On July 15, 2017, the D23 Expo hosted the Live-Action Movie Panel. The Walt Disney Pictures section featured a stunning preview of Lion King (2019). This was the entire “Circle of Life” sequence that was at the beginning of the 1994 animated film. The official teaser trailer was dropped on November 22nd in time for Thanksgiving. This covered a few scenes from “Circle of Life” as well as other sequences. The trailer brought in 224 million views so interest is high. The film was cast and started filming 2017. It is set to open on July 19, 2019. Rob Legato, the visual effects supervisor for the film, worked with Jon Favreau on The Jungle Book (2016) which had live action parts with actor Neel Sethi. Legato was interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter for Jungle Book and said, “I don’t consider this an animated movie.” There seems to be some confusion with the trailer since it showed similar scenes as the animated film. Can Lion King be considered live action or similar to the animated film rendered in realistic computer animation?
The Lion King teaser trailer is brilliant in showing us what we are familiar with in the animated film, but given a new vision with computer generated imagery. A CGI rendered Lion King may offer few opportunities to add to the story. One of the Lion King products inspired by the film was the album Rhythm of the Pride Lands (1995) which was composed by Lebo M who was the first vocal heard in “Circle of Life” and conducted the choir for the film. When Julie Taymor was developing the Broadway musical, she took songs from the album and also brought in Lebo M. It brings more of an African sound to the Lion King story. The other part that was expanded with the musical was Nala, the lioness who finds Simba, this will be important since Beyonce is voicing the part. In the musical, she sings “Shadowland”, The Lioness Hunt scene, as well as “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” In fact, the structure and presentation of the musical is interesting considering what the Favreau film can bring to it. The familiarity of the animated film takes away nothing from the Broadway musical. I suspect the same would be with the new movie.
One of the best parts of the musical is that you suddenly find a rhino walking down the aisle next to you! I think this can be accomplished with 3D, but this has to be the next generation 3D. Also, the audio has to match, you have to be there at Pride Rock, singers have to be right next to you and then wander down the theater! Then, there was the other part that I was thinking of a possibility for the live action film. Of course, if it is computer generated characters and settings, it probably not too much live action. Obviously, audiences will be upset if human characters are a part of Simba’s story. So, what if it is a framing device like the Grandfather in Princess Bride (1987)? Before, we get to it, what bothers me about Lion King is that we sense that it takes place in Africa; African animals, we hear African music, and we see Mount Killmanjaro which is in Tanzania, located in eastern Africa. Still, we don’t see the people, obviously because it is the story of lions and other animals. So this is where I see it as a bullied Grandson (JD McCrary), his Grandfather (played by James Earl Jones) brings him to a Storyteller (played by Lebo M?). There is a song in the Broadway musical, “One by One”, that really brings in a celebration and African sounds. This would interrupt the narrative after “Hakuna Matata” and inspire the Grandson. At the end of the film, the Grandson can stand up to the bullies, and the Storyteller finishes with Simba’s “Circle of Life.” These are just possibilities, we will have to see for ourselves, when The Lion King opens on July 19, 2019!
#TheLionKing, #JonFavreau, #JDMcCrary, #JamesEarlJones
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