Review: The Lion King (2019)

Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase! Photo Real, might need to be a passing craze! Ahem, all musical inclination aside. The new Lion King is an amazing visual masterpiece, but visuals and technology are not all that a movie is. We need direction and acting in some form, plus a character that can emote and grab an audience. These things and more make great films.

The story is one we grew up with, a young cub named Simba (JD McCrary) wants to be seen as a serious and adult lion and someday king. His father Mufasa (James Earl Jones) teaches his son about the dangers of the world and the circle of life that he will someday protect.

Through a sinister plan, Mufasa’s place within the pride is usurped by his brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejifor). Thinking that he was the one at fault, young Simba runs away from the pain and supposed responsibility.

Time passes and new friendships are forged as we find an adult Simba (Donald Glover). That must realize his past mistakes and face his fear to save his home and the family he left behind.

So where does The Lion King (2019) stand? And the answer to that, is like a lion that opens its mouth, only to have a dog bark escape instead of roar. Meaning, everything looks correct, but something is definitely off.

Photo Real is an amazing technology, no doubt in my mind. Opening scenes with animals and bugs blew me away and had me wanting to get a magnifying glass out. If this was a nature documentary, I would keep throwing money at the screen, until all twenty three dollars was gone. Unfortunately, this is a film with story and characters and for some reason the technology and those ideas did not quite match up. The emotion I got from the cartoon did not come across in Photo Real, probably because animal faces don’t emote in the same way. And that is part of where the film disconnected with me. I knew which scenes were coming and what emotions to connect to them, but they never really hit as hard as they should have.

Another point, as a lover of the original cartoon. I constantly pulled myself out of the 2019 film to match up scenes and shots to the original. This won’t be an issue for the younger audiences, but it was something that tugged on me throughout the film. I know Jon Favreau directed it, but a lot of the film felt copy and paste when it came to visuals.

These points aside, the movie is a good time and an experience. The voice acting is well done and the favorites are still strong. Meaning Timon and Pumba and their zany antics. Though I had more than one conversation with people at my screening about Seth Rogen and his voice not being the best fit for Pumba. With most renouncing his part and wishing out loud for the original voice of Pumba, Ernie Sabella.

That aside, The Lion King will be a huge film for Disney. Kids and parent alike will enjoy. And while it’s a lesser echo of what the original animated film delivered, it will still Roar across the world.

Grade: B-
Running Time: 1hr 58m
MPAA Rating: PG