In the current Hollywood jungle, Disney is the apex predator. Disney now owns 40% of the domestic box office marketshare, and they've had a colossal year. With hits like Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel and Toy Story 4, they've amassed global ticket sales in excess of $7.67 billion, the all-time record for a single studio, and The Lion King is a big slice of that pie, soon to be the latest offering to crest the billion dollar mark. The year's barely half over, with Frozen 2, Maleficent and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker still to come. Point being, these cats know what they're doing and they know how to satisfy an audience.
I was a little surprised when Jon Favreau was announced as director, as his 2016 literalization of The Jungle Book covered such similar territory. Maybe that was the appeal - to explore a similar conceit and make it feel unique. Whatever the case, Favreau does a tremendous job here. I've been surprised by the somewhat lackluster reviews The Lion King has received, as this feels exactly like the experience the trailer promised. There's great fealty to the source material, whose dialogue and songs have become downright iconic - yet depicting the characters in such a vivid photrealistic style feels fresh and engaging. You'd swear that Rafiki (John Kani) is a living, insightful primate.
Supremely smart move to have James Earl Jones return to voice Mufasa, sounding as strong and focused as ever. He's wonderful, as always. JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph feel just perfect as the younger incarnations of lion cubs Simba and Nala, with Donald Glover and Beyoncé (Knowles Carter) as the grown-up versions. Alfre Woodard and John Oliver are also outstanding as Sarabi and Zazu. But it's Chiwetel Ejiofor who truly rules here as vindictive uncle Scar. The character design of all the animals is excellent and astonishingly convincing, but the design of Scar is utterly amazing, and Ejiofor inhabits him with pitch-perfect conviction and malice.
Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen play comic relief duo of Timon and Pumba, and if I have one issue with The Lion King, it's Eichner's Timon, who's a bit much, putting it mildly. He dials it up way past eleven, and threatens to give new life to sterotypes that likely do more harm than good. It's Timon channeling Paul Lynde.
Favreau does a superb job weaving this all together. He's been the home run hero for Disney and I'm a little giddy to see what he's come up with overseeing The Mandalorian for Disney+. The Lion King feels like it was exhaustively storyboarded, as the shot composition has a fantastic, classicist style that makes this iconic, Shakespearean fable feel like it's been faithfully honored. The pace never lags, and it's a perfect summer outing for every demographic of the family to share together. It's fun, and like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast before it, does a heartfelt job of keeping the story alive for new generations of young moviegoers, who are clearly enjoying the experience.
I was a little surprised when Jon Favreau was announced as director, as his 2016 literalization of The Jungle Book covered such similar territory. Maybe that was the appeal - to explore a similar conceit and make it feel unique. Whatever the case, Favreau does a tremendous job here. I've been surprised by the somewhat lackluster reviews The Lion King has received, as this feels exactly like the experience the trailer promised. There's great fealty to the source material, whose dialogue and songs have become downright iconic - yet depicting the characters in such a vivid photrealistic style feels fresh and engaging. You'd swear that Rafiki (John Kani) is a living, insightful primate.
Supremely smart move to have James Earl Jones return to voice Mufasa, sounding as strong and focused as ever. He's wonderful, as always. JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph feel just perfect as the younger incarnations of lion cubs Simba and Nala, with Donald Glover and Beyoncé (Knowles Carter) as the grown-up versions. Alfre Woodard and John Oliver are also outstanding as Sarabi and Zazu. But it's Chiwetel Ejiofor who truly rules here as vindictive uncle Scar. The character design of all the animals is excellent and astonishingly convincing, but the design of Scar is utterly amazing, and Ejiofor inhabits him with pitch-perfect conviction and malice.
Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen play comic relief duo of Timon and Pumba, and if I have one issue with The Lion King, it's Eichner's Timon, who's a bit much, putting it mildly. He dials it up way past eleven, and threatens to give new life to sterotypes that likely do more harm than good. It's Timon channeling Paul Lynde.
Favreau does a superb job weaving this all together. He's been the home run hero for Disney and I'm a little giddy to see what he's come up with overseeing The Mandalorian for Disney+. The Lion King feels like it was exhaustively storyboarded, as the shot composition has a fantastic, classicist style that makes this iconic, Shakespearean fable feel like it's been faithfully honored. The pace never lags, and it's a perfect summer outing for every demographic of the family to share together. It's fun, and like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast before it, does a heartfelt job of keeping the story alive for new generations of young moviegoers, who are clearly enjoying the experience.
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