The Lion King early reviews: Joyless and a crushing disappointment, say critics

In 1994, an animated film by the name of The Lion King won hearts all around the globe and achieved a cult status practically. The film told the story of the lion cub Simba, who flees his homelands after assuming he is responsible for a terribly tragedy.

The trailers and teasers of the live-action film generated hype and curiosity. However, the film does not seemed to have lived up to its enormous expectations, going by the reviews in foreign media.

The Hollywood reporter wrote, "After the initial fascination and moments of enchantment in watching the extraordinarily lifelike animals talking and relating to one another as human beings do, you begin to get used to it to the extent that it's no longer surprising, which in turn allows the familiarity of it all to begin flooding in. The film's aesthetic caution and predictability begin to wear down on the entire enterprise in the second half the original animated Lion King ran 88 minutes, while this one lasts two hours. You can feel the difference."

Variety critic wrote, "By focusing his attention on upgrading the look of the earlier film while sticking largely to its directorial choices and script, Favreau reinforces the strength of the 1994 classic. If you were never a fan of The Lion King, then nothing here will win you over. On the other hand, for those too young ever to have seen it, this could be a life-changing experience, one that strives to create a kind of understanding between audiences and the animal kingdom that Disney once made a regular part of its mission, back in the era of films such as The Legend of Lobo and The Incredible Journey. It’s a shame to sacrifice the hand-drawn artistry whose human touch will surely hold up better in the long haul but those are the terms with this latest wave of remakes, and The Lion King at least honors what came before, using current animation technology to convince us that we’re watching the real thing."

The review from AV Club called it joyless, artless and soulless. "It’s as if every creative decision were subordinate to the film’s misguided insistence on realism, on keeping the mannerisms and movements of these magically intelligent creatures believable. And so, all the pleasures are not just secondhand but diminished: We’re watching a hollow bastardization of a blockbuster, at once completely reliant on the audience’s pre-established affection for its predecessor and strangely determined to jettison much of what made it special."

Vox critic praised the visuals but said that the dubbing seemed rather off. "The photorealism is striking and impressive, but something feels weird about the voices. It’s not like people can’t imagine talking lions, of course. But it’s distracting in a way that’s not ideal it’s uncanny and disjointed at the same time, as if real zoo animals are being anthropomorphized. So The Lion King now has its very own pristine cover album, rendered in intricate, realistic detail, a high-fidelity B-side for its many devoted fans. But it might, in the end, leave you wishing for the slightly scuffed-up vinyl original."

The Guardian’s reviewer wrote, "But I missed the simplicity and vividness of the original hand-drawn images...The circle of commercial life has given birth to this all-but-indistinguishable digiclone descendant."

Forbes seemed thoroughly dejected by the film and wrote, Be prepared for a crushing disappointment."

The Lion King's voice cast included Beyonce, James Earles Jones, Donald Glover, and John Oliver. However, even the starry presence could not save the film.

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