The Big Picture · Discussion

We’re Debating ‘The Lion King’ in 2019. Why? | Exit Survey

July 19, 2019/ 61 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins

Sean and Amanda review Jon Favreau's photorealistic Lion King remake against the 1994 original: the visuals, a script nobody bothered to rewrite, a voice cast that only sometimes works, and where all of it lands at the Oscars. Plus, a run through Favreau's directing career from Swingers to Iron Man.

11 films across 2 segments.

AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.

The Lion King, 2019 vs. 1994the remake against the original

The Lion King (2019) 2019

Directed by Jon Favreau, with Rob Legato overseeing the photorealistic digital animation. Thirty minutes longer than the original but running on a script that was never rewritten for the new format; the extra time mostly goes to a genuinely scary new hyena chase. James Earl Jones reprises Mufasa note for note; Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen (Timon and Pumbaa) are the best part of the movie; Chiwetel Ejiofor's Scar is too dignified for the camp Jeremy Irons brought; Donald Glover's older Simba is flat; Beyoncé's Nala doesn't work as a vocal performance. Sean is won over by the visuals; Amanda finds it inert without the original's more stylized, physical musical numbers. Expected to compete for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song, with a harder path into Best Animated Feature behind Toy Story 4.

The Lion King (1994) 1994

Nominated for two Oscars (original score and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" for original song), back before there was a Best Animated Feature category. Amanda's entry point into Elton John, and, both hosts agree, the peak of Disney's '90s renaissance: no princess, no central love story, Shakespeare and the Joseph/Moses story underneath a kids' cartoon. Voice highlights include Jeremy Irons's campy Scar, James Earl Jones's Mufasa, Nathan Lane, and Rowan Atkinson. The animated "Hakuna Matata" number choreographs its characters like a Busby Berkeley routine, something the hosts say the remake's more naturalistic staging can't touch.

Jon Favreau's Career, Before The Lion King

Swingers 1996

Favreau wrote and starred, directed by Doug Liman; his breakthrough, made with Vince Vaughn.

Made 2001

Favreau's directorial debut and a Swingers reunion with Vince Vaughn; Sean singles out a great Diddy performance.

Elf 2003

Became a classic almost immediately.

Zathura: A Space Adventure 2005

Underperformed at the box office.

Iron Man 2008

Arguably the most important movie of the century regardless of how you feel about comic-book movies: it set the template for the genre.

Iron Man 2 2010

The weak link in the run, by Sean's own admission.

Cowboys & Aliens 2011

Not good, despite a stacked cast: Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell.

Chef 2014

A small, personal palate-cleanser after Cowboys & Aliens, with Favreau back in front of the camera.

The Jungle Book (2016) 2016

Its unpredictable billion-dollar gross is, per Sean, the reason The Lion King exists at all.

Also mentioned raised along the way

Disney live-action remakes Aladdin (2019)Aladdin (1992)Dumbo (2019)Beauty and the Beast (2017)Cinderella (2015)

Is this actually a great movie, the comparison points Avatar (2009)Gone with the Wind Citizen Kane It Happened One Night The Godfather Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Ant-Man and the Wasp

Best Visual Effects, the last decade of winners Hugo Life of Pi Gravity Interstellar Ex Machina Blade Runner 2049 First Man

2019's Oscar-season crowd Avengers: Endgame Toy Story 4 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw Zootopia Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Disney songbook favorites Mulan (1998)Frozen (2013)Robin Hood (1973)The Little Mermaid (1989)Pocahontas

In passing Men in Black: International The Hustle Us Reservoir Dogs Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads

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