You know the story. You know the characters. You know the song.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mustafa, the lion king, rules a pride of lions from his mantle on Pride Rock. His territory encompasses any place touched by the sun's rays.
His newborn son, Simba, is destined to inherit his place as leader of the pride. Mufasa's brother, Scar, plans to banish Simba and overthrow Mufasa to claim his self-proclaimed place as leader.
With a name like Scar, his intentions can only be villainous.
Unless you're living under a rock, but not Pride Rock, you know all that, which begs the question why Disney has chosen to remake The Lion King.
An obvious answer is that technology changes and Disney has reconstructed the story as a hyper-real animated film. It's a hybrid: part animation, part David Attenborough documentary.
A cynical answer would be that the Circle of Life has become the Circle of Cash.
The original animated The Lion King movie and subsequent stage show were success stories for Disney, but there has been a long enough gap since the original film to warrant a technology-driven remake.
There's leadership struggles, treachery, love, a heart-wrenching death scene, a cute lion cub and comic sidekicks such as meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa.
Top it off with toe-tapping, sing-a-long tunes such as The Circle of Life, Hakuna Matata and I Can't Wait to be King and you've got another hit movie that's similar but not identical to the original.
The film moves at a steady pace and that, at times, is a limitation. There's no sense of high tension. Perhaps that's a result of our familiarity with the characters and the story.
The Lion King won't fail. You will be entertained. You will shed tears when Scar's treachery eliminates Mustafa and Simba is banished. You will rejoice and sing the songs of celebration as Simba triumphs to maintain the circle of life.
Equally, you will be contributing to Disney's accumulation of profits with every ticket you purchase.
Wide audience appeal and profitability are key elements to Disney's remake of The Lion King. Importantly, remaking The Lion King was a safe bet with a guaranteed result. The Lion King wins in every department.
