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The Lion King (2019)
Director Jon Favreau, best known as the creative force behind the Iron Man franchise, triumphs as the director of the 2019 live action remake of The Ling King, a sweeping and beautifully photographed tale of Shakespearean sensibility in the animal kingdom that first came to the screen in animated form in 1994.
For those who were living under a rock in 1994, this is the story of an animal kingdom called Pride Rock, that is ruled over by a powerful lion ruler named Mufasa, who has begun preparing his scrappy young cub, Simba, for the day he will eventually take over as the king of Pride Rock. Mufasa's plan never comes to fruition because of his death at the hands of his bitter brother, Scar, who convinces Simba that he is at fault for his father's death and talks him into leaving Pride Rock forever, until an unforeseen friendship with a pair of new friends and destiny lead Simba back home.
Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the brilliant screenplay for Catch Me If You Can, co-wrote the solid screenplay for this film with Irene Mecchi, who wrote the original 1994 animated gem, a tale about the importance of family and how it simultaneously bring people (or animals) together or tear them apart. Nathanson and Mecchi unfold the story slowly, but not too slowly, perfectly establishing the relationship between Mufasa and Simba, which is at the heart of this story, even if Mufasa's exit from the story is early on. As the young cub Simba grows into an adult Lion, he never forgets anything his father told him and, in his heart, refuses to believe anything his father told him wasn't true.
This is not the first Disney story to go from animation to live action, but this is definitely the strongest one so far, thanks to Jon Favreau'a extraordinary eye for detail, making sure we believe that these animals are not just talking onscreen, but they are real, despite the fact that they are talking, The characters are perfect melange of realistic looking animals and CGI technology that allows them not only to interact with each other, but give the viewer insight into whatever emotion they might be feeling at the moment and it is done so effectively, at times, the viewer will definitely experience one or two lumps in the throat. The moment where Simba realizes his dad his gone and tries to crawl into his father's limp arms definitely ignited the tear ducts for this reviewer.
Most of the songs from the 1994 score by Elton John and Hans Zimmer have been included for this remake, including the Oscar winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?". And even though it does get interrupted, I cannot deny that my favorite musical moment in this film was a marvelous re-imagining of the 60's pop classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
There is some terrific voice work here, which we have come to expect from Disney. Thank God Favreau and company had the sense to make sure no one else but James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa, the only actor who reprised his role from the animated film. Mention should also be made of Alfre Woodard as Simba's mother, Seth Rogen as Pumba, Donald Glover as Simba, Billy Eichner as Timon, and a magnificent, scene-stealing turn from Chiwetel Eijefor as Scar. Production values are first rate with special nods to cinematography and sound, but more than anything, this film is a testament to the talent of Jon Favreau, who may have created his masterpiece here, even though no one may realize it.
Director Jon Favreau, best known as the creative force behind the Iron Man franchise, triumphs as the director of the 2019 live action remake of The Ling King, a sweeping and beautifully photographed tale of Shakespearean sensibility in the animal kingdom that first came to the screen in animated form in 1994.
For those who were living under a rock in 1994, this is the story of an animal kingdom called Pride Rock, that is ruled over by a powerful lion ruler named Mufasa, who has begun preparing his scrappy young cub, Simba, for the day he will eventually take over as the king of Pride Rock. Mufasa's plan never comes to fruition because of his death at the hands of his bitter brother, Scar, who convinces Simba that he is at fault for his father's death and talks him into leaving Pride Rock forever, until an unforeseen friendship with a pair of new friends and destiny lead Simba back home.
Jeff Nathanson, who wrote the brilliant screenplay for Catch Me If You Can, co-wrote the solid screenplay for this film with Irene Mecchi, who wrote the original 1994 animated gem, a tale about the importance of family and how it simultaneously bring people (or animals) together or tear them apart. Nathanson and Mecchi unfold the story slowly, but not too slowly, perfectly establishing the relationship between Mufasa and Simba, which is at the heart of this story, even if Mufasa's exit from the story is early on. As the young cub Simba grows into an adult Lion, he never forgets anything his father told him and, in his heart, refuses to believe anything his father told him wasn't true.
This is not the first Disney story to go from animation to live action, but this is definitely the strongest one so far, thanks to Jon Favreau'a extraordinary eye for detail, making sure we believe that these animals are not just talking onscreen, but they are real, despite the fact that they are talking, The characters are perfect melange of realistic looking animals and CGI technology that allows them not only to interact with each other, but give the viewer insight into whatever emotion they might be feeling at the moment and it is done so effectively, at times, the viewer will definitely experience one or two lumps in the throat. The moment where Simba realizes his dad his gone and tries to crawl into his father's limp arms definitely ignited the tear ducts for this reviewer.
Most of the songs from the 1994 score by Elton John and Hans Zimmer have been included for this remake, including the Oscar winning "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?". And even though it does get interrupted, I cannot deny that my favorite musical moment in this film was a marvelous re-imagining of the 60's pop classic "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
There is some terrific voice work here, which we have come to expect from Disney. Thank God Favreau and company had the sense to make sure no one else but James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa, the only actor who reprised his role from the animated film. Mention should also be made of Alfre Woodard as Simba's mother, Seth Rogen as Pumba, Donald Glover as Simba, Billy Eichner as Timon, and a magnificent, scene-stealing turn from Chiwetel Eijefor as Scar. Production values are first rate with special nods to cinematography and sound, but more than anything, this film is a testament to the talent of Jon Favreau, who may have created his masterpiece here, even though no one may realize it.