The Lion King

Now to the mane event of Disney's summer.

That event, of course, is The Lion King, Disney's "live-action" rendition of its African-set blockbuster. The classic story is told again by director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson. Let's see how they do it this time.

Simba (JD McCrary) the lion cub is born to Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Sarabi (Alfrie Woodard), the King and Queen of the Pridelands. Mufasa wants Simba to take his place in the great Circle of Life when the time comes. But when Simba's evil uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) usurps the throne, Simba is cast out.

Timon the meerkat (Billy Eichner) and Pumba the warthog (Seth Rogen) save Simba. Simba grows up, now voiced by Donald Glover, living the good life of Hakuna Matata. But when Nala the lioness (Beyonce) finds Simba, he'll have to step up and oppose Scar.

Why the air quotes around live-action? That's because the characters and environments are more photo-realistic than the usual animated film. The resulting verisimilitude is stunning to a point. The animals' facial expressions, at least, compared to the original, fall under dull surprise. But that's compensated by their expressive body language. The most emotive characters are the Hyenas, led by Shenzi (Florence Kasumba), Kamari (Keegan Michael-Key) and Azizi (Eric Andre). Shenzi's ferocity and Kamari and Azizi's banter make them my favorite characters.

The story's faithfulness is, perhaps, its biggest fault. It's a beat-by-beat recreation of the original film. The film opens with a stunning, shot-by-shot remake of the Circle of Life number. All the familiar story beats, and even bits of dialogue, are there. It got dull at times, even during its rendition of Can You Feel The Love Tonight. Scar's villain song, Be Prepared, is shortened into a near non-starter. Still, its original ideas are greatly appreciated. The film's substitute for Timon's hula gag is this film's best gag.

Hans Zimmer returns to rework his classic Oscar-winning score. It's as formidable as his original work, especially in the stampede scene. Elton John and Tim Rice's songs are memorable now as they were then. John and Rice even have a new end credit song, Never Too Late. Beyonce's own musical contribution, Spirit, perfectly punctuates a pivotal part.

Hello, alliteration.

The Lion King in "live-action" is mostly how you remember it in 2D animation. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you. I thought it wasn't as lively as the original film. Its original aspects and voice cast made the 118 minutes more bearable. It's an OK matinee for an afternoon. Only time will tell if this Lion King becomes as iconic as its predecessor.