When it was announced that the timeless Disney classic The Lion King was next on the block for a live-action remake, it was met with more than a mixed bag of responses. Some were happy to see a return of what many consider the greatest traditionally-animated feature of all time, some were overcome with a sense of dread that their favorite film would be stepped on by a new interpretation, and some heaved a collected annoyed grunt, seeing that there's no point in remaking what's already perfect. But when the teaser trailer for the film finally dropped, it got everyone's attention. The trailer showed us sweeping views of the African savannah, had James Earl Jones recite Mufasa's monologue with unaltered tone and form, and pulled it all together with a glorious reprisal of "Circle of Life." Needless to say, we were all quite impressed.
As amazing as the trailer was, it has us all going back and forth between excited and cautious. It looks good, but will the new cast and direction put The Lion King back on top? Or will it fall to the sides as another mediocre remake? With direction by John Favreau, who brought us the spectacular Jungle Book, and the inclusion of Hollywood elites like John Glover and the previously mentioned James Earl Jones, it certainly has the makings of a good film, but will it stand when it premieres this summer? Let us look to the kings of the past as we uncover our hopes and fears for The Lion King's impending return.
20 FEAR: JUST ANOTHER JUNGLE BOOK
We were all pleasantly surprised with how incredible 2016's remake of The Jungle Book was. Not only did it take the right notes away from the Disney Classic, but it pulled from the Kipling novel as well, resulting in the warmly received outcome. That all being said, we want The Lion King to succeed, but not copy what's already been done.
The Jungle Book was great, but The Lion King shouldn't ride its heels. Our fear is that the film will become a retelling of the classic with giant photo-realistic animals with some familiar songs peppered in. It worked for Jungle Book, but a film like this one needs more love and care. It should learn from previous success but stand on its own paws.
19 HOPE: IT REACHES FANS BOTH NEW AND OLD
This film will be dealing with mainly two types of audience members: those who grew up with the original, and those who are just experiencing it for the very first time. The former will have a much more critical view and be on the hunt for discrepancies, but the latter will be more impressionable if they don't compare it to the original. The million dollar question is how to satisfy both sides.
Realistically, it's impossible to please everyone, but we hope the remake will have something both parties can enjoy. It's a familiar story with new blood and the epic score and scope that made the first one great. The film might not be for everyone, but hopefully, it brings fans new and old together.
18 FEAR: NOT ENOUGH DIFFERENCES
Remember, this film is a remake, so it will take a few liberties in presenting a classic story. Like an adaptation of a fairytale, some things will definitely be changed. No matter what it adds or takes, it won't be verbatim like the original. Though that's the point of a remake, it should still remember its roots.
Our fear is that the remake will suffer the same flaws as films like Maleficent or The Hobbit trilogy, it either takes away or adds too much and vice versa. The Lion King is one of the biggest names in the Disney library, it needs to be treated as such. If too much liberty is taken, fans will know and they will not be happy.
17 HOPE: IT MAINTAINS WHAT MADE THE ORIGINAL GREAT
The remake should break some new ground and take some light chances, but it should still strive to maintain what made the animated classic great. The keyword here is "maintain," because no matter how much money or talent is given to this remake, it will always be the remake. It should strive to be great and not outdo what many consider perfection.
Simply put, if a movie tries too hard, it suffers. What could start out as good intention or ambition can easily turn into excess and indulgence. The film should emulate, not imitate. From what we've seen of the trailer, it gives us what we're promised, a live-action retelling of The Lion King, and that's all we're really asking for.
16 FEAR: IT BECOMES A SHOT FOR SHOT REMAKE
Reiterating the last point, the film should emulate and not imitate. The film could suffer just as much from being too much like the original as well as being too different. The trailer was almost identical to the "Circle of Life" sequence from the original film, and that's fine. But the film itself should not be shot-for-shot identical.
Though it's highly unlikely Favreau will try something like this, it's still a common fear for fans of the classic. A film in this fashion would be impressive, but it'd just be a copycat of the original and it'd bring nothing new to the table. We're sure the film will stand apart from its origins, but there is the chance of this error.
15 HOPE: THE MUSIC ROCKS
Let's be clear, The Lion King has to be a musical. The song sequences and Elton-John-fueled musical numbers help drive the plot. The songs are elements fans still talk about to this day. Doing a Lion King film without those catchy tunes would be like Disney World without the rides, its just that simple.
It has been confirmed that both Elton John and Hans Zimmer are returning to create new compositions for the film and that it will feature four of the original tracks. Though not necessarily a musical, we feel it will follow the pawprints of The Jungle Book and use the classic songs differently, but still to great effect. We're open to new interpretations, we just want some songs to sing along with.
14 FEAR: WE LONG FOR THE OLD CAST
Don't get us wrong, we love the direction the film is going by using a primarily African-American cast for a film set in Africa. But we can't help but miss our old friends. We're glad that James Earl Jones returns as Mufasa, but would it have been so hard to bring in some of the old guard?
Some choices in the cast were great, but then there were some that had us all scratching our heads. Disney's already had Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella reprise their roles as Timon and Pumba many times in the past, why should the remake be any different? We're not trying to bring every last one back, but a few favorites would have been nice. Throw us a bone, Disney.
13 HOPE: THE RETURN OF A FEW FAMILIARS
The previous note out of the way, we are very grateful for the returning Lion King alumni we do have. Hans Zimmer and Elton John are both said to return to help make the music and score sensational, we even heard Lebo M singing in the trailer. But what really won us over was the return of James Earl Jones as Mufasa.
Let's be frank, the only person who should play Mufasa is Mufasa, anything else would just be an impression or imitation. With such a widely different cast from the original film, to see at least one familiar face was a relief to fans everywhere. We're more than ready to see Jones return as Mufasa, the stampede, not so much.
12 FEAR: QUESTIONABLE CASTING CHOICES
We can't deny that there is some spectacular talent in the cast of the remake. We love Donald Glover, Keegan-Michale Key, and Alfre Woodard, but we can't help but wonder about some of the other casting choices. Beyoncé wasn't exactly our first choice for Nala, and Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner as Timon and Pumbaa were some really odd calls. We're not upset, we're just concerned.
The cast has some pretty big shoes to fill and there is little room for error. If Timon and Pumbaa aren't funny enough, Simba isn't brave enough, and Nala sounds too much like a pop star, it will completely miss the mark. The characters need to be realized, believable personalities and not just famous voices behind a mic.
11 HOPE: THE NEW CAST GIVES NEW LIFE TO OLD CHARACTERS
On the other side of the coin, we're both excited and curious to see what this new cast brings to the table. Donald Glover as Simba certainly has our attention, as does John Oliver as Zazu and John Kani as Rafiki. We're a bit anxious about our favorite characters getting new voices, but we're still hopeful for winning performances.
This kind of sensation happens with any remake or reinterpretation of any classic work. We're sure some were a bit on edge about Emma Watson as Belle or Bill Murray as Baloo. But until the film finally hits theatres this summer, we cannot form a proper opinion until we see for ourselves. All we can do is wish the cast the best of luck.
10 FEAR: MISSING VILLAIN SONG
Every Disney fan worth their salt knows that "Be Prepared" is one of the quintessential villain songs in the Disney archives. It's Scar's sinister and scary serenade as he relates his evil plan. You'd think it would be included in the remake to give the new Scar some edge, right? You'd be wrong.
It was a very controversial decision to cut this number from one of the biggest musical titles out there. It's not as big of a show stopper as "Circle of Life" or"Hakuna Matata," but still caused a bit of an uproar within some of the more vocal fans. This choice will no doubt have repercussions come this summer, we can only hope for a last minute change in the score.
9 HOPE: IMPROVES UPON THE STORY
One of our biggest hopes is that the film expands and improves on the story. There are tons of things that could be explored given a new method of storytelling. Characters could be further developed, new places could be experienced, and the narrative could be amplified to an epic proportion.
Think about it, this new film could explore the dynamic between Scar and Mufasa, show what really happened while Simba was in exile, and give insight on to Rafiki's mystic power. There are so many venues the filmmakers could take. We can only hope Favreau makes the right calls and gives us the story we crave.
8 FEAR: UNDERWHELMING PERFORMANCES
We've expressed the excitement we have behind names like Donald Glover, but that doesn't mean we're thrilled with the entire cast. A few are barely known to some younger audience members, and a few really have us concerned. We don't doubt Beyoncé's acting abilities, but we're not sold on her as Nala just yet. Likewise, with Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumba. The choices have us nervous.
We're worried that too many mainstream names will cloud over the other elements of the film. The lioness can look like Nala, but the voice can easily take away from the character. As stated before, there is little room for error performance wise. But we can wait and judge for ourselves, we might be surprised.
7 HOPE: THE CHARACTERS HAVE THE SAME CHARM
Voice actors aside, one thing we certainly hope for is the return of our favorite characters and everything they bring with them. For many viewers, this will be the first time they've seen Simba, Nala, Rafiki and all the rest in many years. The return should not only be with a new live-action look but a callback to when the film first premiered
We're not saying we want a high-budget nostalgia trip, but we are saying we want to see something of the characters we know and love. For many fans, The Lion King is a warm place with adventure and majestic animals. The film should be something new and exciting, but it should also be a return of the familiar as well as the epic.
6 FEAR: THE PHOTO-REALISTIC/CGI ANIMALS WILL LOOK CHEESY
Once again, we find ourselves calling back to 2016's The Jungle Book. One thing everyone takes away from that film was how the animals looked compared to Mowgli. Yes, they looked real and you could feel their weight on the scene. But they were also gigantic compared to the pint-sized man-cub. Since The Lion King has no human characters present, we worry it will come off as a cheesy CGI fest.
The trailer showed a pretty impressive scale and animals that actually looked quite lifelike, but we still can't help getting a Jurassic Park vibe. They might look great now, but the action sequences later might look like a glorified Primal Rage game. Let's just hope the realism and animation don't make a computer-generated mess.
5 HOPE: FAVREAU PRODUCES A GOOD VISION
We were impressed with his last Disney outing, and he did help jumpstart the MCU. So it reasons to speculate that John Favreau would be a good choice for this remake. He has a knack for epics and interesting conflict, it actually sounds like he's the guy to do this movie right.
Epic is probably the best word for what the film needs to be. It's been compared to Shakespeare and biblical allegories, it deserves to have a big scale with a big look and presentation. Remembering what he did with The Jungle Book kind of helped put some fans at ease. Favreau can give The Lion King an Iron-Man-sized charge to help make it a smash on the screen. We certainly think he can.
4 FEAR: TAKES AWAY TOO MUCH
Now, this is an issue many remakes suffer from. They're so obsessed with reaching a new audience or trying something different in form that they forget to stick to the source. We know this is unlikely given what we have seen, but don't forget Maleficent looked good at one point too.
The Disney remakes already have a reputation of being missteps or passable films, but The Lion King has so much potential we're scared for it. It has so many good things going, the wrong script or wrong direction could make it bomb. We want to follow Simba on his journey for a reason, it's that simple. To quote Mufasa, remember who you are, movie.
3 HOPE: IT GIVES THE EPIC STORY NEW VOICE
The story of Simba and his return to Pride Rock is already impressive, but there are ways it can be improved. More could be developed about the Pridelands, the hyena conquest, and so much more. We've already established our faith in Favreau, but we've still got our own ideas on what could go down in this bigger version.
There could easily be room for some Game of Thrones styled drama between Mufasa and Scar, and we could further see into Simba's exile. It's not easy when there's not much room for error, but it's something worth discussing. We're certainly excited for what the new story will bring.
2 FEAR: IT ENDS UP BEING A NEEDLESS REMAKE
Going in, already there are those who see this as a cash-grab, insulting to the original, and a needless remake. They see it as another Cinderella or another Beauty and the Beast, and that has some people worried about what it will do for the title.
There's so much potential for this film to be great and so much potential for it to flop that it continually teeters between the two fields. If it just passes, people will call it mediocre, if it's done well, it will be met with warm, but brief, response, and if it fails, nobody will ever forget it. The fate of this film right now is anyone's guess. We're just hoping it comes in for a smooth landing.
1 HOPE: IT REIGNITES LOVE FOR THE ORIGINAL
No matter how the film does in the theatres or amongst the fans, it will create a massive nostalgia wave for the original 1994 classic. If it does poorly, people will watch the original and hail it as the superior version. If it does well, they'll watch to compare and contrast what the remake did differently. Either way, love will return for the animated version.
Even if the movie is just passable, Disney will still rake in money from the merch and more. All we can do as fans is hope for the best. It might be a hit, it might be a miss, it might just fly under the radar, but come this summer, we're sure to go see it for ourselves.