See How 'The Lion King' Remake's "Hakuna Matata" Scene Compares To The Original
The early buzz from the world premiere of The Lion King may be strong, but after a recent clip was released from the remake of Disney's animated classic, some people aren't so jazzed.
During Donald Glover's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week, a quick clip of him singing as adult Simba along with his pals Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) was shown. That's right, we're talking about the wonderful "Hakuna Matata" sequence, but when you compare it to the original scene, it makes you question exactly what makes this remake worth watching. See The Lion King remake comparison below.
The Lion King Comparison
Comparison between the two animated versions of The Lion King. pic.twitter.com/E5dfgMASZJ
— cartoonbrew.com – Animation News (@cartoonbrew) July 11, 2019
This is the big issue with this remake using such photorealistic animals. You can't make them do anything that looks remotely cartoonish and thus you lose what makes the animated movie so much more vibrant.
At the same time, the effects used to bring these animals to life are amazing. The early buzz praised the visuals in this movie, especially when it comes to the lifelike animals. However, not everyone is as impressed by their appearance, especially in that recently released clip. Our own Chris Evangelista sounded off on Twitter yesterday:
This just looks like a cartoon. Actually, it looks worse than a cartoon. None of the characters have any weight.
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) July 10, 2019
While I'll contend that framing isn't anything to write home about, the criticism of the character animation doesn't quite register with me. These animals look incredible, as does the environment in which they exist. I don't think there's an issue with the characters feeling like floaty holograms that don't have the right weight, but again, their lifelike appearance does take away from the effectiveness of this scene when compared to the energy and fun of the original.
At the very least, even detractors of The Lion King remake are saying that Timon and Pumbaa steal the movie. Some even want to see the duo get their own spin-off, and since the box office for this movie will be huge, that doesn't sound like an impossible request. But we'll have to wait and see what general audiences think of the movie before we start heading down that road.
In the meantime, here's Donald Glover on Jimmy Kimmel Live in a lion onesie:
The Lion King arrives in theaters on July 19, 2019.