Disney’s New “Live Action” Remake Of The Lion King

Source: Disney A new version of Disney’s The Lion King is to be released this July 19 as one of the most anticipated movies of 2019. It will be the 13th live-action remake of animated films from the company since the first one back in 1994. It is also the 6th of a new set initiated by Cinderella in March 2015, which already includes The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, and Aladdin. The Lion King 2019 edition is directed by Jon Favreau, already involved in The Jungle Book remake. It stars the voices of Donald Glover (Simba), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar), Alfre Woodard (Sarabi), Billy Eichner (Timon), Beyonce Knowles-Carter (Nala), and James Earl Jones (Mufasa). Elton John, who helped compose the music for the original movie, was deeply involved in this new version to recreate the same atmosphere.

The Circle Of Life

We follow the journey of Simba (the Swahili for lion), a young lion whose destiny is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as King of the Pride Lands. However, Mufasa is murdered by his brother, Scar, who then manipulates Simba into thinking he was responsible for his father’s death. Simba flees into exile. Scar takes the throne and begins his reign of terror, destroying the balance between the hunters and hunted by inviting the hyenas into the lion kingdom. Source: Gal-Dem The young Simba almost dies while crossing the desert but is saved by two wastrels, Timon the meerkat, and Pumbaa the warthog. Simba matures to adulthood alongside his new acolytes, forgetting about his past, until his childhood friend Nala, who grew up into a strong lioness, and his father’s shaman Rafiki, an eccentric old baboon, remind him of his duty as the legitimate heir to the throne. Simba returns to the Pride Lands, challenges his uncle Scar to end his tyranny and takes his place back in the Circle of Life as the rightful King.

The Lion King’s Impact

While having a classic story structure, The Lion King touches on a sensitive subject for a kid’s movie: death. From the beginning of his adventure, Simba is taught by his father about death as being part of life before experiencing it first-hand with Mufasa’s murder. Nobody can escape The Circle of Life where everybody has his/her role to play to ensure the continuity of a balanced world. The Lion King also features probably the most memorable Disney villain: Scar. Simba’s uncle is selfish, greedy, traitorous, and jealous of Mufasa. The two brothers were designed as perfect opposites, from their appearance, bright and dignified against dark and threatening (Scar has always apparent claws) to their personality, direct and welcoming versus mischievous and scheming. Scar’s song also depicts one of the most striking scenery of the film, directly inspired by the totalitarianism military parades from the darkest period of the 20th Century. Source: Sowick This dark song has its bright and catchy opposite with “Hakuna-Matata”. A life lesson of its own, pushing us to enjoy ourselves and always look at the bright side of things.

Live Action Or Not?

All these elements make the original animated film probably one of Disney’s best movies of all time. The ground breaking opening scene, the amazing original soundtrack, and the powerful message are some of the many elements that make The Lion King so memorable to many of us and difficult to remake. Small concerns, that may seem trivial, can spark endless debates on internet. A good example is the classification of the remake as being live-action or not. One could consider it an animated movie since it is made entirely with CGI. Others focus on the techniques used by the director like filming on a bluescreen stage as you would do in live-action movies. If you want to be sure to have live-action, play at a live casino powered by the best software on the market!