Last night was the world premiere of Disney’s The Lion King, and with it comes the very first reviews and responses to the highly anticipated film. The Lion King is the third Disney “live-action” adaptation released this year, following Dumbo and Aladdin, but while those films received mixed reviews, the buzz around The Lion King has been mostly positive.
Most reviews praise the visually stunning special effects, as they did with director Jon Favreau’s last Disney adaptation The Jungle Book. There is also plenty of love for the strong voice cast, which includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, Billy Eichner as Timon, and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa.
While official reviews have yet to come out (and ours will be coming soon) here are the earliest Twitter reactions from top critics:
Beatrice Verhoeven, The Wrap
Oh man #TheLionKing delivers. It’s a visual masterpiece that will leave you smiling and crying the whole time. It’s a true testament to the lasting effect Disney movies have on all generations. Timon and Pumbaa steal the show. And BEYONCE!!! #LionKing
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) July 10, 2019
Chris E. Hayner, Hollywood Reporter
I just got out of #TheLionKing and really dug it. My fear was realistic animals wouldn’t have the charisma of the cartoon, but they’re very good. Timon and Pumba steal the show. Some of the song/choreo arrangements don’t work as well as the original but still a really fun flick. pic.twitter.com/mOrODQ0vHI
— Chris E. Hayner (@ChrisHayner) July 10, 2019
Adam B. Vary, BuzzFeed News
#TheLionKing is a landmark *visual* experience. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I think it’s going to change how we look at movies forever.
As an *emotional* experience, though…I’ll put it this way: It turns out lions can’t really emote.
— Adam B. Vary (@adambvary) July 10, 2019
Germain Lussier, io9
The Lion King is a wonderful adaptation of an iconic classic. It has a few small changes which enhance what was already great and everything else is right on point. The CG can be slightly distracting at times but the emotion quickly covers that. Loved it. pic.twitter.com/9QmsP3PmNh
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) July 10, 2019
Danielle Radford, Screen Junkies
The hyper realism wasn’t a problem for me at all, the characters were still expressive, but your mileage may vary
— Pansexual chocolate 🏳️🌈 (@danielleradford) July 10, 2019
Steve Weintraub, Collider
A few other things on #TheLionKing
The visual effects/animation in the film is INCREDIBLE.
For the first time in maybe my entire life as the movie started I got really emotional. Just hearing the music wrecked me.
While it’s a story you know, it’s soooooo well done. pic.twitter.com/1Vr9pe8vf4— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 10, 2019
Ben Pearson, /Film
#TheLionKing: Better than I thought it’d be! I still really miss the exaggerated emotions of the characters from the original, but you get occasional flashes in this, and the vocal performances are largely good enough to make up for the rest. Eichner & Rogen steal the movie.
— Ben Pearson (@benpears) July 10, 2019
Laura Prudom, IGN Movies
#TheLionKing is my favorite Disney movie of all time, so the new iteration is definitely not designed for me, but it’s easily the best of Disney’s remakes. Visually, it’s stunning – an unparalleled technical achievement that’s like watching a nature documentary.
— Laura Prudom (@LauInLA) July 10, 2019
Jenna Busch, Legion of Leia
Just saw #TheLionKing and it was absolutely breathtaking! The music, the visuals, the voice acting…whatever your feelings on Disney remakes, this one will blow you away. pic.twitter.com/Dk9MdZnKBe
— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) July 10, 2019
Angie Han, Mashable
#TheLionKing is exactly as advertised: a beat-for-beat remake of the original. Impressive animation and some ace casting choices (Beyoncé is a spirited Nala, John Oliver is an ideal Zazu) plus that music is still 👍👍 – but it’s more nostalgic rehash than fresh reimagining
— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) July 10, 2019
The Lion King opens July 19th. Will you be going?
(via Collider, image: Disney)
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