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Lion King review


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The Lion King 
Disney
PG           118 min

Quite honestly the 1994 cartoon version of Lion King was wonderful and the CGI animation version is even more wonderful. I was a little bit shocked to find out that the original was 25 years ago. What with the stage play making the rounds and the fact that Disney films are often timeless it seems somehow more recent. Still that’s a good thing because now there’s a special treat for an entirely new generation. Both these versions are animated but the original was closer to your standard cartoon images but now computer graphics have made it possible to make this look like it’s actual animals in the jungle. It is truly incredible. Still once you’ve been properly stunned by how great it looks the voice characterizations are almost equally perfect. Ironically with Hollywood’s latest fad of recasting everything with African Americans this time, being set in Africa, it really works. Of course it’s not every cast member but it does make sense.
The story itself remains the same. Mufasa (James Earl Jones who else?) He's the king of the beasts the one that rules the entire jungle and is charged with protecting everyone and keeping the nasty hyenas at bay. Unfortunately not everyone in the jungle reveres the king, as a matter of fact his own brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is bitter and resentful and scheming to stage a coup with those hyenas as his unsavory allies. Scars envy intensifies when the King has a son, Simba, who will be the heir to the throne.  Scar will eventually lead Simba into temptation and get him in a great deal of trouble making him believe he’s responsible for the death of Mufasa. Simba (JD McCrary and  Donald Glover ) enters a kind of self-imposed banishment living on the outskirts and living off the land with a couple of non-traditional friends, a warthog and lemur who don’t take life all that seriously. But as we remember push will eventually come to shove and it will be time for Simba to stand up to his villainous uncle at recapture the throne. 
There is a lot to love about the new LION KING not only are the voice characterizations brilliant, with Seth Rogen perfectly cast as Pumba the warthog, singer Beyonce and political satirist John Oliver also have roles.
One thing I did notice, and I would have to go back and check, but it seems this version is a little less centered around the music of the original. The music of course is great but I didn’t particularly mind the truncated version. And the computer graphic animation is just amazing. It looks like real animals but…
Another home run for Disney this is fun exciting touching and exhilarating.
A
WSS
 

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LOL! I tell people I have learned in these later years to estimate how long it has been since such and such happened and then double that. Usually comes pretty close. I was thinking it had been more than 10 but less than 15, so I guess my theory still holds water at 25 actual.🙀😁

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