Great movie, funny, sad, happy, very similar to the original, which is a good thing.

Rating: 8/10 (3 August 2019)

The problem is we keep automatically comparing it to the original. In its own respect, it is a great movie. However, I did NOT like Beyonce. She cannot do voice over, she lingered on the end of every note in can you feel the love tonight, and the new song she made for the journey back to the pride lands just doesn't fit with the theme of the movie. I loved the beauty and the beast reference and how Timone and Pumba joke about how much Simba had grown during the Hukuna Matata song. Also it had more adult jokes compared to the original, "the giraffes were caught necking" and how Timone doesn't sensor the "farted" line in Hukuna Matata where I'm the original he says "not in front of the kids" in this one he just let's Pumba say "every time I farted". I enjoyed the way they adapted I just can't wait to be king to fit the more realistic version of the movie. The Circle Of Life was awesome, it was identical to the original except for the amazing animation (you may notice I have not yet mentioned live action) and it looked so real. As for the animals, people are saying there was less emotion because they had fewer human qualities, but it was a different type of emotion, it was the sadness you get when a lion gets surrounded by hyenas I'm a nature documentary, the happiness you get when the meerkat doesn't get eaten by then hyena. They weren't human, they were animals, and I can have emotion for animals as well as humans. Although in some places when the 'camera' was overhead it did sound a bit like a James earl Jones voice over. Because you can't see their mouths moving as much from a distance but the singing, especially in the younger lions, and Zazu, felt right and natural. We know animals sing in their own languages, we know they dance to impress a mate, why is it so far fetched for some people to believe lion cubs would joke around, sing, play fight, a bit of dancing, and some peer pressure.
There were some technical inaccuracies that were not fixed from the original, the leafcutter ants, native to South America, and yet they had been given a bigger part than in the original, they are the first in the circle of life sequence and deliver a tutu of Simba's hair to Rafiki. There are others but I am aware this is already quite a long review.
Overall, a very good movie, very entertaining, very fun. I sat there mouthing all the words to all the songs, being realistic doesn't take away from the magic of The Lion King.