The Lion King remake is fresh on Rotten Tomatoes so far

Credit: Disney

There is no end in sight when it comes to Walt Disney Studios remaking its classic animated films. We’ve seen live-action remakes for Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo. Next week moviegoers will get the chance to watch The Lion King from director Jon Favreau (Chef, Iron Man, The Jungle Book), which uses CG-animated, photorealistic animals. With reviews coming out yesterday, the movie was looking rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of this writing, it jumped up to 60%, making it a fresh film with the majority of critics recommending it.

The Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads: “While it can take pride in its visual achievements, The Lion King is a by-the-numbers retelling that lacks the energy and heart that made the original so beloved–though for some fans that may just be enough.”

William Bibbiani of The Wrap: “Sometimes it’s fascinating, frequently it’s ludicrous, and sometimes – like when an incredibly realistic animal dies on-screen in front of you while its only child mourns him – it’s borderline grotesque.”

Bob Chipman of Escapist Magazine: “Viewed as an experiment that’s also a film? ‘The Lion King’ is more interesting than ‘good,’ but it’s also pretty good.”

Kristian Harloff of Schmoes Know: “[The film] is gorgeous. It looks amazing. It sounds great. The performances are great. [But] it’s the same movie. There’s nothing new.”

Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend: “While everything looks incredibly life-like, it reveals that there are particular limitations of reality that run into conflict with the needs of the storytelling, and that’s a problem that it struggles to overcome.”

And here are a few who aren’t fans of the film:

Scott Menzel of We Live Entertainment: “All the visual effects in the world cannot replace the pure Disney magic that was brought to life by the entire cast and crew in the 1994 animated masterpiece.”

Dan Murrell of Screen Junkies: “On a technical level, Jon Favreau’s doing some groundbreaking stuff. I don’t think it adds anything to The Lion King…Even on its own, it drags.”

Grace Randolph of Beyond the Trailer: “While there are some great vocal performances, overall this film is such a blatant copy of the 1994 version it seems that team should be officially credited on this movie.”

Of course, the Tomatometer will definitely change as we get closer to the film’s release. Are you looking forward to watching the film in theaters? Let us know.

As for us, we enjoyed the film. You can read Mark Pacis’ review as well as watch our video review below.