By Robert Yaniz Jr.

Disney’s raid of its own material continues with this emotionally bereft, technically astounding rehash.

THE HYPE

How innocent we all were just a few years ago when Disney decided to revisit The Jungle Book. Director Jon Favreau’s film was notably a visual achievement (even winning the Academy Award for its effects) and did serve as an improvement on its animated counterpart in many respects. Fast-forward to 2019, and the Mouse House is determined to remake all of its animated hits for live-action, regardless of whether that decision makes any creative sense at all. The Lion King 2019 — naturally with Favreau back in the director’s chair — is the third such dusted-off Disney property this year alone and is easily the least inspired of the three. Let’s discuss what went terribly awry.

THE STORY

Equal parts jungle-set Shakespearean tragedy and spiritual allegory (as well as Kimba the White Lion apparently), the story of The Lion King is a huge reason the original film continues to resonate with generations of fans. Rather than tamper with what worked, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson copies and pastes 95 percent from the animated version, squeezing in negligible adjustments and additions for characters like Scar and Nala. However, these minor tweaks rarely improve upon what was already in place, proving the point of skeptics who doubted the necessity of remaking the film in the first place.

THE CAST

One of the few legitimate merits that The Lion King 2019 earns is the diversity of its cast. The Africa-set tale features several notable black performers in central roles, including Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, John Kani and the irreplaceable (you decide if that’s a Queen Bey reference) James Earl Jones. These performances range from solid to completely wrong-headed (again, sorry to shake up the Beyhive). The only true standouts in the film are Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Though the latter cannot sing whatsoever, the duo breathes at least a modicum of life into the production, sprinkling some sharp improve into their mostly-rehashed dialogue. Even the most committed cast members can’t do much to salvage the film.

THE PRODUCTION

Of course, much has been said about Favreau’s application of the same breathtaking CGI used in The Jungle Book to this story. However, the characters turn out to be so realistic that they are virtually incapable of showing any emotion whatsoever. The result is an powerful, character-driven story that is about as emotionally inert as it can be. Taken on their own merits, the Elton John/Tim Rice songs are as indelible as ever, though every single one was better realized the first time around. The new music — including new tunes from John and Beyoncé — contribute nothing substantive and serve as a shameless effort to get The Lion King back in the awards conversation.

THE VERDICT

The Lion King 2019 was, it seems, always a recipe for disaster. Had the film deviated too much from its cherished original recipe, hardcore fans would decry that this wasn’t “[their] Lion King.” So, rather than risk the ire of the same folks who decried The Last Jedi‘s struggle to expand the Star Wars universe, Favreau and his team opted to make remarkably little change to the material. As such, the only elements of this remake that even remotely work are directly borrowed from a 25-year-old film that we’ve all seen a million times anyway. If all you’re interested in are realistic animals, you’re better off putting Animal Kingdom on mute while blasting your OG Lion King soundtrack.

The Lion King stars the voices of Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, John Kani, John Oliver, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and James Earl Jones and is directed by Jon Favreau.