It’s been a bit of a nostalgic week, what with Toy Story 4 the other day and last night I caught the remake of the Disney classic, The Lion King in 3D IMAX at Cineworld in Broughton.
For those of you that don’t know about The Lion King, first of all, where have you been for the last 25 years! Back in 1994, Disney released an animated movie that grabbed the hearts of cinema-goers, the story of a young lion cub, Simba, and his journey from cub to king!
As with all Disney animated movies of the time, if featured wonderful animation and a soundtrack that had audiences singing it for years later!
Now 25 years later, Disney has brought us another “live” action version of one of their classic movies, after seeing the trailer for the movie, I was intrigued by how the movie would work, for starters would it be able to bring the cuteness of the 1994 movie via the world of CGI talking/singing animals!
As many know from some of my reviews, I’m not a big fan of the reboot/remake craze that has been sweeping our cinema screen over the last few years and the 3D version of the 1994 classic was a bit of a let down, so that seed of doubt was starting to sprout after that initial trailer and The Lion King character posters that were released.
One thing that had me delighted about the remake was the announcement that James Earl Jones was reprising his role as Mufsa, let’s face it how could you have The Lion King without James Earl Jones, it’s like have a Star Wars mother without him voicing Darth Vader!
Besides Jones reprising his role, the rest of The Lion King has a new cast and it did take me a little while to get used to the voices of the likes of the Zazu (John Oliver), Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Shenzi (Florence Kasumba), but I have to say that Pumbaa (Seth Rogan) and Timon (Billy Eichner) I absolutely loved, probably one of the best comedy duos in a movie.
OK, so what did I think of The Lion King
To be honest, I was very surprised how much I enjoyed this version of the Disney classic and dare I say that I enjoyed it more than the original 1994 release.
The CGI of the animals is absolutely stunning, right from the opening sequence as we are introduced to the land surrounding Pride Rock, where all the animals are heading and that moment when Simba is held up by Rafiki (John Kani), the screen fades to black and “BOOM” as the film’s title hits the screen, it certainly sets you up as the original did back in 1994.
We all know what we are going to get, story-wise, for The Lion King, but although this version is very much shot for shot of the original, there are new scenes and other bits that make this movie fresh, such as Timon and Pumbaa acting as decoys for the hyenas in such a comical “easter egg” way.
I have to say that Disney has cracked it again with this one, the CGI is beautifully done, the music is superb and as with the original movie, you’ll be laughing and crying throughout your viewing.
On a personal note, I have to say that The Lion King is certainly one of those films that you have to see on the big screen and the bigger the better, as I mentioned earlier, I saw the film in 3D IMAX and IMAX being the keyword here, with the rolling landscapes of the movie, the IMAX works brilliantly, as does the IMAX sound pounding out the pure quality that the film deserves.
Remember the stampede? Well in 3D IMAX it is breathtaking, with the rumble of the ground being trampled, giving you the true feeling of being smack bang in the middle of the action.
Don’t be put off by this being another “live-action” version of a Disney Classic, go see it, no doubt kids that saw it the first time around may have kids of their own now, so take them with you and experience the laughter, tears and wonder of The Lion King in IMAX.
All images of The Lion King © 2019 Disney Enterprises, All Rights Reserved
The Lion King ROARS on to IMAX 3D
Movie title: The Lion King (2019)
Movie description: After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.
Date published: July 23, 2019
Director(s): Jon Favreau
Actor(s): James Earl Jones, Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
