This is a virtual shot-for-shot reproduction of the original, and some credulous souls have been excitably posting side-by-side images on social media, showing the cartoon and its digital duplication. An evil plot and a tragedy mean Simba grows up in exile, where he must one day confront his destiny, helped by the young lioness he loves: Nala, voiced by Beyoncé.
Here the role originally played by Jeremy Irons has been given to Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is capably insinuating, but does not relish the evilness of the part in the same outrageous and enjoyable way Irons did. But wicked Uncle Scar (did he have a real name before the nickname?) nurses evil designs on poor little Simba. Here once again is the story of the lion prince Simba (voiced by Donald Glover) who as a tiny cub is “presented” to his subjects in the ceremony on the phallic Pride Rock by his parents King Mufasa (in which vocal role James Earl Jones is a survivor of the original film) and Queen Sarabi (Alfre Woodard). These are walking, talking animals that are realer than real and whose facial/speech patterns are eerily plausible – way past the unsatisfying oddities of Babe the pig from long ago, with moving mouths pasted on animal faces. This is an anthro-leonine deepfake of impressive proportions, but the new Lion King gains in shock and awe while losing in character and wit.
A fter 25 years, during which it gained classic status as the last Disney picture in the old style that Walt himself would have endorsed and enjoyed a long afterlife in theatres all over the world with Julie Taymor’s staging and costumes, the 1994 animation The Lion King has been remade as a quasi-live-action digital movie.
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