Review: Just why do we need 'The Lion King' in 3D?!

Film: The Lion King (3D)
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Cast: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons and James Earl Jones
Rating: **

 

Most of us have grown up on the tale of young lion cub Simba (Thomas, Broderick as a full grown lion), the future monarch of idyllic Pride Rock who dwells in harmony with all fauna in reverent awe of his father, Mufasa (Jones) in Disney's 1994 masterpiece, The Lion King.

 

All is well for Simba until the machinations of Musafa's treacherous brother, Scar (Irons) who, feeling side-lined (he would have been the next in line for the throne if not for the cub), brings about his brother and nephew's ruin and seeks to claim their glory by forming an alliance with the scavenging hyenas. The downcast Simba, blaming himself for a tragedy that befalls his father, chances upon in his self-imposed exile the epicurean meerkat and warthog Timon and Pumbaa and drifts further and further from his legacy. Can Simba remember who he is and reclaim his lost glory?

 

The Lion King, one of Disney's most lushly-drawn animated features, being the humourous, colourful romp it is with the phenomenal score by Hans Zimmer and songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, at the same time possesses great pathos, heart and maturity.

 

Which is why the following question must be asked. Hollywood, must your avaricious nature extend to gimmick- ridden revivals of classics to exploit filmgoers seeking a genuine quality viewing experience? (The answer might have something to do with the film being the highest grossing 2D animated film in the US, but it can't be all about the money, can it?)

 

Firstly, with films like Avatar actually shot in 3D, having objects lunging out of a screen doesn't do it for everyone any more. Nor should it. So when you talk post-conversion 3D, a rendering technique not as convincing, for a film like The Lion King, the question that comes to mind is: If it ain't broken, why fix it?

 

The possibility of the reworked film blowing you away does not arise at all, given the limitations of post-conversion 3D. One wonders why some brainiac at Disney thought an audience will be compelled to keep their eyes peeled for nothing more than the small depth illusions that pop every out now and then. With the 3D, unwelcomed as it is, being neither immersive nor ubiquitous enough to be intrusive, doesn't justify its association with the film.

 

Though your curiosity might be piqued and the urge to revisit The Lion King on the big screen might be overpowering, resist it.