Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 15, 2019

Of all of Disney's live-action re-takes on its most popular animated evergreens -- from Cinderella to Beauty and the Beast -- it's The Lion King that must have posed the most technical, narrative, and structural challenges. The film is Director Jon Favreau's second stab at animal-heavy live action adaptations for Disney following his very successful work on The Jungle Book. The Lion King may stand as one of Disney's most cherished animated features, if not its best and most highly regarded in many circles of life, but it may be the least of the studio's revamped live action offerings. And that's not a knock on the film's technical merits -- Favreau has done a remarkable job putting together a movie of so much spectacle and construction challenge -- but it rings hollow, lacking the spirit of its animated predecessor. The material just doesn't fully and seamlessly translate into this style. The film plays as much like a National Geographic wonder as it does a major motion picture, and this is one case where there's just not enough of a grounded perspective to allow free flowing reality to define a story rooted in recognizable life motions but ultimately defined by the fantastical rather than the photorealistic.

Hundreds of animals gather at Pride Rock to celebrate the birth of a new prince, Simba (voiced by JD McCrary), to elated and proud parents King Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones) and Queen Sarabi (voiced Alfre Woodard). Not amongst them is Scar (voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a scheming, heartless, and hate-filled lion who eyes leadership of the expansive Pride Lands. When he finally sets a plan in motion that kills Mufasa, he lays the blame at Simba's feat, who scurries off in shame and defeat and barely avoids death at the ravenous teeth of Scar's hyena minions. Simba, far from home, befriends the warthog Pumbaa (voiced by Seth Rogen) and the meerkat Timon (voiced by Billy Eichner). Later, and now fully grown, Simba (voiced by Donald Glover) will be faced with the task of rediscovering his heritage, reclaiming the depressed and dying Pride Lands, and taking his rightful place of leadership from the beast who killed his father.

If for no other reason The Lion King is worth one’s movie investment to gawk at the visual effects. There’s absolutely no telling where digital stops and reality beings, or vice versa, or whether there’s any real life in the movie or if its creatures and environments are entirely digital constructs. Either way or in any combination it’s a seamless visual experience and arguably the top achievement to date in computer generated effects. There's absolutely no telling what's real and what's not, unless one asks director Jon Favreau, who has the answer. And it's alarmingly unexpected, alarming considering the absolutely seamless photorealism at work. With that in mind, this is not really any different than the 1994 film. It's a more technically demanding film, but it's still just an animated creation. It begs the question, then, why? There's nothing intrinsically necessary about it. One can argue for the "live action" adaptations that bring a human soul to Cinderella or Belle or Aladdin and Jasmine, but this just a more complex take on a movie that was already by-and-large perfect. It was made because it could be made, not necessarily because it should be made. It's a highlight reel in lieu of being real and perhaps the first film to be advertised as, or perceived to be, "live action" when there's but a single real shot in the entire movie. It's almost like the DeepFake version of The Lion King.

And there's no soul in it, either. Yes there's a human element at play insofar as much of the film was animated by a living, breathing person (though reports suggest AI created some of the film) and the voice cast does very good work (which includes the iconic James Earl Jones reprising his role as Simba's father Mufasa, easily the best casting decision the filmmakers made). Together the core components do enough to recapture the story's raw emotion -- there's still a tear when Simba nestles with his father's dead body -- but it just never feels right. The cartoonish characters in particular -- Pumbaa, Timon, and the hyenas -- don't work as such when the tones are joined with photorealistic creatures, but the more dramatic components and characters are strong enough in development and position in the movie to carry it in the more dramatically substantial moments that pit Scar against Simba and Mufasa. The music doesn't fit, either, particularly the lighter songs ("Hakuna Matata"). The filmmakers would have been wise to start and end the movie with "Circle of Life" and leave it at that rather than attempt to bring over, again and particularly, the more lighthearted songs. The one that doesn't work at all is "Be Prepared." The dark, militaristic beats tonally compliment the movie but it is again a case of one classic component not jiving well with another contemporary recreation. It could even be argued that the movie would have worked best with no dialogue at all. Allow motion and emotion, action and reaction, sights and sounds to tell the story rather than try to fit the proverbial square peg in the proverbial round hole.

The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

A well-rounded visual delight awaits with Disney's 2160p/HDR UHD release of The Lion King. The film was reportedly photographed at a resolution of 6.5K but finished at 2K, unsurprising considering the picture's effects-heavy production. The UHD sparkles. It boasts a quality uptick in clarity and plays with a clean, crisp sheen about it. Sharpness and visible definition is clearly enhanced over the Blu-ray, results obvious from simply watching the presentation and stopping to conduct direct comparisons. The UHD image renders real and digital elements alike with increased opportunity for visual scrutiny and it further blurs the line between real and artificial. Animal fur is again a highlight, as it is with the 1080p Blu-ray. The level of clarity and distinction to individual furs and whiskers is unrivaled with any other similar production. Terrain sees a big boost, with rocks, trees, and grasses enjoying another level of visual robustness and absolute clarity.

The picture is a dazzling example of real world photography and digitally constructed hybrid excellence, and it's bolstered by the HDR color spectrum. The picture is not drastically darker. It is instead very bright and cheerful without sacrificing tonal integrity and depth. These elements are increased on the UHD over the Blu-ray, with the earthy animal tones and terrains enjoying fairly significant increases in color clarity and depth. Bright lights -- rising suns, raging fires -- are boosted by the HDR's ability to intensify tones. Natural greens find more resplendent depth and dazzle. Nighttime exteriors are bold and thematically purposeful. The UHD further reduces the more pervasive noise seen on the Blu-ray. No major source or encode issues of note are apparent. This is a beautiful UHD presentation from Disney.

The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Lion King's Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers a fairly hearty and robust listen, with some limitations in the form of low volume and compressed dynamics, though the latter is not a serious problem. With the volume cranked up a good bit, listeners will find a fairly satisfying sonic experience. The added overhead channels help to create a greater feel of world immersion and spacial definition, particularly in terms of some of the more aggressive atmospherics. When a now-adult Simba communicates with his father's spirit in chapter sixteen, the voice booms from above and the clapping thunder and rolling reverberations enjoy a discrete top-end placement. The final clash between Simba and Scar additionally delivers some nicely enveloping overhead components, here more in a complimentary rather than discrete role. It is in this scene that the Atmos track finds some of its best low end output. It doesn't come across as too terribly limited in range or output. The chaos is well defined and the subwoofer works to command the respect and attention the scene deserves. A few elements that would seem to promise greater low end response do fall flat, but the total package is not a total disaster. Music is alive and soars with good fidelity and spacious engagement all around the listener. Fronts and rears alike enjoy harmonious, balanced output. Dialogue is clear and delivery is well prioritized. Save for moments when more expansive engagement is warranted, it remains firmly grounded in the front-center channel.

The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Lion King's UHD disc contains no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray includes several: featurettes, music videos, a commentary, and more. Note that the introduction, commentary, and the Sing Along functionality can only be accessed under the "Play Movie" tab; everything else appears under the "Bonus Features" menu selection. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Director Jon Favreau Intro (1080p, 1:14): Favreau discusses the film's digital construction, the lone real shot in it, and the new and returning filmmaking team.
• Audio Commentary: Director Jon Favreau digs deeply into the film's technical construction, vocal performances, opportunities to deviate from the original, the need to honor key moments from the original, and plenty more. It's a comprehensive study of cutting edge digital filmmaking and absolutely a must-listen.
• Sing Along with the Movie: The film plays as normal with the musical selection lyrics appearing on-screen, karaoke style.
• The Journey to The Lion King (1080p): A three-part feature.
  
  
  • The Music (13:36): A look back at the original film's iconic music and retaining Hans Zimmer to score this version. It also digs rather deeply into the vocals and voice work.
  • The Magic (21:01): A detailed exploration of the movie's construction, including new voice work recording techniques and the digital animation workflow, including characters and environments.
  • The Timeless Tale (18:47): A look back at what made the original a cinema icon and the process of honoring all of that in the new adaptation, creating a preview for D23, and additional film construction details, including voice work and animation.
• More to Be Scene (1080p): Key scenes presented with progression reels, video clips from the recording session, and juxtaposing storyboards against the finished film. Included are "Circle of Life" (4:08), "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" (3:43), and "Hakuna Matata" (2:39).
• Music Videos (1080p): Included are "Spirit" Performed by Beyoncé (4:28) and "Never too Late" by Elton John (4:08).
• Song Selection (1080p): The films songs, easily accessible. Included are "Circle of Life" (4:12), "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" (3:59), "Be Prepared" (2:10), "Hakuna Matata" (4:45), "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1:31), "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (3:07), "Spirit" (2:13), and "Never Too Late" (4:34).
• Protect the Pride (1080p, 3:02): A public service announcement encouraging viewers to play a part in preserving and growing Africa's lion population.

The Lion King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Most reactions to The Lion King will probably come down to a simple, "it was OK." There's not a lot here of value, narratively to be sure. The film recycles the classic story with complex 3-D digital models in lieu of the original animation. It makes no major deviations in tone or character, in music or dialogue, in story or structure. It's very well done on the technical front. It's an interesting compliment to the original but it's certainly not a replacement for what is one of the most beloved films in Disney's expansive canon. The studio's UHD delivers breathtaking 2160p/HDR video, a good, though not great, Atmos soundtrack, and a well-rounded but certainly not exhaustive collection of extras. Highly recommended.