Alisha Retenski

Not a terrible reboot. However, the show did remove most of the main cast and over half the episodes were just Pinkie and the Brain. For anyone reading, just expect the Warners, Ralph, Dr. Scratchansniff, and Chicken Boo, because the rest of the cast is gone. In Season 1, an episode explains that the entire animal cast were hunted down by Chicken Boo in his need to be cast in the reboot. So no Slappy, Buttons, or Rita and Mutt, not even the Good Feathers. Didn’t mind the meta jokes, as it is on par with the original. However the episodes were rather politically charged for a kids show. The Trump jokes and Putin jokes were so prevalent that they stopped being funny. Plus the use of animated nipples were just too much in season 1…also didn’t like the jabs at American Historical figures, except Christopher Columbus because that guy did awful stuff. Musical numbers were great though. The reboot song and Kawaii were amazing. However, the First Lady song was sad. Not a lot of information given other than they were just “there” for the majority. Would have rather heard a song about women who contributed to history that included the some of the First Ladies who had an impact. Overall, it was not terrible. Just like every reboot, it is never gonna be like the original. However, it did have great animation and enough nostalgia points and zany antics for me to watch the full 2 seasons.

I love the visual effects of the movie and the realism of the animals and scenery is stunning. I was happy with the movie but mostly because of the nostalgia that came with watching it. The voice cast is full of wonderful actors; I really enjoyed Donald Glover’s and Beyonce’s take on Simba and Nala, respectively. I was, and still am, really ecstatic that James Earl Jones was still able to voice Mufassa. Jone Oliver was even able to make me like Zazu; giving a more protective and authoritative personality over the original’s nag-y and overbearing yet comical tone. All those positives aside, the movie was rather disappointing. To me, the movie seemed like a diluted copy of the original film. Of course a realistic version is not going to be a colorful and animals cannot be as exaggerated or dynamic as their animated counterparts...but I feel something could have been done to help show more emotion in the characters and scenes. I think the film should have been less realistic in the expressions of the animals like in the new Jungle Book. Without the more human-like expressions, the characters in the Lion King have to rely heavily on their voice actors to get the intended emotions and tones across. Many lines just seem forced in this film, making some scenes feel awkward or odd. I was not impressed with many scenes with Timon or Pumba mainly because of the energy and portrayal of Timon. I applaud Billy Eichner for his musical talent as Timon; he sang beautifully. But while talking, Billy had subtle to no change in tone, poorly portraying Timon emotionally. (I did like the Beauty and the Beast cookie scene when serving up Pumba to the hyenas). I didn’t mind the change in characters such as changing names of the hyenas to more traditional African names or making the Hyenas less dimwitted. In fact, I really liked that Shenzi was portrayed as a smart, strong female hyena. Shenzi was truly menacing. I did mind the removal/change of “Be Prepared“ for Scar’s and the hyenas’ decided coup. I love the song, and it’s sad that the directors couldn’t do more with the song or replace it with something that could rival the original. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s take on a more shakespearian Scar was excellent, except for his speak/sing performance of “Be Prepared”. Overall, the movie made me feel “eh”. Neither amazing or horrid. It was nice to have the nostalgia and seeing the visual effects of realism to a Disney classic. But in tampering and changing this classic, I feel like the film lost much of it’s experience and emotion that made me love the original so much.

I have recommended this book series since i was in high school. I never realized they made a movie until this week...and it was terrible. So many books of my adolescence have been tarnished because of bad movie renditions. Ink-heart, Eragon, Fallen, and many more. This book series deserves a series or at least a serious approach on the big screen with a longer run time, organized transition, more suspense, and better actors...I did like the actress playing Penn tho. Still, those who see this movie, please mind dump it and read the books. For those who have read the books...don't watch the movie.