The digitized Lion King, or should we call it a remastering, no wait perhaps a reboot that is not animated but enhanced with advanced technology that looks more like a Discovery Channel special on the Sahara was released July 19th. So there isn’t much to say about Disney’s recent onslaught of their beloved classics being redone into live action or computer generated flicks. We can’t gripe with this path that they have chosen since well; it seems that most franchises will get the inevitable digital face lift. The delicate balance of keeping the integrity and cherished moments of these childhood stories is tough to nail. Sure the “newer” versions of Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book brought these stories to a whole new generation and were even enthralling for those who love the originals, yet someone explain what went wrong with Aladdin. So it seems that most of these can be hit or miss dependent on your level of nostalgia associated with these franchises.
The Lion King is no different and perhaps its even Disney’s most prized gem. The 1994 classic was a masterful example of beautiful animation, remarkable original music and a cast that personified their characters like no other Disney animated film before. To this day everyone still remembers the catchy songs and funny lines that were dispatched. The heart wrenching moments of Mufasa falling to his death, the trials of Simba and his friendships along the way. Truly the plot couldn’t be simpler yet the world it embodied was vast and strikingly captivating. So how difficult could it be to pull this one off, well like a bunch of mouth foaming hyenas, let’s start digging into this carcass.
To say that this film achieved a great technological leap is an understatement. Seriously this film makes Avatar look like a PlayStation 2 game. The digital rendering of the African wildlife surrounded by the fauna and flora is truly amazing. As you watch the movie your brain starts to mend the visual aspect and phrasing from the animals into a strange phenomenon that I have not experienced from a film before. After a while you start to think “wait are these real animals?” and to some degree it gets kind of weird to see highly realistic renderings of these creatures talk with their mouths moving so perfectly. This “Air Bud” technology was certainly cheesy and sort of cheap back in the day, but now its kind of scary good, I guess.
Realizing that every soul on the planet is familiar with the plot and characters of The Lion King. This version doesn’t stray far from the classic, in fact its basically a frame by frame duplicate. Perhaps Disney didn’t want to veer from the soul of the story and wanted to provide a more technical experience. It would have been nice to see a new wrinkle developed without actually hindering the plot, but it seems that they rather have the visuals tell the story this time. With a star studded cast of James Earl Jones, Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Billy Eichner, we slip comfortably into our Disney slippers and watch the magic unfold, yet aside from a couple performances, the pop and brilliance are just not there.
The magic and wonder are missing, and the singing ensembles are fun but make you yearn for the original. The tense and scary moments also don’t have any effect on you, unlike in the original where you could feel the danger and suspense in the conflict. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film feels more like a highly sophisticated trade show presentation sponsored by Disney. Its odd to think that the more realistic the product looks, the more unappealing it feels. Many will see the film and will be fulfilled with the nostalgic attempt, and hordes of children will cry and laugh so to some level the movie will be successful. On the other hand its difficult to garner any emotional attachment to this version, with its glitzy and shiny technical skin, the most important aspect seems to be missing… Its soul.