The Lion King

The Lion King is the most popular and successful animated movie from Disney Renaissance era. Although it is not my favourite, I have a lot of good childhood memories with its Burger King collectibles, SNES game, and great songs. Interestingly I actually never watched the cartoon in full at all. Hahaha.. I am only familiar with the singing scenes because I have to admit that the Lion King has the best songs. None of the songs is boring, even the villain's song.

Despite the initial hype from the trailer, I have been sick since 2 weeks ago and I sort of getting lazy to watch this. No surprise since I never even bother watching the original cartoon after all. In the end the eagerness returned after I found out that it has exceeded $1 billion in box office.

Although I never watch the original cartoon, I think this "live action" version is almost an exact replica. Surprisingly I find it dull and boring instead of good for staying faithful to the original. While the story is intact, I think the live action fails terribly in the emotion and the vocals. The new animation is amazing and it almost feels like watching a documentary. Unfortunately this causes a mismatch. The animals are so realistic that they just appear emotion-less. Add in the vocals and it feels even weirder.

Other than Circle of Life, the songs which are sung by the animals lack the energy and the fun that the original have. I am excited that Beyonce is voicing Nala but that turns out to be another mismatch. Beyonce's voice is simply too iconic and amazing that when Nala speaks, it sounds like Beyonce acting instead of Nala. She does Can You Feel the Love Tonight too pop-ish and diva-ish that it does not feel romantic at all. Be Prepared is one of the better Disney villain's song and it gets butchered in this live action.

I think it is 50:50 hits and misses. This live action version is missing out elements that make the Lion King special such as young Simba's brattiness, Zazu's personality, the stampede and Mufasa's death, and the final battle. Yet some things are still as nice as the original: the Circle of Life, Timon and Pumba, and Mufasa's voice. However at the end I think that this live action is a step backward from the original. And that comes from me who has a rather low standard since I actually enjoyed Aladdin, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Maleficent remakes which many find to be terrible.