Reviews of new 'Lion King' poles apart
The poster of Lion King, a remake from the original Disney animation in 1994/ Courtesy of Universal Music Korea
Live action remake to hit local theaters on Wednesday
By Jung Hae-myoung
Disney's 3D remake of the 1994 blockbuster “Lion King,” which will hit local theaters Wednesday, has received mixed reactions since a local VIP preview held last week.
The new “Lion King” directed by John Favreau, who also directed the “live-action” version of “The Jungle Book,” got sweepingly favorable comments from local media outlets.
In its film review, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper described it “a total package” that meets four key criterion for a box office hit ― namely technology, music, casting and a core message. The newspaper said the remake was “flawless” in terms of those four criterion.
Yonhap News Agency said the remake signifies the “heroic return of Lion King” and fans will be thrilled from the get go when its opening song fills the theater. Some other media outlets described it as a film that everybody would love.
Although there is no objection to the ultra-fine high quality technology for the visuals, some critics say this only hinders the characteristics of original animated version.
There are no real animals in the film ― all are generated from photo real computer technology called CGI. The staff stayed in Africa for two weeks and observed all the species of animals shown in the film.
To some fans this realism interferes with their imagination because it makes them detached from the characters.
Indywire, a local press outlet in the United States stated, “Disney's remake is a disastrous plunge into the uncanny valley,” after watching the film, while the New York Times pointed out: “It may be that the realism of the animals makes it hard to connect with them as characters, undermining the inspire anthropomorphism that has been the most enduring source of Disney Magic.”
This is not hard to believe, as the animals created with hyper-realism make watchers feel as if they are real animals from a documentary on National Geographic talking to each other.
Some Disney remakes such as “Aladdin,” “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast” have been successful because they had human characters where facial expressions do not appear so strange. Yet there is limit to what animals can express with their faces.
Other critics say the actors' outstanding voice expressions can complement these visual limitations.
“The main target audience for the film would be young ― mostly teenagers to people in their 20s ― who are familiar with visual technology, so they will not be bothered by it,” Jeong Ji-wook, a film critic, said.
Indeed Beyonce's voice is powerful, almost overwhelming, as the character Nala, guaranteeing the quality of the soundtrack. She also sang “Spirit” which was not in the first film's original soundtrack.
“The Lion King,” was originally a Disney animation released in 1994, with an 89-minute running time. Nearly 930,000 Koreans went to see the film back then, topping the local box office. The production made nearly $70 billion around the world, which is the highest among parent-advisory films at the time. The film was also adapted into Broadway musical and has been performed on stage for 20 years since 1997.
To live up to the high expectations of the original film, the new film did not change much of the storyline, to the extent that each scene is exactly transferred the same.
Favreau, the director, was also aware of the high expectations of original fans.
“A film like this, you feel a sense of responsibility to the original filmmakers, you feel a sense of responsibility to the fans who grew up with it, you feel a responsibility to new audiences who are seeing it, to the cast that trusts you,” Favreau said to the United Press.
Some critics say such remakes are a sign of complacency while others argue it is better than a sloppy adaptation.
“The director would have taken the story untouched because he was sure of the plot,” Jeong said. “It was a wise decision,” he added.
Being faithful to the original work may not be the solution to everything. Some poses questions about “the law of the jungle” in today's society. One SNS user wrote, “Do we have to watch an animal version of Hamlet in 2019 where Jasmine from Aladdin can become a sultan?”
Showing the scene where the weak bows to the strong in the hierarchical, patriarchy system of animal world seems to be out of context in today's society where the strong should help the weak.
The idea of the “circle of life” still remains strong, which is deliberately shown in scenes where part of Simba's mane is blown by the wind, picked up by a bird, eaten by an animal and rolled up by a beetle until it reaches Rafiki.
“Even though the film received mixed reviews, many family groups will watch this film,” said a staff member from the distributing agency. “Local industry officials think the film will attract around six to seven million people.”
“The Lion King” will premiere on July 17.