Live-action “Lion King” rules, with hints of “Hamlet”
Live-action ‘Lion King’ rules, with hints of ‘Hamlet’
As you may have noticed, Disney has been churning out live-action/CGI remakes of animated classics with increasing frequency in recent years, from “The Jungle Book” to “Beauty and the Beast” to “Dumbo” to “Aladdin,” with many more on the way.
It’s no small feat to deliver entertaining and innovative liveaction takes on animated treasures that hold such a special place in the hearts and memories of millions, but Disney has built an impressive adaptation track record and has won over many a skeptic. (Come on, “Aladdin” was pretty great.)
Still, putting a live-action spin (Disney calls the process “photo real”) on “The Lion King” about 25 years after the release of the original seemed to be a particularly daunting task, given how much we loved the animated visuals and the amazing voice work and the beautiful music in the original — and, oh, yeah, isn’t it going to look ridiculous when realistic-looking lions (and hyenas and other creatures) start talking and singing? (When Aslan spoke in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” all I could think was, “Hey, that talking lion sounds just like Liam Neeson!”)
Indeed, it takes a scene or two to get comfortable with the incredibly lifelike animals talking and singing — but director Jon Favreau made a wise choice by going with a “less is
more” approach to that issue, i.e., not trying to perfectly sync up mouth movements with every syllable of dialogue, and often pulling back for gorgeous, big-picture cover shots during the musical numbers.
And while the musical numbers don’t match the impact of the originals and there’s a bit of a lull in the second act, “The Lion King” is on balance a solid and at times stunningly beautiful film.
The attention to detail, from the way in which the light falls across the Pride Lands at different times of the day, to the stars in the sky, to the rendering of tiny insects as well as magnificent giraffes and elephants, to the expressive eyes of the characters, is breathtaking.
As for the story: I’ll leave it to you to discover whether the plot is a note-for-note cover of the original, but it’s hardly a spoiler alert to say given the filmmakers are not idiots; they have great respect for the source material (which has more than a few echoes of “Hamlet”).
In a timeless African savanna, the great and wise and kind King Mufasa (the legendary James Earl Jones, who, of course, voiced Mufasa in the 1994 film) is overcome with joy over the birth of the cub Simba (JD McCrary), who will one day succeed him.
(Sidebar: If I can think of an onscreen creature I’ve ever seen that is more adorable than baby Simba, I’ll let you know.)
Mufasa is just starting to explain the whole “Circle of Life” thing to Simba when tragedy strikes, although the circumstances aren’t as random as they seem to some. Riddled with guilt, poor little Simba runs away while his uncle Scar takes command.
I’m not sure any actor in the known universe could top Jeremy Irons’ voice work as Mufasa’s evil, scheming, villainous younger brother Scar — but Chiwetel Ejiofor acquits himself well in the role. (The CGI version of Scar is a work of art. Yes, he’s a monster and he’s mangy and scary and creepy — but there’s something sad and desperate and damaged about him as well.)
Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen absolutely kill as Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog, who befriend Simba at his lowest moment and remain loyal to him even when he’s grown up and has put on 400 pounds or so. (They’re also front and center for an inside-joke, meta moment.)
Donald Glover voices the grown-up Simba, and Beyonce Knowles is Nala.
Kudos as well to “The Lion King” 2.0 for not shying away from the spiritual elements of the original story, with all its religious connotations. Nor does it soften the violence in certain pivotal scenes. Even in a musical comedy fantasy world in which predator and prey can become friends due to extenuating circumstances, it’s best not to mess with the king. This “Lion King” rules. And roars.