Review: The Lion King

Every film is an exercise in manipulation, its success primarily dependent on how deftly emotional strings are pulled and how one makes those strings invisible. There are films in which the manipulation is part and parcel of the experience for there are moments, universal in their specificity, that speak directly to one's primal emotions. In The Lion King, Jon Favreau's photorealistic remake of the 1994 animated classic, falls into the latter though very much traverses the former. It is also an example of how artifice can deaden rather than transport.

To say that Favreau's film is unnecessary and pointless is beside the point - Disney has been happily reaping the financial benefits of remaking its classics in the last decade and remakes, in general, are not in and of themselves a terrible thing. What is necessary to say, however, is that it is a deep disappointment. Though often a shot-by-shot remake, it dilutes and drains the spirit and wondrousness that made the original so enchanting and impactful. At least there are the songs by Elton John and Tim Rice. The film is bookended by "Circle of Life," an insidiously ingenious work that would make one's heart swell with pride as a lump forms in one's throat even if unaccompanied by the perfect visuals of animals gathering to celebrate the birth of their future king, in this case Simba (voiced by JD McCrary as a cub, then Donald Glover as a lion), son of the mighty Mufasa (James Earl Jones, reprising his role from the 1994 film).

Simba's existence is an added threat to Mufasa's brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who engineers Mufasa's death in order to claim his throne. This whole sequence is tremendously effective. Watching Mufasa struggle up the rocks is gut-wrenching to watch and the scene in which young Simba lies next to his father will never not break the heart. Yet it might also be the last moment of genuine feeling this version of The Lion King possesses for everything that follows feels flat, disconnected and sometimes painfully by-the-numbers. Nevertheless, the imagery is impressive and there's no doubt that a step or two forward has been taken in the future of animation.

The Lion King

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Written by: Jeff Nathanson; based on the 1994 screenplay by Irene Mechi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, James Earl Jones, Florence Kasumba, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre