SA Previews: The Lion King
October 17, 2019
The Lion King is a classic Disney movie that almost all of us grew up watching as a child. Its heart-wrenching plot and irresistible soundtrack must leave us thinking ‘How could The Lion King get any better?’ Well, it can! The new 2019 version of The Lion King is ranked #11 overall of all-time box-office hits domestically, while the original version ranked #26. So, one might ask, “Why is the new version of The Lion King ranked higher than the old one [in these statistics]?”
This year’s movie does a fantastic job of keeping a lot of the original ideas of the 1994 version present; it seems like that was important to everyone working on this version. The live-action version’s nostalgic feel is undeniably a draw for adults that grew up in the original Lion King era. Even though this year’s Lion King kept a lot of the animated film’s essentials, it did add a lot, starting with the graphics. The graphics this year changed the animated movie to being one of many newly computer-generated movies, which is similar to game technology. This makes everything in the movie not only pop, but also feel realistic. In addition to this, the creators also used “…a range of live-action filmmaking tools and techniques — from lighting to camera movement to set dressing — that have been around for more than a century, as well as a few that are entirely new”. Many have commented about how beautiful the animals and scenery are, making it look like a real-life nature documentary. Another change in the new Lion King is the popular casting among the characters. Some big names that were casted in this movie include: Beyoncé, Seth Rogan, and Donald Glover. The publicity from having these actors be a part of this year’s movie has caused a lot of success.
The basic plot of The Lion King (2019) is about Simba’s journey from a young lion to a powerful leader that takes after his father Mufasa. Scar, Mufasa’s brother, tries to kill Mufasa and his son Simba in order to take over the kingdom’s reign. However, he does not succeed with killing Simba. Simba runs away from home after the unimaginable scene that happened in front of him, and it was not until he met Timon and Pumbaa that he returned home. Once he returns home, he is approached by his childhood friend, Nala, who tells him about Scar’s reign throughout the kingdom and how Simba needs to stop it. After he is informed, Simba does everything he can to fulfill his destiny as king and overtake Scar. The audience gave this film an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.1/10 from IMDB reviews.
Join us Saturday, October 26th at 8 P.M. in the Vines Center for a fantastic night of nostalgia with The Lion King (2019)!
Sources
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/lion-king-2019-facts
Written by: Kaitlyn Skarstein
Kaitlyn loves being able to write for the SA blog because she thinks it is important to share her voice. She loves being able to express her own opinions on important subjects that are relevant for students, faculty, and many others.