Nice to see you again, fans of the cinema! This is the Face-Off, where two movies enter and both movies leave, but one leaves in a slightly better light. Yes, here we take two competitors and compare their key elements and see who comes out the champion. It's a fierce competition that results in blood, tears, and online arguments, but the more brutal the battle, the sweeter the victory.
Disney has been dominating the year with an almighty fist this year, with their superhero epics, animated movies, and remakes raking in big bucks and burying all their competition deep into the Earth. We're reminded of their continued dominance once again with the final trailer for STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER arriving along with record-breaking ticket sales, and even if you go to your local store you can't escape The Mouse, as today marks the home release of one of the biggest movies of all time and only their second-biggest hit of the year, THE LION KING. The remake proved once again people will flock to the theaters to see the same story told almost exactly the same way but with a new, albeit stunning paint job. Another remake of a classic in the can and available to watch on the regular, I thought it was high time to put it toe-to-toe with another visually-arresting, animal-centric remake that also came from the same mind, director Jon Favreau. It's the bout audiences have perhaps audiences have already envisioned in their mind but is now being made official on the grand Face-Off stage, it's THE LION KING vs. THE JUNGLE BOOK.
Going into THE LION KING Favreau had the most intimidating, perhaps impossible, task ahead of him of trying to recapture the magic and majesty of what is the greatest animated movie of all time. It’s because of this that his work here – while admirable in bringing to life an unbelievable visual feast – feels much more restricted than what he brought to his work on BOOK. He certainly had a bigger canvas to work with, but there’s so much iconic imagery and just as many memorable moments he had to deliver on that in trying to tailor it all the groundbreaking visual effects it comes off as checking off boxes to appeal to both audiences and the higher ups. So much of the original movie is engrained in the minds of viewers young and old that to skip anything would bring out the pitchforks, and while in recapturing them Favreau does a fantastic job of creating a vibrant world, he doesn’t always hit the required emotional beats. For all the incredible detail in the animals and the environments, a lot of emotion can feel lost, not having the same impact in the story itself. Favreau is constantly teetering on the high tightrope, doing what he can to make it feel fresh, and while hitting some big highs, loses something in the process. Between his work on movies like IRON MAN and JUNGLE BOOK Favreau has proven he knows how to keep things moving at a lively pace, blending spectacle with humor and pathos, and much of that does come out in his work here to craft a solid blockbuster. It’s a highly entertaining, visionary experience he crafted with the team, but the pressure is just too high and even someone of his incredible talent had little hope of ensuring this one could step out from a mighty shadow.
Unlike LION KING, the pressure was not as high in tackling a reimagining of JUNGLE BOOK. Yes, the animated movie has stood the test of time with other animated classics, but it certainly doesn’t have the same legacy as LION KING. Plus, the Kipling tale has been brought to life by others before, so the chance to try something different with the material while harkening back to the original left more room for creativity. What Favreau and his team brought to the table is something much more liberally crafted, taking the story in unexpected places and balancing palpable drama and the kind of Disney magic that often feels lost in many of Disney’s recent remakes. Like what Kenneth Branagh did with his CINDERELLA the year before, Favreau took what people fondly remembered about the animated original and used it as a springboard to put his stamp on the material. He made Mowgli’s story feel more epic in scale, balancing danger and levity into an odyssey across the jungle – which is what made him such a natural choice for LION KING. He gets more mileage out his cast too, and while the actors of KING don’t slouch, you can tell Favreau felt more comfortable letting all his actors making the characters their own. That ensemble makes the environment feel more lived, bursting with mythology and developed relationships. Favreau balances it all so well and more freely than he was able to on KING, bringing out the best of his visonary mind on a glorious canvas.
What I think separates the original KING from the other Disney animated classics – aside from the visuals and music – is the story. Grand in scope and overflowing with searing emotion, it’s truly unlike any tale Disney has developed in animation before or since. For its length and medium, it’s perfect, so it begs the question of why even try to change things up with the script for the remake? Writer Jeff Nathanson did what he could, expanding on the story in small ways – like giving Scar some more time and painting him as a dark, jaded usurper, and giving Nala more to do – but as noted by virtually everyone with access to a Twitter account, the story is damn near identical to the original. The beats and structure are the same and iconic lines are incorporated because, again, how could you change things up to keep people surprised and also pleased with the changes? I don’t hate the changes Nathanson added, and he did a solid job expanding the story and some characters, but if the story does still have that magnificence to it, it’s hardly because of Nathanson and more the work done by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton on the original.
Based on the stories by Rudyard Kipling, the original animated movie toned down a lot of the peril and more mature elements in favor of a kid-friendly musical which found the young Mowgli jamming out with bears, monkeys and trying to avoid being eaten by tigers and snakes. Those last two are still very much in play, and thanks to screenwriter Justin Marks favoring a bit more realism and danger in his script, the story of Mowgli feels more alive and adventurous than ever. Written out are the musical numbers (okay, sans some “Bare Necessities”…and an awkward number with Christopher Walken as an ape that sounds enticing on paper) and expanded on are the characters, giving more dimension and varying personalities, and rules of the jungle that give the surroundings more depth and roots our young hero in an environment that’s both more perilous and wondrous. The script also features some inspirations from completely unrelated movies, such as APOCALYPSE NOW (the dangers of the jungle; jaded animal overlords like Louie), making for a richer story that changes enough up from the original that it can stand on its own two feet as something fresh, while honoring the key story and iconic moments from the original. What’s more is you can even find some subtext about man’s impact on nature and us learning to become one with it, and you have a movie that’s got some smarts backing the impressive visuals. While Nathanson was shackled to the legacy of the original, only finding small ways to change things up, Marks was able to use the original as inspiration for something grander and more daring, which is something that should be embraced more often as Disney gets into more of these.
Bits:
Pride Rock
Mufasa and Scar
Pouncing Lesson
Can't Wait to Be King
Boneyard
Stampede
Death of Mufasa
Run
Scar, the new King
Timon and Pumbaa
Hakuna Matata
Can You Feel the Love
Remember
Back to Pride Rock
The Battle of Pride Rock
The One True King
Lines:
Mufasa: “Everything you see – exists together in a delicate balance. While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give.”
—–
Mufasa: “Remember”
—–
Scar: “Life's not fair, is it, my little friend? While some are born to feast – others spend their lives in the dark… begging for scraps. The way I see it, you and I are exactly the same, we both want to find a way out.”
—–
Scar: “Long, live…the king!”
—–
Young Simba: “What's a motto?”
Timon: “Nothing, what's a motto-with-you?”
Pumbaa: “Nice!”
Timon: “Boom!”
—–
Timon: “Mmmm, extra crunchy.”
Pumbaa: “They're local.”
Timon: “Oh, are they?”
Pumbaa: “They're from right there.”
—–
Mufasa: “Everything the light touches… is our kingdom. But a king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.”
—–
Young Simba: “I'm going to be King of Pride Rock. I want to be brave like you.”
Mufasa: “I'm only brave when I have to be.”
—–
Pumbaa: “Can we keep him, can we please keep him? Oh, I promise I'll walk him every day, if he makes a little mess, I'll clean it up!”
Timon: “You'll be his little mess; he's gonna eat you and then use my body as a toothpick.”
—–
Scar: “Mufasa and Simba are gone… I… am your king.”
Bits:
The Hunt
Peace Rock
Shere Khan Arrives
The Mighty Elephants
Buffalo Run
Akela and Khan
Kaa
Meet Baloo
Bare Necessities
Khan's Lesson to Pups
Elephant Saving
King Louie
Monkey Kingdom Attack
The Jungle vs. Khan
Trial by Fire
At Peace
Lines:
Bagheera: “Bears don't hybernate in the jungle. What have you been teaching him?”
Baloo: “It's not a full hybernation, but I nap, a lot.”
—–
Baloo: “Kid, that's not a song. That's propaganda.”
—–
Kaa: “I'll keep you close…let go of your fear now…trusssst in me.”
—–
Raksha: “Never forget this: You're mine. Mine to me. No matter where you go, or what they may call you, you will always be my son.”
—–
Khan: “I can't help but notice there's this strange odor today. What is it, this scent that I'm on? I almost… I almost think it was some kind of… man-cub.”
—–
King Louie: “Kid, I got ears. My ears got ears. You wanna live here? You need a people to protect you. Only I can protect you – and I will for a price.”
—–
Bagheera: “You must be the very worst wolf I've ever seen.”
Mowgli: “Yeah, but if that branch didn't break, I would've made it.”
—–
Baloo: “You have never been a more endangered species than you are at this moment.”
—–
Mowgli: “I'm Mowgli of the Seoni, and this is my home!”
—–
Khan: “Do you know how the cuckoo bird survives? By preying on a mother's weakness. The cuckoo bird is too cleaver to raise its young. Instead, it sneaks its eggs into the nests of simpler birds; so, when they hatch, the mother bird is fooled. She feeds them, nurtures them… And do you know what happens to her own chicks? They starve and die from neglect, all because a mother loved a chick that wasn't her own.”
The argument can (and certainly has) be made that not everything about THE LION KING makes a solid transition from original to remake – but the Hans Zimmer score is not in that class. His music remains just as powerful and magnificent as ever. Sweeping and emotional, Zimmer returned to give his timeless score some slight modifications that play to the bigger stage and highlight the more realistic tone, with tracks like “Elephant Graveyard” having a tauter sense of peril before transitioning into the more wondrous, recognizable score. New pieces like “Life’s Not Fair” go a long way in lending some sense of newness to go along with the visuals – but even when it’s the same iconic score brought over it loses none of its power or ability to emphasize such incredible emotion. The musical numbers themselves aren’t quite up to snuff as the score, with some talented voice actors doing their best, and others who can’t sing giving it the good ol’ college try. There's an energy to them that, even on a purely musical level, is lost in going for a more grounded approach, with “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” being an exception because Beyonce. But hey, kind of just makes hearing Zimmer’s score kick in all the more welcome.
John Debney’s score for THE JUNGLE BOOK didn’t quite get the same kind of praise as the visual elements did, but the man still crafted a classicly epic piece of music to go along with this new jungle adventure. Blending sounds that transport you into the heart of the jungle with beautiful orchestrations, tracks like “Jungle Run” and “Mowgli’s Leaving,” give an adventurous sense of scope to the movie. Characters get their themes to further exemplify their diverse personalities, like Kaa’s suitably serpentine and seductive cue and Baloo’s bouncy, playful score like blends right into the reworking of “Bare Necessities.” During the most exciting bits, the score can sound a bit familiar to other big, exciting blockbusters with an adrenaline-pumping sound, but those moments are few and far between with some sweeping pieces that give JUNGLE BOOK a wondrous soul. It might be quite THE LION KING level, but Debney did a great job giving life to the digital jungle.
Simply put, THE LION KING is one of the most stunning displays of visual effects ever put to film. Everything you see onscreen (minus one single live-action shot), is digitally rendered yet looks as if you’ve been plopped down into the heart of Africa. Animals and their surroundings are brought to life with impeccable attention to detail and clarity, from the smallest hairs on Simba’s adorable body to the mighty stature of Pride Rock. The world is big, vibrant and jaw-dropping to behold. Even if the story isn’t different, and some of the magic lost without the bold animation (even so in the character rendering), in its place is a total feast for the eyes that could forever change how movies are made and rendered on a digital level. From the smallest insect to the biggest set-piece, watching THE LION KING is an immersive experience that’s almost enough to justify everything else being a near carbon copy. Were they trying to make me lunge at the screen and try to cuddle Simba as if he were a big fluffy cat actually in front of me? It seems so.
Everything we see in LION KING had some foundations put down by Favreau and his team in BOOK as they sought to use groundbreaking motion capture and photorealism techniques to make the animals and the world they live in seem just as real as the real child running alongside them. Even with THE LION KING cranking things up to 11, THE JUNGLE BOOK is itself a visual masterwork. The jungle is lustrous to behold, with beams of light through the trees adding a sense of wonder, and wide shots showcasing the big, wide beauty of the jungle. The animals are the biggest cause for applause, with every character from Baloo to Kaa having unique features that bring out the best of the actors’ performances. Baloo’s eyes are playful and tender, much like Murray, and Bagheera is a bit cold, serious, but ultimately caring, just as Kingsley crafted him in his performance. Even Louie has the facial expressions of Walken, making the character look just how Walken would if he put on about 2,000 pounds and stopped shaving. The world of JUNGLE BOOK is almost as entrancing as what was brought to life in LION KING, and side by side you have two of the most gorgeous effects-driven movies ever.
The original LION KING sports the best villain of the Disney animated canon in Scar, voiced with the kind of sinister delight by Jeremy Irons that would be impossible for any actor to replicate. Chiwetel Ejiofor goes the other way, digging deep into the anger and resentment of Scar and looking for something much more complex and dangerous. It fits the more realistic vibe of the movie, and Ejiofor does some great work as the jaded uncle to Simba. Scar feels colder and more calculating, letting it seep through as he whispers into the ears of Mufasa and Simba, dangling them off cliffs. In the context of this movie I found myself liking the switch-up, which I may be in the minority on as others keep comparing his work to Irons’. In a movie that simply takes so much from the original in terms of narrative and structure, I found it refreshing that Ejiofor wasn’t simply going to do his version of Irons. Do I think his work here is as good as the other big bad cat next door? No, but how can anyone compete with a scarred-up tiger voiced by Idris Elba?
That in mind, Idris Elba f**king kills it as Shere Khan. The character is shown onscreen in such dramatic, imposing positions, and Elba’s vocal performance adds such a lingering evil and calculating presence. When he’s not unleashing bursts of fiery rage, his best moments come when Elba is slowly chewing on some villainous dialogue, always leaving in small pauses and slow line delivery that makes him seem regal and capable of a vicious act at any moment. Two of his best scenes come not when he’s pouncing or pacing, but when laying down among the wolf pack, imposing his dominance with a confident maliciousness. The scene between Akela and him is staged as a true drama, two opposing forces with Khan simply waiting for his moment. Coming later is that scene with him and the pups, thudding his big, stripped down in front of a furry little one, only to let him through moments later, and all just to establish his control. He's so fleshed out and feels included even when he’s not on the screen, and a lot of that goes to how his scenes are staged and the sheer power of Elba’s vocal work. I never thought I would like Khan more than Scar, but the former is handled so much better on all fronts that it’s not hard to see who the top cat is around these parts.
The remake of THE LION KING is both a masterwork of visual effects and highly entertaining in its own right, but in the quest to remake such an iconic animated classic by sticking so closely to it it seemed destined to fail on several levels. For every high that hopes to set the movie apart, there's an accompanying low that drives home how adhering to the original so closely was never going to work — and it's just a matter how each affects you as a viewer. I have loads of fun watching it, but on an emotional level it can't compare to what came before, and that fact weighs it down. THE JUNGLE BOOK, on the other hand, is a prime example of how to bring a remake to the big screen. All the love for the original is there, but so much is changed on a storytelling and visual front that it stands as its beast that even surpasses its original. It's thrilling, funny, emotionally resonant, and an endless feast for the eyes that brings out the best in the animals and the vocal performances behind them. Whereas LION KING may entertain as much as it can never escape its shadow (through the fault of its structure), THE JUNGLE BOOK breaks through and stands as a testament to the kind of Disney magic that does nothing short of amaze.