Some of my readers may not be old enough, but I’ll bet most of you are of the age to remember the debacle that was the New Coke back in the mid 80’s. Coca-Cola decided to improve their formula, creating a new soft drink that was supposed to be better than its predecessor of the same name. Much to Coke’s dismay, it was an epic failure. Like, seriously, it was no where near as good as the original. They gave it a solid go, but in less than three months the executives of the soft drink giant admitted defeat and reverted back to their original formula. The good, ole Coca-Cola came back; after all, some things you just can’t improve on. And maybe you shouldn’t try.
I have seen nothing but great reviews from friends for the remake of The Lion King. Everyone I know has loved it! So, I expect this review to hit with a dull thud, but it is what it is.
For me, The Lion King has lost its loving feeling.
I wanted to love it. I did. And maybe that’s where I messed up. Perhaps I anticipated something more grand. Perhaps I expected too much. I mean, I’ve watched many of the remakes and been quite impressed, but for me this one fell flat.
I’m a crier. Yes, I admit it. I’m that person who bawls when they watch a Disney movie. Like, every one ever. Every time my children pop in the 1994 original cartoon Lion King I cry when The Circle of Life belts out through the speakers to accompany a young lion cub held up high for the kingdom to behold. It’s very emotional. I had lofty expectations for watching this reenacted on the big screen, and while I’ll admit a tear or two crept down my cheek, it didn’t induce the lump in my throat I’m used to pushing down. And certainly didn’t produce the monumental outpouring I expected it to induce. It was just okay.
I know, I know. Out with the boos.
But seriously, it was lacking. I kept watching in anticipation of that joy that I remembered, but I wasn’t amazed. I wasn’t taken to a magical land of imagination, and perhaps I set the bar too high, but isn’t that where the old, original Disney cartoons took us? They. Were. Magical.
The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King. Through the late eighties and mid nineties these cartoons were the bread and butter of childhood. They were Saturday morning on steroids, and I’m not sure why we think we can recreate that. Why we think we can do better. But that’s the world we live in now. It’s one that assumes it can take it all to another level, and make our experience an enhanced one with its technology and expansive budget. Well, this remake proved that assumption to be false.
It’s not that it wasn’t cool. It was. It had some amazing scenes and awesome computer animation, but almost every scene seemed awkward to me. That’s the only way I know to describe it. The animals would say something, and then there was a weird pause before the next spoke. Couple that with little ability for them to achieve either an animated or real-life expression on the creatures’ furry faces, and you’re left disappointed. I mean, I knew what was going on because it almost word for word followed the original script. And that’s a good thing. If I depended on the emotionless faces of Simba or Pumbaa to lead the storyline, I’d be lost.
It’s not like it was a torture to watch or anything. I enjoyed the characters of Timon and Pumbaa together. It’s hard not to chuckle at their antics. And when they sang The Lion Sleeps Tonight, I even laughed out loud. In fact, if this was my first experience with a film called The Lion King, I’d probably think it was pretty swell. But since I had the comparison of the original animation, I was sorely disappointed.
Bottom line. Some things you shouldn’t mess with. Some originals can’t be outdone. Sometimes the first one is the best, and any attempt to recreate it will fall flat. Instead of being a generation that wants to be bigger and better than the ones before us, maybe sometimes we just need to appreciate the talent that proceeded us. I’m all for striving for better, technological advances, and all that, but for a lot of things we can admit you don’t have to fix what’s not broken. You can leave well enough alone. You can enjoy the original formula and stop trying to make each and every thing new and improved.
For me, The Lion King fell flat. It lost that loving feeling. It didn’t bring me the joy the original did. If I was to take the advice of Marie Kondo, I know which version I would keep. No need to wait 79 days to admit the original formula was better like Coke execs were hesitant to do. The 1994, animated classic will remain king of the pridelands in my heart, but I do thank the newer version for reminding me of who I am and taking me back home to my DVD player. Maybe some folks liked the new Coke in 1985. And perhaps the majority of my Facebook timeline is jazzed about the Lion remake. But for me, I’m a Coca-Cola classic kind of gal. And I’ll take my old animation over CGI. At least when it comes to this particular tale.
Dave says
Having been working at what was then Disney MGM Studios when the original Lion King was new I am certainly partial to it! Also kinda like the remake of Jungle Book! The new one is just okay & can’t touch the original! I was there when The Making of the Lion King was one of our most popular attractions & I was there when they took the show down & me & my crew went to take down the big posters of all the main characters displayed in the park! I was awarded the poster of Mufasa for our work with WED to remove the advertising for the show & have him on my man cave wall! Good memories of a wonderful movie & time in my life!