I understand that it can disturb other people in the movie theater, but I couldn’t help but smile that Ollie wanted to dance in his chair and sing along to every song while we watched The Lion King yesterday. We did tell him to stop, and save the singing for home, but he was so excited that he couldn't help but sing along. This is what The Lion King film was all about for me.
My wife and I took our two children to see The Lion King yesterday. Ollie is 6 and he was super excited, and Ethan is 1 and slept through most of it. This remake of The Lion King is a big deal. Disney has been making live action remakes of many of their classic movies. Some people are vehemently against these remakes. They feel that this is a soul-less cash grab and that none of these movies compare to the quality of the originals. Others love these remakes as a way to recapture their childhood and reintroduce these films to a whole new generation. I’m pretty “meh,” about the concept. Some of these remakes like Beauty and the Beast are okay but do not interest me. I really enjoyed and respected the anti-racist remake of Aladdin. Oh and The Jungle Book is one of the best Disney film I’ve ever seen. Easily in the top ten.
I got really excited about the new Lion King when I saw the cast list. Then I saw the trailer and got more excited. About the same time I started listening to the soundtrack, Ollie and I watched The Jungle Book, and we got both got really hyped up about this film. Ollie had seen the original Lion King film and had listened to the soundtrack quite a bit, and it was fascinating to listen to the new version and have Ollie explain to me the differences.
The world is different through the eyes of a child. Whereas I would walk through a park without looking closely at the ground, Ollie sometimes stops to look at a stick or a rock, and is happy to examine it for five minutes. When I watch movies with Ollie there’s a similar thing going on. He sees thing that I don’t. Sitting next to him in the theater, I’m keenly aware that I’m watching this movie with him. I’m sitting here watching the film for my own pleasure but also watching for moments or events that Ollie will want to discuss later. Ollie’s emotional reactions are very much on my mind. There’s been times when he’s been scared during movies and I absolutely love hearing him laugh out loud at jokes coming from the screen.
When I think about the quality of The Lion King, it’s hard for me to think about it on its own terms without thinking of Ollie’s reaction. Close-ups of animals talking and singing looked a little weird and it didn’t have quite the same emotional punch as the original. It would have been more interesting if they took more chance and changed it more. However, it was a beautiful movie and there was magic on that screen in many ways and for my son, it wasn’t CGI, it was simply magic. In my mind, that makes this film a success.
Disney is a big corporation. They want to make money, and remaking old properties are way to do it. However, they are doing this in a way that is more diverse, and inclusive, and bringing join to my family.
I was just like Ollie listening to Disney film soundtracks on repeat, dancing and singing along. Disney is not all-good, but there’s a lot of good they crate. Just like new Lion King. The good far outweighs the bad, and if you let yourself enjoy it, and go with a little one, you may not love the movie, but you will probably love the experience of watching it with a child.
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