Closely follows the Original but an Unnecessary Remake
I always knew Disney could redo The Lion King at some point. They've redone almost everything else. Look, it's a free country. They can make as many remakes as they want but I just don't see the point in them. The Disney remakes are the same movies but without animation. Every once in a while, they can possibly pleasantly surprise me. Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland was the only Disney film to ever accomplish this because it wasn't really a remake. It was a story we all know told completely differently with the same characters.
Disney remakes also have a very pretentious and competitive air to them. They also try to be better than the original even though they're the same story. The Lion King was at least smart enough not to do that, as it's a straight line of storytelling closely followed the original. Rather than try to be better than the original, this version seemed to celebrate it. The celebration was led by passionate voices such as Donald Glover, Chiwetiel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard and of course, queen Beyoncé.
The cinematography was breathtaking and the visual effects were crafted with enough care to keep audiences on the edge of their seats even though we all know what happens. The music was all the same and while it doesn't live up to the original, it was sweet to see those who loved the original Lion King to contribute in their own way.
Overall, Disney remakes always seem to attract a large number of audiences so clearly, they don't feel as strongly about the problems of remakes that I seem to find.
If you love Disney, the original Lion King and of course, Beyoncé, you may as well go see it. It really isn't the kind of movie where you will be terribly disappointed if you don't particularly care for it.
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