Featurette For "Hakuna Matata" Remake

Today is the day I finally get to see the new more live action, yet still animated Lion King. Beforehand Disney has dropped this video though. It's Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, & Billy Eichner talking about reimagining Hakuna Matata. First off, I love these guys. Haven't seeing the film yet, I love these guys in these roles. I am not however, loving this version of the song though. This video's fun, & I've only heard the song two or three times so far. So, maybe it could grow on me. That said, the original never had to. Curious to see how context affects it. Don't know how I'm feeling goin’ in. It's got some negative feedback. Let y'all know tomorrow with my first thoughts review on YouTube. Until then has anyone else heard this song yet? If so, put your thoughts of it in the comments. Just tryin’ to get a consensus here.

New Featurette For Upcoming “Lion King”

Yesterday, we got this featurette for the upcoming livish-action Lion King, & I feel like I'm the only person who's not thoroughly pumped for this. It visually looks great. Now that we've seen the talking more I can say it's better, we're still not t o the point where it won't take some getting used to. In the snippet of the duet Beyonce totally overpowers Glover singing wise, which never works. Other than that though, I should be all about this movie. I’ve been more excited for way less. Not that I don’t want to see it or anything, I just feel like I’m not as pumped for this as a lot of others. If they do pull this off though, it opens the door for “live-action” animation on a whole new level. There's also, in Favreau we trust. I'm still going in thinking this thing is gonna blow me away. The CG, visual perfection on display can't do that alone. Leaves me wondering what will be new? All these remakes usually have something new to them. I’m thinking that’s where my excitement level's. I can’t seem to think of any big changes we can get to build on this story from the original. July 19th is right around the corner. So, we'll see soon. Until then, I'm still waiting for the thing that gets me to that higher level of excitement going in. What about y'all? Is there anybody that’s also excited, but feels like their level of which should be higher? Put it in the comments, like, & share.

Tickets On Sale For "Lion King", New TV Spot.

A new TV Spot for the more live-action yet still animated version of the Lion King came out yesterday to announce today's tickets going on sale. Not only do we get some more actual talking animal footage from Mustafa, we also get our first listen to Donald Glover & Beyonce's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?". It's a total plus on both fronts as well. I'm going to have to listen to the song a few more times to see how it weighs in against the original. First thoughts on the snippet here are good though. Even if it's highly noticeable Beyonce's got a better voice than Glover. Mufasa talking was pretty impressive as well. We've come a long way on the talking animal front it looks like. I also loved the lightning Mufasa in the sky shot. Got my tickets now though. That's as all in as I can get. Now I just have to wait until July 18th. What did y'all think of this TV spot though? In fact, how many are on the fence for this one? Put it in the comments, like, & share. 

First "Lion King" Teaser Delivered Almost Perfectly On Thanksgiving

So after cooking all day, eating way too much, & fighting off a turkey haze, this CGI "live-action" Lion King teaser from Disney kinda felt like the big payoff. An almost perfect teaser. It's a short look, not much you can really say about it. A couple iconic scenes with a little longer version of Mufasa's "all the land the light touches" speech, is pretty much the perfect way to kick things off. I couldn't help but keep thinking it was missing something. It looks amazing. Visually stunning. If I took this back in time, they'd be wondering how we trained all those animals to do that. I just felt it missed the mark without ending on some sort of talking animal. And since it seems like I'm being super picky, they totally could've gone without the parade of actor names. That would've worked for me though, with the addition of Timon or Pumba talking in the end. That break from the epicness of the iconic scenes, even with the name scrolling, would've really put this over the top for me. So, I liked it, but I felt like I could've loved it. What did y'all think though? Put it in the comments, like, & share. Disney's The Lion King opens in theatres July 19, 2019.

Are You Prepared For No "Be Prepared" In Upcoming "Lion King"?

So, according to Collider yesterday, Sir Elton John told The Sun that only four of the original songs will be used in the more live-action, yet still technically animated upcoming Lion King. Knowing that you can almost guess what they are, Circle of Life, Hakuta Matada, Can You Feel the Love Tonight,  & Just Can't Wait To Be King . That said, they pretty much covered what they must have. All except Scar's Be Prepared that is. This is going to put them in a curious spot. The song takes place at not only a pivotal moment, but if I remember correctly, it also delivers a good amount of exposition. With that, my guess is they'll replace it. Putting whatever's new directly up against the original. That puts a good amount of pressure on the whole thing. Any new music added for that matter now will immediately be put up against what's missing from the original. That's gonna be a tall order in itself right there. Not only that, this is one of my favorite scenes. It's no punches pulled terrifying. As dark as the song is, it still added a liitle light to the scene. Curious to see if we'll hear any of the new stuff before the film's release. Not only that, but I'm wondering if the four originals will be reimagined? Anyway, are these four songs from the original enough for you? Put it in the comments, like, & share. 

Disney Confirms Whole Cast & Return Of Hans Zimmer For Live Action Lion King

I've been hoping this moment wouldn't come, but it's now official Beyoncé is now officially confirmed for the upcoming live-action Lion King as well as the rest of the main cast. As much as I did not want this to happen, I have to say the rest of the cast line-up is amazing. I've loved Donald Glover since Community, Chiwetel Ejiofor since Serenity, & who else do you get to play Mufasa other than James Earl Jones. Even the rest of the cast looks awesome. John Oliver was the only person who should've took the Daily Show from Jon Stewart, so I can't wait to see him a Zazu. He's got the perfect voice, & delivery for that matter. I can't help to think I'm most excited to see the chemistry between Billy Eichner & Seth Rogen as Timon & Pumbaa. I did some catch-up on Billy on the Street & I really think this guy & Seth Rogen are going to be amazing together. With all that, the more I think about Beyoncé being Nala I don't really care too much. Nala was all but irrelevant in the animated film. I'm sure she's got a singing part in this, because if not, why Beyoncé? Maybe a Can You Feel The Love Tonight duet with Glover? Who knows. Hopefully they don't force her a bigger part just because it's Beyoncé, it might feel extra forced due to this being a remake. However, ScreenRant says rumor has it that Beyoncé will do the soundtrack. God help us all, I still say that's a DreamWorks move. To end this on a total bright note though, Hans Zimmer is coming back to score film, as he did so amazingly in it's animated predecessor. This thing's still a good while away though. With a release date of July 19th, 2019, we're going to have some time to speculate where this is going to go. So, what do y'all think of this cast? Put it in the comments, like, & share.

Another Casting For Lion King, But Please, No Beyonce

We finally have a voice for the baboon Rafiki. Who if you don't know was not only royal adviser of the Pride Lands, he was one of the best parts of the original 1994 Lion King. He was basically that movie's Yoda, & every movie needs a Yoda. Anyway, according to Collider he will be played by Captain America: Civil War's John Kani. Which is cool, I remember him having a distinct voice. That's about all I remember as, SPOILERS, he was Black Panther's father for all of 2 minutes in Civil War. I hope the character is still as "out there" as he was in the original, Kani comes off as a little serious of a pick. Not really what I pictured, but then again, I haven't seen much of him. For all I know this guy has an amazing range. No matter, this was the least of my worries anyway. The worst rumor I had heard about this movie just got even more ugly. Collider also mentioned the fact that not only is Beyoncé nearing final negotiations for the part of Nala, she might also be writing new music. This assaults my soul. I usually don't form a personal opinion on artists. I judge artists, whether they be actors, singers, writers, etc. based on their art. Very few times will I say I don't like someone as a person. Beyoncé is one of those times. I can't stand this idea, personal feelings aside, I'm not fond of Queen Bey as an actress. Almost even more so, I'm not so fond of her music. That being said, her music doesn't scream "Musical" or "Disney" in an sense. This is a DreamWorks move, & I'm a little thrown off to see it out of Disney. What do y'all think? Especially those who actually like Beyoncé, I really want to know if her fans even want to see this? Let me know in the comments, like, & share. 

Alfre Woodard Added To Disney's Live-Action "Lion King"

Props to anyone who can write a line in the comments from the 1994 Lion King off the top, off the head, spoken by Sarabi, Simba's mom. There's definitely not that many too chose from. Hopefully, that will change now that Alfre Woodard has took on the role in the upcoming live-action adaption according to a THR exclusive. She'll be joining Donald Glover (Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), John Oliver (Zazu), & Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar). I'm sure this role will have a little more to it, considering it's live-action & they tend to stretch out for some extra story. It'd be a shame not to, I've really enjoyed most of Woodard's roles in the past. Great addition. What are y'all's thoughts? Put 'em in the comments, like, & share.

Disney's Live-Action "Lion King" May Be About To Find It's Villainous Scar

Jon Favreau's directing Disney's upcoming remake of the animated classic Lion King, & we already know Donald Glover (Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa), John Oliver (Zazu), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), & Billy Eichner (Timon) are already on board for the July 19, 2019 release. The question on everyone's mind however is, who will voice Scar? Now, according to a The Wrap exclusive, Chiwetel Ejiofor is in talks to play the role made infamous by Jeremy Irons. This guy just does bad so good too. Though I had seen him in some things before, he really popped up on my radar as someone to watch when I saw him in Serenity. That's why when I heard that not only would they be using him for Baron Mordo in Doctor Strange, but that it was going to be a slow build with him turning, I was totally on board. At first when I heard they were bringing back James Earl Jones, I remember thinking they had to bring back Jeremy Irons. However, if these talks go through, forget I ever thought that. This would be an awesome Scar. He has that coldness & calm intensity about himMake this happen. What do y'all think? Can y'all throw me someone better if not? Put it in the comments, like, & share.

Perfect Casting Of Zazu For Live-Action Lion King

Joining what is shaping up to be a cast of perfection rivaling the live-action Beauty & the Beast is John Oliver. In an exclusive with The Wrap the host of Late Night With John Oliver will be taking on the role of the red-tailed hornbill that serves as advisor to the king. He joins already confirmed Donald Glover (Simba), James Earl Jones (Mufasa), & Seth Rogen & Billy Eichner (Pumbaa & Timon) with director John Favreau. This is awesome news to me. I love this guy. No one can do the Daily Show better than John Stewart, but John Oliver was pretty darn impressive when he took over. His own show now continues to be entertaining. I can't think of a better fit for this part, & this movie is shaping up to sound really good so far. What do y'all think about this casting so far? put it in the comments, like, & share.

Disney May Have Found Their Live-Action Timon & Pumbaa

Everyone's favorite singing warthog & meerkat may have finally found their voices. The Hollywood Reporter has Seth Rogen & Billy Eichner in talks to voice Pumbaa & Timon in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Lion King. If this goes through they will join already casted Donald Glover as Simba & James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa. I'd be lying if I even acted like I know who Billy Eichner is. Apparently he won a Daytime Emmy as host of Billy on the Street & stars in Difficult People for Hulu. Seth Rogen on the other hand I'm very familiar with all the way back from his Freaks & Geeks days on through This is the End, Neighbors, Sausage Party & The Night Before just to name a few. I'm a big fan of about all his work so far. Count me in as hoping this goes through. What about y'all? Billy & Seth for Timon & Pumbaa? Got another choice? Let us know in the comments, like, & share.

15 Live-Action Remakes & My Thoughts

Chip & Company sent out a list of upcoming 15 Disney live-action remakes today & I figured I'd share my thoughts on each of them. Most of these are expected, but there's a few surprises & a couple thay may just leave you scratching your head. So with no further ado, I give you:

• The Lion King: We've talked about this one recently with rumors that director, Jon Favreau eyeing Beyonce for Nala. She would join already casted Donald Glover & James Earl Jones. Yeah, ain't it great that the only replacement for James Earl Jones isJames Earl Jones. I'm excited for this. Jon Favreau did great with Jungle Book, giving me very little to worry about on this one.
• Mulan: To also be a subject later. We got writers Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin along with director Niki Caro who can't make up her mind on if or where music has a place in this film. (More on that later.) I'm actually looking mord forward to this than I ever was the animated version. I love martial arts epics, & that sounds like what we'll be getting with this.
• Aladdin: One of, if not my favorite of the classics. We've got a team of directors in Guy Ritchie & John August, & I'm not sure if this worries or excites me. Though it seems a strange pick, I've got a bigger list of Guy Ritchie films I've enjoyed than I haven't.  So that being said I'm more than intrigued.
• Jungle Book 2: Jon Favreau's directing is all we know about this one & this is one of the head scratchers for me. With Disney's track record for sequels you would figure this slot would br open for a different remake. So basically, I want to see this still, I'm just hoping I want to see it again afterward.
• Maleficent 2: Screenwriter Linda Woolverton & main title role Angelina Jolie are coming back on for who cares? I mean really, the first one went out of it's way to destroy one of the greatest on screen villians of all time. How? By making her not a villian. Otherwise played perfectly, this film took the evil out of a villian so hateful she wished death upon a baby just for not being invited to a party.  So on this sequel, I'll pass.
• Mary Poppins Returns: This one's not a remake, but a sequel. It's currently has Emily Blunt as the main character, Lin-manuel Miranda, and Dick Van Dyke returning to his role. I found a love for Mary Poppins late in life and that's probably one of the reasons that I am secretly looking very much forward to the sequel.
• Snow White: Now this one's a little iffy for me. Mainly because it seems like it's been done a lot recently. However I will give it a chance, as it's one of my favorite stories, and nobody does stories like Disney does stories. Anyway, we have Priscilla Wilson as a writer and Justin Paul and Benj Pasek will be writing new original music for the film.
• Rose Red: I don't know much of what to say about this one, and it's mainly because I don't know what this one's about. Apparently Snow White and Rose Red is about two sisters that encounter an enchanted bear. It's also rumored that this film is not going to follow that storyline anyway. So it looks like anyone who does know about this one, well, they might not really know about it either.
• The Little Mermaid: I tell you this, we know the music's going to be amazing. Lin-manuel Miranda is teaming up with the original songwriter Alan Menken to write a new music to go along with the pre-existing songs in the film. This especially gets my attention as new music sounds like new scenes, and new scenes sound like the expanding a story that I've always loved. Even if I thought was a little short to begin with.
• Peter Pan: Another one the list we don't know too much about other than it's directed by David Lowery and written by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. I personally can't wait for another Peter Pan as many people have tried this since the animated version, and Hook has been the closest thing to get it right. Which doesn't really count as it's a sequel.
• Oliver & Company: Tommy Kail is on board to direct this remake that was about a cat that got taken in by a bunch of street smart dogs. One of the best things about this was the music and hopefully we can recapture that. As a kid this burned into me that Billy Joel was the man. This was another one of my childhood favorites.
• James & the Giant Peach: This was announced last year to be written by Nick Hornby and directed by Sam Mendes. It'll be a live-action remake of the '96 stop-action film. While James and the Giant Peach never really stood out for me, I am very curious to see how someone would pull off something so ambitious to try to create in live-action.
• Winnie the Pooh: I love this silly old bear. The film is supposed to be directed by Marc Forster and written by Alex Ross Perry and there's a rumor that it could be titled Christopher Robin. I've heard many theories on this live-action movie and all of them sound just as great as the next.
• Dumbo: Oh Dumbo. Written by Ehren Krueger, directed by Tim Burtonm with Colin Farrell and Danny DeVito in talks to star I just don't know really what to think about this one. With talk of a family from Kentucky, a big ring circus taking over a small ring circus, and no talk of flying elephants I'm not sure what we're even going to get with this one.
• Cruella: With Emma Stone set to star in the title role I don't know whether to be excited or reserved on this actually happening, and I think most of that lands on Maleficent. Thankfully, I don't see any way even Disney could turn someone who wants to kill a bunch of puppies for a coat, into any shade of a good person. So, if that's the case, this might finally be the villain picture I was looking for.

So there you go there's my thoughts on the big 15 coming out sooner or later. What do you think? Do you agree, do you disagree? Do you have some altogether different insights? I would love to hear it, let me know in the comments, and don't forget to like and share.

Beyonce' for Lion King?

Forgive me if I'm not smiling for this one. Variety reported that Queen Bey is director Jon Favreau's top choice for Nala in the not so live-action remake of "Lion King". Is it live-action though? I guess live-action sounds better than realistically-animated so we'll go with that. She'd be joining already confirmed cast members Donald Glover & returning James Earl Jones.  For me the only worse news than this, would be that Jay-Z is in talks for Lion King. Before anyone thinks that's a jump, know I've primarily listened to Rap & R&B. That being said I have never been a fan of this Queen or her King. However, she can hold a note, & in Dreamgirls she was tolerable. So I guess all is not at loss. Personal feelings aside, as long as I can watch this movie & her do a good enough job for me not to think, there goes Beyoncé playing Nala, I'll be fine. Who knows, if she's great I will be the first to give credit where it's due. What do y'all think of this potential casting? Write it in the comments & afterward, like & share we want to know what your friends think too.