult to overstate just how dull, boring, and emotionless every scene is as a result of the deadpan facial expressions and it boggles my mind that a company like Disney, filled with so many talented and gifted artists, managed to make such a lifeless and uninteresting movie.