The Lion King (2019)

 

Remaking The Lion King, the Disney classic from 1994, was a completely unnecessary exercise. While Disney has been very successful in recent years in presenting live-action remakes of some of its animated hits, this subpar version of The Lion King is all CGI, so now we really have two animated versions of the same film. The later version’s depiction of the animals is an amazing feat, no doubt, because the animals certainly look realistic (even though everyone knows that not to be the case). The 2019 version has the same plot as the original, and it even seems to follow the original shot-by-shot most of the time. A young cub runs away from his home because he thinks he has caused the death of his father, and he must return years later to save the pride from his uncle’s destructive behavior. The voices are different from those of the earlier actors, except for James Earl Jones, of course, and more members of the cast were people of color this time, thankfully. To be fair, though, John Oliver as Zazu the hornbill, Seth Rogan as Pumbaa the warthog, and Billy Eichner as Timon the meerkat almost steal the film, probably because they serve as the comic relief and it’s easier to look for laughs when the rest of the movie is so mind-numbingly similar to its earlier iteration. Beyonce, who voices Nala, contributes some new songs, but much of the music is from the original Oscar-winning score. I’m sure younger audiences unfamiliar with the 1994 version enjoyed this remake, but anyone who has seen the charming and entertaining original is left wondering what the point of the remake is—other than to make more money, that is.

Oscar Nomination: Best Achievement in Visual Effects