Hollywood keeps doing this. They keep acting out of fear. A remake with a star-studded cast to ensure that it is a success. I mean look at the caliber of celebrity in this film. Beyonce. Gambino. Rogen. Eichner. Oliver. The list goes on and on. But, personally, I think this A-list safety net is what will make the movie hard to watch.
Since when do animated movies need to have recognizable voices? This is such a new phenomenon and frankly it’s ridiculous. Sure it works to draw attention to the movie but when you are actually watching the movie it’s awkward to hear distinctly recognizable voices. It’s downright distracting and it takes you out of the movie. It’s not Nala, it’s Beyonce you are watching. That’s silly. I hate to be the old guy screaming at the clouds about a kids movie but the only reason they did this was to draw the older crowd back in. They didn’t think pure nostalgia was enough to draw this crowd so they had to break out pop culture relevance as well. It seems kind of desperate.
I mean honestly, how can you hear Timon give Simba advice and not immediately envision Billy Eichner yelling at New Yorkers on the street. The only person I have no problem with is Seth Rogen playing Pumba. That’s downright hilarious and is the only exception. Ironically, that was perfectly cast. But for the rest of these stars….. eh.
Look Simba, everything the light touches will be remade.
