The Circle of Life…on Loop

The Circle of Life…on Loop

Why ‘I Just Can’t Wait’ for ‘The Lion King’ Remake

By Ryan Song

Remember watching the ballroom scene from “Beauty and the Beast” for the first time? The gorgeous animation and Oscar-winning song created a perfect moment that has become one of Disney’s most iconic moments. Now, remember when Disney slapped together a cheaper, lazier version of the scene while making a quick $1.2 billion?

With the blockbuster successes of the remakes of “The Jungle Book” and "Beauty and the Beast", both of which made more than $1 billion, Disney's desire to remake its animated classics kicked into motion. Indeed, the company has announced remakes for “Mulan,” “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” and even “Dumbo.” The problem is that the company is choosing to remake movies that don’t have enough flaws to warrant a retelling. It already tried remaking “Beauty and the Beast,” a film that so critically acclaimed that it was nominated for Best Picture. Sure enough, the remake was a frustrating clone of the original movie “[that replaced] every moment of authentic or moving emotion with bombast and hyperbolic overemphasis” (Robinson 2017).

Unfortunately, Disney considered that film's financial success as opposed to its lack of artistic merit when it decided to unveil their plan to remake “The Lion King,” which has been considered “the greatest Disney film of all time” by many (“The Circle of…” 2015). Because of this, people may deem a remake unnecessary. However, information about the cast has led me to believe that it might be better than expected.

Childish Cat: Donald Glover as Simba

Matthew Broderick delivered a great performance as Simba in the original film, but it wasn’t necessarily irreplaceable. Even though Simba is a well-developed character, I believe that any actor could do the character justice. Based off his past works, Donald Glover, Disney’s choice for Simba, can provide an exciting and different take on the character.

Glover has a clear passion for all his pursuits. In some instances, he is the “heart and soul” of the project, which could falter without his presence. Glover spent four seasons on the NBC show “Community” as Troy Barnes. Show creator Dan Harmon talked about how the show's writers would spend hours writing jokes and how most of what made it into the final script were ones that Glover improvised on the set.  When Glover left “Community,” Harmon eventually came to accept that his departure marked the death of the show (Rose 2017). With this work mentality, I’m confident that Glover will take this project and inject his own personality to elevate it beyond what audiences may expect.

An important factor that’ll certainly contribute to this is his voice, which is hard to describe. When I think of how Glover’s voice can relate to Simba, I see an actor fitting his character more into the setting in which this remake will be set in as opposed to becoming a distraction when compared to the original. Having Simba speak in Glover’s distinct voice will add a level of authenticity to the character, which will help differentiate it from the original performance.

Director Jon Favreau’s decision to cast Glover displays a certain care that he has for the original film. He does not want his version of Simba to ruin what made the character great nor does he want to create a shallow copy of Broderick’s version, which is why he cast an actor who could use his prior experience to deliver something truly unique.

The Brits: Long Live Chiwetel Ejiofor?

As news kept coming in about “The Lion King” remake, I was mostly satisfied with the other casting choices. But, when I heard that Chiwetel Ejiofor was signed to play Scar, I started having doubts.

While Glover can create a strong interpretation of Simba from a completely different angle, Jeremy Irons’ portrayal as Scar is so iconic to the character that Ejiofor would be remiss if he didn't at least try taking an interesting spin on the voice, since it would be lazy to just duplicate the original role.

British villains have been known to combine “intelligence with charm, restlessness with calm, and always confident. [...] villains disrupt the status quo and challenge the establishment, while living one step ahead of [...] the pack” (“Jaguar Announces” 2014). Not only does Scar have to be one step ahead in what he does but also in how he projects his character, and Ejiofor does not have the deep and slithering tone needed for the character. I can see him playing Scar well during his more cunning moments, but his quieter voice may prevent him from delivering line like, “I quiver with FEAR” to a desired effect.

While this may be a hackneyed choice, Benedict Cumberbatch would be a better Scar. He has proven to be calm and collective while delivering forceful lines during the necessary moments. He could add snarls and change his voice flow to create a Scar that has elements of Irons’ performance while simultaneously deviating from the original portrayal. Four years ago, he played the villain Smaug in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” With his “sardonic delivery,” Cumberbatch showed the character’s “narcissism without undercutting [his] menace,” further proving that he can use this charisma to portray Scar (Macnab 2013).

This isn't to say that Ejiofor is a bad actor. Quite the contrary, as he has proven to be a great actor in his works. Actor Nathan Fillion believed that he brought legitimacy to the movie “Serenity” (Riley 2013).  However, with other great actors with the depth and demeanor more appropriate to portray the character Scar, Ejiofor wouldn't necessarily be my first choice. Given his reputation as a great actor, however, perhaps he'll go out of his way to make his performance different than that of Irons', but just as menacing.

‘Be Prepared’ for What We Get

The rest of the casting so far is near perfect, and rumors of Beyoncé playing Nala would make this film even better. Favreau had previously directed the remake of “The Jungle Book,” which was both a financial and critical success, so I'm certain Disney won't exert as much creative control over him.

As this remake is only in pre-production, the discussion is a matter of conjecture. But, based on the information currently available, I am hopeful that this film will be a good one.

Disney can ill afford to fail on a remake of a movie as beloved as “The Lion King.” A few casting choices and an entire production and post-production phase will tell if this remake will be the King.

Works Cited

Allers, Roger and Rob Minkoff, directors. The Lion King. Buena Vista Pictures, 1994.

Graceyosmiley. “The Circle Of Life: 20 Reasons The Lion King Is The Greatest Disney Film Of

All Time.” Her.ie, 11 June 2015

“Jaguar Announces Three Renowned Actors To Appear In Its First Super Bowl Commercial

Launching ‘British Villains’ Campaign For New F-TYPE Coupe.” PR Newswire, 2014.

Macnab, Geoffrey. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Review.” The Independent,

Independent Digital News and Media, 12 Dec. 2013

Riley, Jenelle. “Chiwetel Ejiofor Was Hollywood's Best-Kept Secret for Years. Now, Thanks to

His Star Turn in '12 Years a Slave,' the Acclaim Is Unbound.” Variety, 2013, p. 34.  

Robinson, Tasha. “The Beauty and the Beast Remake Is a Long Series of Wasted Opportunities.”

The Verge, The Verge, 17 Mar. 2017

Rose, L. (2017). Underestimate DONALD GLOVER at your own peril. Hollywood

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