“The Lion King” cast talks reimagining the Disney classic

LOS ANGELES >> Disney’s “The Lion King” has received no shortage of remakes and spinoffs in the years since its original 1994 release. Now, as the film nears its silver anniversary, Disney delivers a new take on the animated musical.

Cast and crew gathered in Hollywood for “The Lion King” world premiere Tuesday night, and discussed reimagining the classic.

“I think I’m really lucky, because I feel like a lot of the people who are experiencing it don’t remember the first one,” joked Donald Glover, who voices adult Simba.

“(The original film) is such a big part of who I was,” Glover continued, adding he felt the weight of his role especially during his duet of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” with costar Beyoncé.

“Tackling it was really just trying to make the song feel as emotional as it was before,” he said.

While the remake pays homage to the source material, a new approach allowed for more creative liberties than its predecessor, many cast and crew noted.

Hans Zimmer, who composed the original film’s underscore, said he was excited to produce new compositions as well as revamp original music cues.

“This time, I could breathe,” he said, explaining that some of his music was performed too fast the first time around. “I could let them play properly. I could do things with them that I never did before.”

Composer Lebo M. said the remake will feature tunes from the original, and a host of new songs, as well as the anthem “He Lives in You,” which debuted in the stage production.

“We wrote it originally for the movie 25 years ago, and it made its mark on Broadway and around the world, and it’s now a very special version in this movie soundtrack,” he said. “The music department, we went crazy.”