Disney’s ‘Lion King’ reboot a roaring success
Great cast, awesome visuals make for a terrific live-action film
To really appreciate what Disney pulls of with its grand sortof live-action redo of “The Lion King,” in theaters Friday, stay put for the end credits. There are more “artist” names scrolling and scrolling down the screen than there are partying passengers aboard a Godzillasized cruise ship. These talented contributors along with production designer James Chinlund and director Jon Favreau deserve the lion’s share of acclaim for creating such a breathtaking visual spectacle, an epic, groundbreaking effort unlike anything you’ve seen before. From the sweeping majesty of the African savanna to a lush, green jungle where a self-banished Simba learns to hakuna matata his way through life is a marvel to behold. The detailed and nuanced animals — created via a combination of virtual reality, footage of real- life critters, animation and other effects — deliver exceptional performances, as do the humans voicing them, particularly Billy Eichner as the snarky meerkat Timon and Seth Rogen as his less brainy and flatulence-prone buddy, the warthog Pumbaa. They steal every scene and save the movie from being too maudlin. The story, of course, has been told before. First there was Disney’s cherished 1994 animated original, then the boldly creative 1997 stage adaptation directed by Julie Taymor, who also shared in the writing credits and has an executive producer credit here. For those concerned about the Tim Rice-Elton John songs, they’re back, along with a nifty new song from Beyonce. She’s a force as the grown-up Nala, the lioness friend of the cub-who-would-beking Simba, played by “Atlanta’s” Donald Glover, who adroitly channels all the guilt and resilience of the protagonist. While Beyonce’s “Spirit” is a winner, it feels wedged into the film — perhaps to garner another Academy Award nomination for original song. There’s also a new John-Rice tune tagged on at the end, the rather innocuous “Never Too Late.” Two of the best numbers — and yes, the film frequently comes off like a huge Broadway stage production Nathanson does a fine job ladling on the Shakespearean drama. (The story borrows from “Hamlet.”) He does even better when the film introduces the welcome comic-relief team of Timon and Pumbaa, with Eichner and Rogen firing off their lines with perfect timing. They’re terrific together, even if the flatulence jokes wear thin. (The kids will love them.) Last but not least, there are JD McCrary, voicing the clueless young Simba, and Shahadi Wright Joseph, as the strong young Nala. Both are talents to watch. Overseeing such a massive technical production as this one requires a filmmaker to be on top of every nuance and detail in play. Actor-director Favreau is the right person for the job, particularly since he’s swung on the Disney vine before, helming one of the studio’s best redos — 2016’s “The Jungle Book.” His “Lion King” is even better, balancing respect for the animated version with new special effects innovations for his live-action version. But are these Disney live-action reboots even necessary? That’s been a debate as the studio has given us some high points (“Jungle Book”) along with some low ones (Tim Burton’s “Dumbo”). The studio has more of these planned, including “Mulan,” due in March 2020, and “The Little Mermaid.” That same debate could center on many blockbusters of late. (Did we really need another “Men in Black,” for example?) This time, Disney delivers a strong case that such reboots can be rewarding and worthwhile. “The Lion King” is a crowning achievement.