Cinephile № 793 “The Lion King”

Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM

Plot: “After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.” -IMDB

Review: Why does an updated version of “The Lion King” exist? It is a question that should be applied more broadly to all the films Disney is determined to turn into live-action adaptations. If the purpose and place of these films are to just drum up millennial attachment and nostalgia in an effort to make money, I say stop. Stop taking up valuable cinema space. Stop stealing attention from films such as “The Farewell,” “Booksmart,” and “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” Stop stealing the breath of original films deserving of a wide audience but will never achieve the glory they deserve because you must give us regurgitated drivel shown on three different screens at the same cineplex.

“The Lion King” was the first movie I remember seeing twice in a theater. With this adaption, the first thing I noticed in the almost shot for shot adaption is how it made me feel. These aren’t new feelings. These are recycled emotions from my childhood. That’s precisely the point. This isn’t about getting you to feel something new or think differently beyond the advancements in CGI. “The Lion King” is nothing more than a recycling program offering back five cents for glass…