A teaser trailer for the new “The Lion King” was released Nov. 22, and while there is much anticipation about it, some are skeptical.
The trailer opens with familiar scenes of the African savanna and animals, shortly followed by Mufasa’s “everything the light touches is our kingdom” monologue, voiced by the original Mufasa, James Earl Jones.
The rest of the trailer is familiar images of Pride Rock, Simba’s “baptism” and a wildebeest stampede which fans know foreshadows Mufasa’s death. All of this is set to Mufasa’s monologue and an orchestral version of “Circle of Life.”
“I loved the scenery in the trailer and the dramaticness of Mufasa’s narration,” senior Mahum Haque said. “His voice just takes you back to the original.”
But for some this is where people start not liking the trailer. So far the trailer shows the new “Lion King” will be a scene for scene reshot of the original animation. People have even made side-by-side comparison videos of the trailer and the coordinating scenes from the original. This can be exciting for some, but for others it is a turn-off.
Since the movie is about talking African animals, the entire movie will be CGI, and while some think this is great, (especially with the sneak peek the trailer already provided), some fear it could be weird.
“The original animated movie was so iconic,” said senior Jeanelle Cho. “I think it’ll be weird to see these realistic animals talking and singing.”
“The Jungle Book” remake in 2016 had a similar case as “The Lion King” since all but one character is an animal and therefore was CGI-ed in the movie. Some found this to be scary and too realistic for younger audiences. Others thought it was a technological achievement.
Contrary to the cons of the movie, many are excited of the return of James Earl Jones as Mufasa as well as Beyoncé voicing Nala. The familiar songs that almost everyone knows, even if they haven’t seen the movie, also bring excitement to some fans.
Haque said, “I am looking forward to the movie because I’m interested to see how Disney’s going to choreograph the songs, especially ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’”
“Lion King” will star Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala and James Earl Jones as Mufasa. Elton John and Hans Zimmer are returning to compose the score for the film. The movie is set to come out in July of 2019, just over 25 years after the original was released.
