The Lion King Remake

[Ben]

Um...Mermaid was converted to 3D (I have the Blu-ray) and was only axed for theatrical because the others hadn’t performed that well (because they were all on home video already!).

Mermaid is next up for the live-action treatment, with Lin Manuel Miranda co-writing new songs with Alan Menken for director Rob Marshall.

Pocahontas hasn’t been talked about - yet - but Mulan is in production and Hunchback is being developed as a live-action film. Even Hercules is currently being considered, as well as Lilo & Stitch. These are a long way from being finished, folks!

[EricJ]

Um...Mermaid was converted to 3D (I have the Blu-ray) and was only axed for theatrical because the others hadn’t performed that well (because they were all on home video already!).

So, pretty much like Aladdin was axed for IMAX after Lion King hadn't performed well, then?
(No kidding? Mermaid 3-D went to disk instead?...Gee, that must be what's on my shelf too, then! )

We'd have had the live-action Mermaid by now, but it still floats about as a studio urban-legend in bad-idea production-hell limbo trying to find a hook (heh, no, I didn't do anything there), and there seems to be conflicting reports of whether there really originally were abandoned plans to do "the Sophia Coppola version", or whether that online parody video had gone too viral.

Back before "Jungle Book" gave Jon Favreau a Job For Life at the studio converting every animal-story to CGI, the remakes were basically in the same position as the 90's movies going to Broadway--Human-based stories, because anything else would be too difficult to produce, but then along came "Lion King"...
(Mulan is the exception of course, since that was Disney's new isolated experiment with Hollywood China-Sycophancy.)

[Ben]

Never saw that Coppola Mermaid clip. Yeah, too real!

Rest assured, Rob Marshall's Mermaid, which is not stuck in development at all and could even start shooting by year's end, will be the Beauty And The Beast style version, for good or bad. But with Poppins behind him, I’m willing to give Marshall some slack: he’s a much better musical director than Condon, who had literally no idea where to put the camera in his bloated, empty mess of a film.

After Lion King and, er, a Jungle Book sequel that seems to have fallen by the wayside, Favreau is going to be in a galaxy far, far away, so no more CG updates from him for a while.

[Daniel]

Lengthy article. One takeaway is it confirms all five songs from the original will be included. Shocker!

[ShyViolet]

Kinda funny how they refer to the new film as a “re-imagining.” From the look of the trailer, it really didn’t seem as though a whole lot of “imagination” was involved.

[Ben]

That’s the buzzword that they dreamt up for Burton's Planet Of The Apes, I think it was, since they didn’t want to say remake. Nowadays, it seems to be shorthand for trying to say a film is "more than just a remake" when, really, that’s all they are...!

[Daniel]

We finally get to hear Nala's voice in this new sneak peak:



Meh. It's what I expected, Beyoncé being Beyoncé. No more no less. Acting seems subpar and those mouth movements, bleh. So emotionless.

We also get a tease of the final battle. Doesn't look as grand so far. That shot of Pride Rock on fire is awful. Way too dark. In the original Pride Rock is still clearly visible, just lit up in a fiery hue. Which is pretty cool. This looks incredibly shoddy!

That last bit with Timon and Pumbaa; Timon comes off uhh.. a little fruity. Especially with his paw raised up at first. Not to say that's inherently bad, it just doesn't *feel* like Timon.

[EricJ]

That last bit with Timon and Pumbaa; Timon comes off uhh.. a little fruity. Especially with his paw raised up at first. Not to say that's inherently bad, it just doesn't *feel* like Timon.

Well, that's just it: The gay community latched onto Timon & Pumbaa because the Southern Baptists did, because the gay community did. (And Nathan Lane did little to discourage them.)

And now, like giving live-action LeFou his "moment" in the Beauty&Beast remake, 10's Disney thinks they have to make it official for T&P in the new version, to be more "inclusive".
Just one of many "improvements" we're getting in the remakes, like Jasmine wanting to be more politically empowered, or Shere Khan being a thug gangsta.

[Ben]

...it just doesn't *feel* like Timon.

Well, what do you want him to do? Dress up in drag and do the hula?

[Daniel]

Luau!

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Disney omits the scene altogether. It was ballsy enough to do it in 90s, not so much these days. If it's not removed, expect a watered down version that likely takes away the word "drag" and the thrust movement. Or dragging it out as a full song that will bare little resemblance. Much as I'm not a fan presently of reboot Timon (ditto Pumbaa) would be a shame to lose such an iconic scene.

[ShyViolet]

Definitely!

Also, can’t help but be curious about another issue: How much of the scatological jokes involving Pumbaa did the new version bring over?

I mean I realize there’s a heck a lot more leeway for that kind of humor now than there was in 1994...but seriously, with the “super-super-majestic” tone of the new film (at least that’s how it feels to me) as well as the hyper-realistic designs, are jokes of that nature really going to fit the tone/look of LK ‘19??


************************************************

Also, on the “Hula” scene...I know I read this SOMEWHERE...

Originally when still fleshing out the story, the crew didn’t know exactly what type of “diversion”, Timon should make; JK (who certainly contributed a huge amount to LK’s development) actually suggested that he should suddenly appear in a white Saturday Night Fever-type outfit and sing: “Stayin’ Alive.” Totally serious. Probably for the best they didn’t go with that one....lol.

[Daniel]

How much of the scatological jokes involving Pumbaa did the new version bring over?

I'm expecting about the same, with a hint of Rogen's laugh.

[Daniel]

Another clip where we get to hear Simba! Well, young Simba anyhow.



Sounds good. Reminds me a bit of Jonathan's version.

[Daniel]

TV spot featuring a snippet of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight"



Donald sounds a little flat and Beyoncé... could've done without that change in pitch when she sang 'tonight'. Not needed, honestly.

[Daniel]

Soundtrack info revealed. Such a tragedy... "Morning Report" didn't make the cut!

No really, what is surprising is Beyoncé didn't get a solo. Unless it ends up being that TBA listing for #14. Much as I wouldn't care, her not having a solo would really be waste.

Interesting seeing "He Lives in You" on the list. One of my favorites.