MOVIE REVIEW - "The Lion King" (2019)

Synopsis: Betrayed and exiled from his kingdom after an ambush, Simba, a small lion cub must overcome the loss of his father and discover how to grow away from his home. In addition, he has also found a way to resume his fate as a royal heir in the plains of the African savannah.

Since the release of the original animation (which took place in 1994), 25 years have passed and today Disney continues its journey to the world of live action films in a cinematographically surprising way. Although everything in this film is entirely CGI, I already consider - and I say this without having to think twice - this as the best of the adaptations ever made... Everything is simply SENSATIONAL (in all possible and imaginable aspects)!

Comic Book

Fans who grew up watching the first version, the nostalgia begins soon in the initial chords (to the sound of the exciting song "Cycle of Life", in the unforgettable opening scene) and from there, then immerses itself in a sea of ​​feelings in which the childhood memories are the protagonists. To the (possible) fans who are only getting to know this movie today, they are presented the opportunity to witness a magically unique story, in all its singularity that branches out in different ways.

The solidity and objectivity of the original screenplay remain intact, but the addition of new scenes (which are translated into new events and extended scenes, showing a new perspective on certain situations that deepen the importance of events) is well-developed and assiduously well distributed at the right time. Compared to the original animation, it was - on average - 38 minutes of new / extended scenes that further perfected what already seemed to be unreleasable.

ABC News

There are few changes in the plot, but the way virtually every narrative is directed by director Jon Favreau - who does a highly consistent and quality work, making this his best work so far - is different, he prints something new in the way make animated films and make the film breathe new air, following new paths, with the goal of reaching the same end of the original material (which is simply masterful!).

The central characters retain their primary essences, but now we can see a much more imposing Mufasa, an innocently more entertaining and brave Simba (especially in his adulthood phase), a bravely more determined Nala (gaining more prominence in this adaptation), the duo Timon and Pumbaa even more authentic and an extremely nefarious and tricky Scar.

In the cast of voice actors, names like James Earl Jones, Alfre Woodard, Donald Glover, Beyoncé and Chiwetel Ejiofor deliver good performances (worth mentioning that the work of the children's cast is also remarkable) and the treatment of all their characters, as well as all the others (which even slightly change), received a great upgrade making them even better, supported by a thin line that somehow brings them closer visibly.

GQ

Technically speaking, the film is undeniable (and virtually unrepeatable)! Hans Zimmer's entire soundtrack is phenomenal and working together with the iconic original songs ("Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "Hakuna Matata", for example) is a thunderously rich set to the smallest detail like the simple running of the water)... So the power that each carries with it is shivering and through the use of words, it is an indescribable sensation.

A mesmerizing photography work surrounds all scenes bringing a level of minimalism out of the usual (even for the works of Disney itself). However, it is the work of digital / visual effects that steals the scene because I have never really seen an animation performed with such realism... A richly neat and almost tangible production process, which at all times seems to want to transcend the screen and enter into the real world.

Absolutely everything in this aspect is immensely grandiose and exquisite, with no chance for a possible inquiry that something throughout the movie is not true... From the slight and subtle movements of animal hair or shaking branches and leaves, to movements (like scenes of races and fights), everything is absurdly believable and really offers the viewer the fidelity that the plot needs to exhale.

Entertainment Weekly

Perhaps - characteristically speaking - the point that may bother some people is that animals dont express facial reactions that are more striking than animation (something that was already expected, at least by me and that ended up not making much difference... anyway , they are animals!), which ends up excluding some of the caricature magic - in the good sense of the word - that emerges everywhere in the original along with an explosion of colors.

This capture related to different types of faces is lost a little here and this becomes clear during most of the musical numbers (although the same remain great!). But as I mentioned earlier, they are animals (and as such, they don't have the power to express themselves in such a way) and as the tone of the movie is more realistic (and even pretty dark sometimes), it wouldn't make sense to "infantilize" this aspect for something that only works in another type of approach.

JoBlo

The Lion King was Disney's most ambitious challenge and the end result is truly spectacular! In any segment, everyone knows that no matter how hard you try to achieve perfection, this isn't possible... But with this adaptation, Disney managed to realize a beautiful and intimate glimpse of how everything would be if it really existed.