Recently Disney remade one of its classic films that some would say is the greatest Disney movie ever made, “The Lion King.” The remake was released on July 19th, and included lots of familiar faces like Donald Glover voicing Simba, Beyonce voicing Nala, James Earl Jones returning to voice Mufasa, and many others. Like many remake movies, the live action remake of “The Lion King” retold the same story, while making a few changes.
The story begins with the very familiar and anticipated African Serenade that the internet was buzzing about. Many retweeted and shared a popular post that spoke from a generational stand point. The post said “If y’all first NAAAA don’t hit right, I’m leaving the theater.” Young Simba, voiced by JD McCrary, is ‘christened’ next in line for the throne and showered with love from all of his subjects except one jealous, spiteful lion, his uncle Scar, voiced by Chitwetel Ejiofor. Like the original story, Simba still has love for his uncle despite Scar’s hidden hatred. Simba disobeys his father, taking Nala to an elephant graveyard while Zazu, voiced by John Oliver, chaperones. Mufasa’s death was recreated in what some are calling “high definition” and made audiences emotional all over again. Once Simba learns to “Hakuna Matata”, life is great. Then he learns that the once thriving pride land has become a hyena wasteland. He rejects the call to the throne until meeting Rafiki, voiced by John Kano. He runs back to reclaim the throne after a battle that brings hope and life back to the pride lands.
Many 1994 “Lion King” fans were eager to relive many of the scenes that made them laugh and cry, only to find they had been excluded or changed, such as the infamous scene where the hyenas, originally voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, and Jim Cummings, make each other tremble by saying Mufasa’s name multiple times. In the remake, the more serious hyenas are voiced by Florence Kasumba, Keegan-Michael Key, and Eric Andre.
An infamous song that was replaced was when Pumba, voiced by Seth Rogen, and Timon, voiced by Billy Eichner, had to cause a distraction. Instead of singing about how Pumba was ‘a hunk of fat and juicy meat,’ the pair sang a small portion of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast “Be Our Guest.” A change occurred when Zazu was cornered in Pride Rock’s lion’s den. Instead of Pumba saying, “Did he just call me a pig? They call me Mr. Pig,” he delivers a speech saying he does not tolerate bullying from anyone.
Personally, I enjoyed reliving the story. Everything ‘hit right,’ earning the approval nod from me. Although certain phrases were excluded and some of the songs were updated, overall, I give it a 10/10. I may have enjoyed Beyonce’s single from the soundtrack the most, but I’m not the only one who enjoyed it. Senior Biology major, Beneshia Wadlington said, “It made my childhood self happy.” As amazing as the movie was to some, others liked it but the original will always hold a special place in their hearts. Senior business administration major, Taylor Todman says, “While it was nice to see one of my childhood favorites being redone, it won’t hold a candle to the original in my eyes.”
“I got all nostalgic watching it because I feel like we’ve really come full circle here. I remember watching it when I was little, and I kind of forgot how sad it was! I also was getting so nostalgic in the movie theatre, because I remember being a little kid watching it, and now I’m a senior in college watching it again,” said Tea Franco, senior mass communication major.
Although some were in love and others just liked it, there were some that didn’t like the live action theme. “My feelings about The Lion King are that by going all National Geographic with the animation, they lost personality in the faces. It became less about loving the characters and more about showing off Disney’s animation skills,” said Shelby Emanuele, junior integrated marketing communication major.
No matter the opinion of all viewers, whether it be an approving nod, an “ok” hand tremble, or a “no way Jose” head shake, everyone can agree that it was a must-see movie. Be sure to catch Disney’s “The Lion King” live-action remake in theaters now.
