The Lion King (PG) - Movie Review

On paper it must have seemed like a great idea to remake The Lion King, with new computerised animation, which has been developed since the original film was a smash hit twenty-five years previous.

The movie is set in Africa, in a desert community of a pride of lions.  The lion cub Simba is the son of the King and Queen of the doman.  He is groomed to take over from his father, but Simba enjoys playing like a cub and getting into all sorts of young devilment.  However the cub does have respect for the traditions of his family, including the ‘circle of life’ which connects all living things on the vast land.

After Simba is fooled by his evil uncle, Scar, his life takes a turn which includes death, and a new life in the jungle forests.  Here he meets new friends, and builds a new life, but a visit from a love interest, Nala, (voiced by Beyonce) reminds him of home.  A new battle and frontier awaits Simba when he decides to return to his past.

The movie is enjoyable for those who have not seen the 1994 Lion King original, although much of the emotion that was shown in the earlier movie is missing here.  Interestingly the new movie is around 30 minutes longer than the original.  There is still a feeling of the story being rushed, particularly after Nala finds her old love.  However the movie picks up in the last half hour and reaches a nice climax, which will be found satisfying by most viewers, writes David Flynn.