The Lion King (2019) * * 1/2

Directed by:  Jon Favreau

Starring (voices of) Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, James Earl Jones, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, John Oliver, JD McCrary

I saw the original animated The Lion King (1994) only once, and besides its top-flight animation, it was heartfelt and tapped into the tear ducts as only animated movies can.    The live-action (somewhat) version released 25 years later loses something in the translation, especially in the pivotal emotional scenes.    Here's an example:   In the original, the opening sequence has newly born lion prince Simba being held up high for the animal kingdom to see.   The cub has an uneasy, uncertain look on his face.   Why is he being shown off in front of the entire savannah?   He's just a cub, for heaven's sake, and doesn't know his place in this kingdom where his father rules with compassion.   In the 2019 version, the cub is presented to the subjects, but without the same expression, and the scene doesn't quite have the same power.

The Lion King is a beautifully constructed visual feast with seamless CGI and live-action animal footage woven convincingly together.   It looks great, but I could not shake the feeling that I was watching an unnecessary remake.    And should this remake have been a musical like the original?
Live action animals singing is rather ungainly, although the Lion Sleeps Tonight number is catchy.

Fast forward to a few years later, and Simba accompanies his father Mufasa (Jones-the only actor returning from the original) on daily tours of the kingdom.   Mufasa is a loving father, who rules with strength, dignity, and the love and respect of his subjects.    But lurking in the background, scheming to usurp the kingdom, is Mufasa's brother Scar (Ejiofor), who was next in line to be king until Simba was born.    Now, he scowls jealously at Simba while pretending to be a caring uncle.    When Scar finally completes his plan to kill his brother and steal the kingdom from young Simba, we feel a giant has passed when he see the lifeless Mufasa on the valley floor after falling to his death.   

Scar manipulates Simba into believing that he was somehow responsible for this father's death, and Simba escapes to the desert after an attempt on his life, where he is rescued by warthog Pumbaa (Rogen) and meerkat Timon (Eichner) and they adopt him into their world of "Hakuna Matata" (meaning "no worries").    Simba grows up with Pumbaa and Timon, forgetting he is the rightful heir of the animal kingdom until his childhood friend Nala (Beyoncé) comes around and reconnects with Simba.    Meanwhile, Scar and his band of hyenas have destroyed the kingdom by overhunting and turned the once beautiful savannah into a wasteland.

This is heavy stuff for kids, despite the music and Pumbaa's penchant for flatulence.    Would it be disquieting for children to witness the realistic-looking violence between animals on screen?    How would it mesh with a singing warthog belting out Hakuna Matata?    In my eyes, it's a disjointed tone, but for a child, who knows?    Animation is better suited to this material because animation has a way of softening the images and glossing over what is a sad story.    Director Favreau is at home helming big budget movies (like Iron Man and The Jungle Book), and the technical aspects of The Lion King are superb, but the underlying emotion of the original is blunted here.