” Once again we listen to the great James Earl Jones, the only returning actor from the original, bring resonant voice to the role of Mufasa, the lion father who presents his cub Simba (JD McCrary) to his multi-species kingdom of the Pride Lands while Simba’s mother Sarabi (Alfre Woodard), and his future love, Nala (Shahadi Wright Joseph), look on. It’s doubtful there’s a more foolproof opening number than Elton John’s “The Circle of Life.
There’s too much at stake not to stay timid. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson never strays far from the source material.
What Do We Want From ‘The Lion King’ and Disney’s Live-Action Remakes? But without the animating spark of life, the story falls flat. There’s barely a second in this new Lion King that doesn’t reveal what it truly is: a business proposition that uses familiarity as its life raft. Never mind that Julie Taylor’s puppet-based stage adaptation of The Lion King took artistic risks that paid off in a long Broadway run that seems to have no ending.
But unlike his playful approach to 2016’s The Jungle Book - a far lesser example of Disney artistry that served to free him up - Favreau feels hamstrung by the enormity of the task at hand. Favreau offers up a shot-by-shot remake of the movie that grossed nearly $1 billion. What’s missing? Let’s start with intangibles such as heart, soul and the faintest hint of originality. Everything money can buy - including the vocal talents of Beyoncé and Donald Glover and the latest in digital pizazz - has been poured into Jon Favreau’s photo-realistic retake on The Lion King, the 1994 Disney animated classic.
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