'The Lion King': Jon Favreau's Animated Remake Looks Majestic, But It's A Flat, Nostalgic Rehash [Review]

Mixing disparate and unrelated ‘90s franchise references right off the bat in a review is poor form, but I can’t help but think of the key line in “Jurassic Park” when watching the new 2019 ‘Lion King’ remake. Because “The Lion King” filmmakers and the VFX guys were so preoccupied with whether or not they could make a photorealistic animated remake of a beloved Disney classic, nobody stopped to think whether they should. Goldblum’s obviously talking about ethical decisions and consequences, but he’s also talking about the allure of trailblazing, being first, technological breakthroughs and nerds with toys that can’t help but tinker with things they should best leave alone.

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1994’s unimpeachable classic, “The Lion King,” directed by Roger Allers, and Rob Minkoff, is one of those things that should be left alone, a perfect little gem that needs no polish. But the lure of technology is too strong, especially for filmmaker Jon Favreau who’s spent the last few years pushing the limits of technology and recreating animated classics into live-action films (see 2016’s similar “The Jungle Book”).

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“Live-action” is definitely a misnomer here, even if the techniques to create the movie are a mish-mash of different things like VR technology, motion-capture, actual scenic photography, and “traditional” CGI animation, albeit, extremely lifelike. But most of it is irrelevant either way. Favreau’s “The Lion King” is practically a shot-for-shot, beat-for-beat version of cinematic karaoke that doesn’t update or modernize the story in any way, Hakuna-Matata-content to stick to the script and unconcerned with the rest (and it’s a screenplay that probably shouldn’t receive a new credit). While there’s a good voice cast and yes, the visuals are game-changing, innovative and sometimes stunning to look at, the movie itself, you know, the actual experience, is largely flat and pointless given how it’s just paint-by-numbers storytelling featuring pioneering new technology.

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The plot is the exact one you know. The lion king Mufasa (James Earl Jones reprising his quintessential voice role), lords over his kingdom with compassion and wisdom and with the birth of his new son, Simba (JD McCrary), begins to teach the boy how to be a benevolent ruler. But Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mufasa’s manipulative, dishonest, embittered brother—disgusted by idea of one day having to serve under Mufasa’s young son— has other plans, gaslights the boy and puts a traitorous plan in place to kill his brother and overthrow the kingdom with the help of the lion’s sworn enemy, the Hyenas (the only new context is probably unintentional allusions to a disquieting new world order where a corrupt, fraudulent leader makes treaties with sworn enemies for his own benefit, the rest of the kingdom be damned).

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Aside from a new Beyoncé Knowles-Carter song (that doesn’t really fit; she voices Nala), everything is very formally by the book. The story then goes in the familiar places you know, Simba (eventually Donald Glover when older) is exiled and grows up in another land eventually befriending new lifelong besties, Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner). Eventually, he tries to reclaim his rightful rank as king.

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Admittedly, some of “The Lion King” still works because the original writing is so damn good. The gorge scene, and the heinous betrayal of a resentful, jealous brother trying to steal the throne and blaming the heir is downright Shakespearean and it’s essentially impossible to f*ck up the power of that harrowing and tragic sequence. Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are entertaining scene stealers, naturally and many of the father/son dynamics and scenes are also still moving, but the movie never thinks to adapt itself for the new medium and breathe. In the cartoon, for example, Simba’s transition from self-doubt to embracing his true identity thanks to a pep talk with his Ghost Dad™ in the clouds, is affecting stuff. Here, given the heightened realism of it all, it feels super rushed, going from authentic insecurity to affirmation and heroism in two seconds, the filmmakers never adding beats to their adaptation, never messing with the recipe like a sous chef underling.

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A movie of sage circle-of-life lessons, the original ‘Lion King’ arguably wrestles with, and then ultimately reconciles the themes of putting the past behind you, and remembering who you truly are—the push and pull dynamics of balancing your legacy, but also looking to the horizon of what’s to come. Favreau leans exclusively on the past, assuming the good storytelling will tell itself and puts all his energies into the boundary-pushing technology.

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And yes, it looks majestic and immaculate and especially early on, awe-inspiring. But impressive visuals on their own, without depth or much emotion, are just that, feel empty over time and then just turn into enervating noise by the end.

Look, trailblazers pushing the edge of technology are necessary and Favreau’s clearly onto something here and hats off to the guy, especially when you consider his career started in indie comedy; his growth and willingness to learn as a filmmaker over the years has been remarkable. But without a marriage of inspired storytelling, straight up regurgitation doesn’t elevate new tech. Also, thinking about could and should, one needs to consider good taste, but that’s clearly not driving any of the decisions here. Animated photorealism is going to have its day in the sun, and will find practical storytelling applications in something that will likely astound audiences down the road, and such is the precarious life of the visionary trying to forge new paths. But this lifeless nostalgic rehash that offers absolutely nothing new, aside from a shiny new leopard print aesthetic to tell the same exact story, just ain’t it. [C-]