Simba and Mufasa in The Lion King

First Reactions for The Lion King Call It Disney’s Best Adaptation Yet

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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

Chris E. Hayner, Hollywood Reporter

Adam B. Vary, BuzzFeed News

Germain Lussier, io9

Danielle Radford, Screen Junkies

Steve Weintraub, Collider

Ben Pearson, /Film

Laura Prudom, IGN Movies

Jenna Busch, Legion of Leia

Angie Han, Mashable

The Lion King opens July 19th. Will you be going?

(via Collider, image: Disney)

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Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.