Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
The 2019 Lion King is a near shot-for-shot photorealistic remake of the beloved 1994 original, offering almost nothing new in terms of plot, structure, or storytelling. Its greatest achievement is its stunning photorealistic CGI cinematography, which is technically breathtaking and deserves recognition as a visual feat. However, this same hyper-realism strips the characters of expressive emotion, making the acting feel flat despite a strong voice cast including Beyoncé and Donald Glover. The plot is a direct retread with no meaningful additions or reinterpretations, and the ending follows the original beat-for-beat without added weight. Novelty is genuinely poor — it is definitionally derivative, being a high-profile remake that adds little creative distinction beyond its visual presentation.