‘The Lion King’ Remake Is Now Available on Disney Plus
If you missed it in theaters, heads up: The 2019 “live-action” remake of The Lion King is now available on Disney+. You can stream it here.
Directed by Jon Favreau, the film recast the beloved ’90s animated film with new CGI animals. (The original 2D animated film is also available on Disney+ — along with The Lion King 1 1/2 and The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.) The voice cast is all A-list; Donald Glover is Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor is Scar, Seth Rogen is Pumbaa, Billy Eichner is Timon, and Beyonce is Nala. Oh and James Earl Jones returns as Mufasa, because literally no one on Earth can replace James Earl Jones in a vocal role.
The film was a massive success, grossing more than $1.6 billion worldwide. Our critic, however, was not impressed. As he wrote in his review:
The animals still talk and sing, as they did in the original hand-drawn feature from 1994, but now they largely behave like animals in a nature documentary rather than cartoon characters. That limits what they can do onscreen and, even worse, limits what they can express in their fuzzy little faces, which remain placid and static no matter the circumstances. Adorable baby Simba looks basically the same whether he’s singing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” or running for his life from a deadly stampede. The voice actors give big, emotional performances that feel totally disconnected from their photoreal yet blank counterparts.
Don’t take his word for it; you can feel the love tonight for yourself on Disney+.
Gallery — The Movies We’re Shocked Are Actually Available on Disney+: