After a brief teaser that made everyone nostalgic, we now have the first feature-length trailer for Disney's "live-action" Lion King, which is actually CGI animation. If you thought the first teaser was nostalgic, this new trailer will make you feel fuzzy on the inside (and outside if you flow that way). That being said, there are certain moments that might make the more cynical of us raise an eyebrow.
The CGI is really great at capturing the realism of these animals. Simba and Nala look like actual cubs and the Hyenas look like their actual namesakes. Even Scar looks impressive, even if he isn't voiced by Jeremy Irons anymore (WTF?!), so if this was the intention of the filmmakers, they succeeded.
However, we can't help but notice that the emphasis on realism has made their faces less expressive. The 2D original excelled at this, giving us moments where characters laughed, cried, shouted in anger, and so much more. Now that we're making everything more "realistic," it's actually taking away something that worked really well in the original.
For the sake of being optimistic, let's hope that this movie is better than these initial impressions. The CGI really is impressive and we're definitely in for some breathtaking moments that will make us go "Woah." We know the story will be good, this is a remake after all, but the execution is still a big mystery.
The Lion King comes out on July 19.
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