“The Lion King” pushes animation to new extremes

BY Ron and Leigh

As a multi-generational tale, “The Lion King” is the highest-grossing entertainment franchise ever. Second place isn’t even close. After the animated feature, the Disney theme park mini-musical, the Broadway musical and now this live-action CGI extravaganza, we have contributed our share of the eight billion dollars Disney has raked in on the “mane event.” Yet, we can’t wait to see this one again, and again.

The movie is billed as a live-action feature, but there’s not a single living creature, human or otherwise in this picture. Ten years ago, James Cameron created motion capture technology for “Avatar;” however, director Jon Favreau (“Jungle Book”) is transforming virtual reality technologies into an innovative, high-powered medium.

The cinematography in every scene is absolutely breathtaking. The stunning African landscapes have been enhanced with computer-generated imagery, but we couldn’t tell where reality stops and imagery begins. The remarkable “Circle of Life,” opening sequence is like the ultimate Disneynature film backed by a majestic Hans Zimmer orchestration. It is spectacular and worth the price of admission alone.

An all-star cast of voiceovers for the stunningly realistic anthropomorphic characters include Donald Glover and Beyonce’ as Simba and Nala; however, this version spends a little more time with the two as youngsters, delightfully played and sung by JD McCrary and Shadhadi Wright Joseph. Eighty-six-year-old James Earl Jones is the only actor returning from the 1994 original, playing the mighty Mufasa, king of the pride. We half-heartedly hoped to hear him announce to his son, “Simba, I am your father!”

Unlike the original, all of the lion voices are provided by actors with African roots. In addition, strong supporting roles are provided by John Oliver as the comical caretaker Zazu, while Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner play the lovable but dim-witted Timon and Pumbaa. Rogan is somewhat typecast as the warthog, but the two play off each other quite well. They were encouraged to improvise their lines by Favreau.

Many scenes pay homage to the original animated feature, but the tight shots of baby Simba and other cutesy critters just come across a little more heartwarming here. Naturally, Simba gets into his share of mischief, but we wonder how Prince Charles reacts to that silly and trivial song, “I Just Can’t Wait to King.”

Comparisons to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” have been inevitable. As Claudius was a member of the royal family and carried himself as an outcast, so does Scar here. Although Jeremy Irons expressed a desire to recreate the role, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays the role as much darker, a powder keg ready to explode. Scar is governed by envy and pettiness and carries a massive chip on his shoulder.

While Musafa effectively displayed compassion for his kingdom, the cruel, unethical Scar allows his hyena supporters to ravage the resources without regard to the dwellers in the kingdom. Then, proclaims, “If there’s nobody to challenge us, the mighty can take whatever we want.” This sets the stage for Nala and the wise Rafiki (John Kani) to urge the true Lion King to challenge the deceitful “Lyin’ King.”

“The Lion King” is 118 minutes and rated PG for violence, peril and thematic elements. Disney secured lyricist Tim Rice early in the original project. When ABBA was too busy to help write the musical soundtrack, Rice enlisted Elton John. Then, Disney relegated “Can You Hear the Love Tonight” to the mindless duo Timon and Pumbaa to sing. It was reported Elton went through the roof. We wonder if that was the inspiration for “Hakuna Matata.”

Purists may protest this new medium, but just as Julie Taymor transformed the animated feature into a wildly successful Broadway musical, Jon Favreau has once again intensified the experience of this moving story. Transforming the same tale from one medium to the next while generating enormous box office receipts along the way is phenomenal. Or, as the Mouse would call it, “The Circle of Life.”

Ron’s Rating: A
Leigh’s Rating: A