5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE SEEING DISNEYS THE LION KING

Oh I know y'all have been waiting for this one...

Ever since I saw the screening of Disneys The Lion King last week y'all have been beating down the door of my Instagram DM's  like its free before 11 at the club looking for the tea (*sips*)

Talking about "Deanna when are you going to put the review up on the blog?"

I have to admit part of the reason I waited this long was because as someone who grew up on The Lion King I really needed to think over not only what I was going to say in this review but also how I was going to say it.  But after much deliberation and sorting of my feelings (us millennials are sensitive about our ish!) I've finally got it together.

So, here we go.

First of all just in case you have been living under a rock. Before I give you the rundown lets' get into The Lion King's official trailer.

Now that we've got that out the way...

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE SEEING DISNEYS THE LION KING

1) They Stick To The Original Story

An important, if not the most important thing to know about the movie is that Disney really stuck to the original story of The Lion King. 

Let's be honest, The Lion King is pretty much THE cult classic movie from my generations childhood (unless Hocus Pocus is in the running). Everyone I know either says that The Lion King was the first movie they ever saw in theaters or they have a VERY strong love for the movie. 

So if any changes would have been made im sure you would have had a revolt led by angry millennials who's childhood memories had been ruined.

Nobody wanted that. 

2) This May Not Be The Movie For Little Ones

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As a mom (see how bold I get being 7 months into mommy hood) I can't say that this version of the movie is great for littles (under a certain age) to see. Being a "live action" movie gives this version of The Lion King a different feel. 

It's done amazingly well and looks super realistic (as it should). But when it comes to the stamped in the gorge, the death of Mufasa, the final fight scenes and the suggested death of Scar. Because it looks SO real, it may be overwhelming and prove to be too graphic or violet for smaller kids.

3) Timon and Pumbaa Steal The Show

I don't know about you, but I love some good comedic relief. Timon and Pumbaa deliver just that, through sound, delivery and jokes (that we probably didn't get as a kid but as adults now pick up on.)

Sheer greatness!

I actually remember a year or so after The Lion King came out, I went to Disney and picked out a Pumbaa stuffed animal that I loved. Clearly I always knew he and his small rodent friend was with the shits.

Us adults will truly appreciate them this go around.

4) Seeing Lions Talk Is A Little Creepy Bruh

Let me be the first to say...I'm good on this. 

I'm not quite sure if its because the animals look so realistic or if I just have too much emotional connection to the original Lion King. But seeing voices come out of animals mouths threw me for a loop.  A good portion of the movie for me was honestly spent trying to get over hearing words come out of the mouth of an animal. It's like a little brain trip and very different from watching the cartoon.

Another thing that was very different from watching the cartoon was all of the emotion, expressions and fantasy that was lost in this version. 

You know the saying you don't appreciate what you had until it's gone...yea that's relevant here. Just take a look at the below comparison of the Hakuna Matata scene 

Comparison between the two animated versions of The Lion King. pic.twitter.com/E5dfgMASZJ

— cartoonbrew.com (@cartoonbrew) July 11, 2019

See what i'm saying?

There is only so much expression that you will get out of a digitally real version of a lions face, because well...lions don't have expressions.

Also losing out on all the cuteness of the amazing trio in the jungle, the playfulness and the childlike feel is not something I appreciated unfortunately. 

There are other parts of the movie where the loss of emotion and expression are jarring as well but...ill let you stumble across those yourself.

5) Beyoncé Was Disappointing

THAT'S RIGHT!

I SAID IT!

WHO GONNA CHECK ME BOO?!

Just kidding naw don't send the beyhive my way (really). In all honesty I'm a Beyoncé fan, I'll be out here shuffling and doing the Before I Let Go challenge with the best of them and know damn near every word to all her songs. 

But what I can't do is pretend I loved something when I didn't. 

The fact is, Beyoncé was hard to listen to (acting wise). If you pair the difficulty of seeing words come out of a lions mouth along with her delivery of the lines it was all a tough pill to swallow. 

Now what I will say is that my opinion is SOLELY based on her delivery...which I would liken to someone reading words off of a page for the first time instead of truly getting into a character. It was just dry. This of course however is NOT based on her singing at all...which was bomb as per usual.

*Forrest Gump voice* And that's all I have to say about that.

Final Thoughts

All in all The Lion King Movie was enjoyable. I am happy I got to see it and I thank Disney and Allied Media for allowing me to attend the screening. 

For my Millennials looking to relive childhood you may not get all that you expected but seeing the movie in a different light was cool. Personally, nothing will ever hold a candle to the original...I mean come on, you can't tell me you don't still shed a tear when Mufasa dies in the stampede #thugtear.

For first time viewers (aka y'all kids) I would be interested to see how they like it.

I would also love to hear any reports of comparisons reactions or reviews on the animated vs live action from your littles or you. 

Feel free to leave them below!

Until Next Time, 

XO Deanna