Disney’s “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

Regarded as one of, if not the greatest Disney film of all time, The Lion King is a piece of cinema that truly speaks to audiences with its epic storytelling and musical genius and now noted director Jon Favreau reinvents it for a whole new generation. Favreau’s task is utterly monumental and the director approaches it with sincere love and enthusiasm and this really shows through in the finished print. Favreau really builds out the emotion here in The Lion King, and his directorial eye and talent for narrative completely brings his audience inside this grand tale.

Captured in beautiful photo-realistic detail, you absolutely feel the pull of Mother Earth here, and the visuals are a thing of sheer beauty to look upon. Favreau’s vision is like that of a Richard Attenborough documentary come to life, and great detail is captured here from the mighty stride of Simba to the individual shades of grass that make up the Pride Lands, every part of this film builds the sense of a thriving and lush natural ecosystem. This lavish presentation of the Pride Lands and the creatures that occupy it also pull audiences into the central theme of The Great Circle Of Life, and there is a real reverence given to just how special the natural world is, and how important it is to keep this natural balance in order. It’s one of the most important issues of our time and it’s fabulous to see it being communicated here through The Lion King and its message is sure to make an impression on audiences both young and old.

Leading The Lion King is the supremely talented Donald Glover, and this lauded performer gives an amazing performance as the once and future king. Glover has a great balance of both the fun and the dramatic here, and he takes audiences on an incredible journey through as Simba on his quest to be king. Glover’s vocals are given great space here and he really finds the soul at the heart of who Simba is. Simba’s journey to become King is filled out with emotion, and Glover’s strong auditory performance really builds out the strength of character that Simba develops along the way. Fans of the actor’s Childish Gambino persona will also be pleased to know that Glover lets his musical voice sing out here as well. His impressive ability to carry a tune really sets the cinema alight and audiences are sure to be grooving.

Standing next to Glover’s Simba is the ever fabulous Beyonce as his childhood best friend and eventual love interest Nala, and she brings substantial grace to the role. It’s through Nala’s presence that Simba is once again enticed to return to his sacred duty, and Beyonce really sells this home to a young lion who has grown selfish and lost all sense of duty. Beyonce’s power really shines through up on the big screen, and this incredible artist also gives audiences plenty of musical charm with her duet alongside Glover of the classic “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”, along with giving Disney audiences a fabulous new song in the form of “Spirit”. They say behind every great King, there’s an even greater Queen and that certainly is apparent in Nala thanks to the performance and talent of Beyonce.

Bringing a sense of venomous dread to The Lion King is the sensational Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, the ravaged and spiteful brother of King Mufasa who has his own ideas as to how the Pride Lands should be ruled. In my opinion, Ejiofor completely steals the film with his performance, and his commanding, almost Shakespearian quality that he gives to Scar makes for a very scary villain. Ejiofor’s rich voice is really on display here, and director Jon Favreau coaxes a terrifying performance from the actor, which is lead by the actor’s baritone range that expresses itself through “Be Prepared”. Every hero needs a worthy villain to fight against, and Scar’s tyrannical power struggle tests Simba’s will at every turn and is a true testament to Ejiofor’s abilities as an actor.

It wouldn’t be The Lion King without a good dose of humour and stars Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner bring plenty of laughs to the big screen as the ever lovable duet of Timon and Pumbaa. These two are just a barrel of laughs up on the screen, and each actor absolutely complements the other. Eichner’s wisecracks as Timon will have you in fits with his somewhat snarky delivery, and Rogen’s perfect comedic timing as Pumbaa is a real joy to watch. Rogen and Eichner make the perfect team up on screen, and their hilarity and energy really bring out the joy in The Lion King. Audiences will absolutely go nuts for these two, and they sure do deliver plenty of giggles.

Finally, the great James Earl Jones returns to this beloved film as the ever-wise King Mufasa, and his vocal presence and important life lessons are sure to fill your heart with joy. With a vocal delivery that implies respect, command and kingly might, Jones is once again the philosophical voice of The Lion King that we have long loved him for being. His lessons of fatherhood and responsibility will again be welcomed by audiences, and having not heard him speak these words in such a long time it’s certainly great to hear him impart these important life lessons. Favreau gives tremendous authority to the presence of Mufasa in this film, and some of my favourite moments of this film were led by his performance.

With great visuals and a stunning narrative also comes the presence of plenty of incredible symbolism on the part of Favreau. The theme of destiny carries real significance to this film, and this is expressed through the presence of the wise seer Rafiki, played with great reverence by the one and only John Kani. Kani’s performance as Rafiki has an almost grandfather delivery to it, and he gives the film much of its soul. Rafiki’s presence also gives The Lion King a real spiritual dimension and coupled together with the idea of the natural world and The Great Circle of Life, and the way in which Favreau expresses it through this film, The Lion King really impacts audiences on a far more deeper, meaningful level.

Thematically, The Lion King again follows the key narrative structure of Joseph Campbell’s The Heroes Journey, and Simba’s journey is one of accepting himself, his destiny and the responsibility of what it means to be a king and to serve a higher calling. Favreau’s understanding of narrative is very deliberate here, and the way in which he illustrates Simba’s journey to rise from that of a cub to a king is very meaningful and thought-provoking. This structure at the heart of The Lion King shapes the film into a piece of cinematic opera and there are plenty of grand moments that take your breath away in the illustration of these bold themes.

Just like the previous 1994 film, music also plays a very integral part to The Lion King, and this new score and soundtrack certainly fills the film with plenty of incredible emotions. With both timeless and classic songs such as “Circle of Life/Nants’ Ingonyama”, “Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, alongside bold new tracks such as Beyonce’s “Spirit”, there’s a tremendous musical consciousness on display here and you absolutely feel it deep inside your soul. Of all the film’s tracks, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner’s rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” really sang out to me with its comedic musings and it’s incredibly fun to listen to.

As a cinematic experience, The Lion King is phenomenal in every sense of the word and I loved every moment that played out on its grand canvas. This film holds a very special place in my own heart as it was the first piece of cinema I was ever witnessed more than 25 years ago, and just as then, it still moves me deeply. At the heart of all of us is a deep sense of childlike magic and nostalgia, and all of that is on display here in Jon Favreau’s The Lion King. It is an utterly triumphant piece of cinema and I was moved even more so after watching it again more than 25 years later. The magic of Walt Disney truly lives through this piece of cinema and it certainly touched my heart.

The Lion King is a bold and breathtaking piece of cinema that will absolutely make your heart sing out. Narrative, visuals, performance and theme all come together to craft an utterly unforgettable piece of cinema and you’ll certainly cheer and clap in triumph at this one.

Image: Walt Disney Pictures

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Watch the incredible new trailer below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Disney’s “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

Following on from the first teaser trailer, this new full length trailer chronicles the life journey of Simba as he takes a journey from a young cub to a heroic leader and seeks to take his place in the great circle of life.

The footage we get to see here is just incredible, and the photorealism that is applied to our main characters who include Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon and the legendary James Earl Jones as Mufasa is beyond anything witnessed before on screen.

The Lion King will truly be a film to savor up on the big screen and I myself am especially excited for it’s return as the original 1994 film was the first film I ever saw, so seeing this trailer really fills me with a big sense of nostalgia.

Get ready for the magnificence of the pride lands when The Lion King arrives in cinemas on July 17.

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5. John Wick: Chapter Three

It doesn’t get more adrenaline charged, action-packed and badass than the John Wick franchise and starting off our 2019 list is the must watch final chapter to this all-out action vengeance saga John Wick: Chapter Three. Picking up minutes after the conclusion of the intense John Wick: Chapter Two, with Keanu Reeves’ legendary hitman branded excommunacado and on the run with only one goal: SURVIVE. Now Wick will have to kill his way out of New York City, while eluding the $14 million bounty on his head while also dealing with new allies including Halle Berry’s mysterious Sophia, taking on new adversaries such as Mark Dacascos’ ruthless assassin Zero and making sure to settle the score with the infamous High Table. A film of this magnitude demands your attention and Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have promised to go all out here. Brace yourselves for the biggest body count yet and get ready for your adrenal glands to go into overtime.

Release Date: May 16, 2019

4. The Lion King

Regarded as the greatest ever Disney animated film of all time, The Lion King also holds a very special place in my heart as it was the first film I ever saw in the cinema. Now twenty-five years later director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book) is ready to take us back to the magnificent vistas of the Pride Lands and is prepared to tell the story of the lion cub who is destined to be King. Following on from the stunning first trailer, it’s absolutely apparent that The Lion King will be a marvelous visual treat for both young and old alike thanks to its stunning CGI storytelling, not to mention including the likes of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Billy Eichner as Timon, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, John Kani as Rafiki and the great James Earl Jones who returns as Mufasa. The Lion King is a simply unmissable 2019 cinematic event and I can’t wait to see its grand narrative brought to the big screen in amazing blockbuster form.

Release Date: July 18, 2019

3. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Every time Quentin Tarantino returns to the director’s chair magic occurs, and now with his 9th feature film he is applying his unique style with the quintessential cool of the 1960s for his new operatic tale Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Chronicling the fortunes of faltering TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman partner and best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as the two of them take an odyssey through late 1960s Hollywood and find themselves intertwined with the fate of starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and the Manson Family. Packed out with an intriguing plot, a cast at the top of its game, and Tarantino’s wild genius, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood will be one wickedly fun time at the movies and we can’t wait to see where this maverick filmmaker takes us with this new tale.

Release: July 25, 2018

2. Joker

It only takes one bad day to make a villain out of any man, and we’re about to see that day in action as we chart the rise of the DC Universe’s greatest ever villain in Joker. Exploring the origin of the Clown Prince Of Crime’s origin in a thoroughly unique project, director Todd Phillip’s and star Joaquin Phoenix will take audiences to a very dark place in their character-study portrait of the world’s greatest ever villain. Set in the early 1980s, Joker will follow the doomed career of wannabe stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) who is driven insane and begins a reign of terror upon Gotham city as a psychotic madman known as The Joker. With a style more akin to Mean Streets than Batman, Joker is going to be a very interesting watch both narratively and stylistically, and given the lengths that Phoenix can go with a performance we’re very keen to see just how far he’s going to go here. It’s going to be manic.

Release Date: October 3, 2019.

1. Avengers: Endgame

But when it comes down to our most anticipated film of 2019 it’s very simple: Avengers: Endgame. Following on from the fallout of Avengers: Infinity War, the stakes could not be higher for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the ultimate fight against Thanos is just beginning. So far the Russo Brothers are keeping their cards very close to the chest, but the first trailer has filled us with excitement and we can’t wait to see what comes next. Will Tony Stark make it back to Earth? Will Thanos’ ultimate ends be filled, or was he just warming up? Does Captain Marvel hold the key to our future? What happened to Hawkeye? And just how the hell did Ant-Man find the Avengers base? All will be revealed in time, and we’ll be sure to savor every single epic moment of it when Avengers: Endgame arrives in cinemas this year.

Release Date: April 25, 2019

Images: Walt Disney Pictures, Roadshow Films, Sony Pictures, Studio Canal

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