History WesternAnimation / TheLionKing2019

* MetaTwist: PlayedForLaughs. In this version of "Hakuna Matata", Pumbaa actually manages to say the word "farted" because Timon doesn't bother to stop him this time. Even Pumbaa seems genuinely caught off-guard.

** Simba boasts [[Disney/Aladdin "There will never be a king like me!"]] before launching into "Just Can't Wait to Be King".

* ShotForShotRemake:
** Of all the live action remakes to come out of Disney during the new tens, this one is the one that sticks the absolute closest to its original, even more so than ''Beauty and the Beast.'' If there are any additions, they err on the side of being extremely minor and easy to miss, with only one or two outright new scenes.
** Played intentionally with "The Circle of Life," which remakes every shot from the original exactly as it was down to every last detail in the same order.

*** Scar’s subplot about trying to make Sarabi his queen is unquestionably a reworking of a subplot from the Broadway adaptation[[note]]originally penned for the '94 film but ultimately cut[[note]] in which Scar infamously tries to make Nala his queen.

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''The Lion King'' is the 2019 photo-realistic re-imagining of the 1994 [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] epic ''Disney/TheLionKing''. It is directed by Creator/JonFavreau, director of 2016's wildly successful live-action/CGI adaptation of ''[[Film/TheJungleBook2016 The Jungle Book]]'', and brought to screen using the same highly photorealistic CGI techniques by Creator/MovingPictureCompany as that film employed. The screenplay was written by Jeff Nathanson, with ''Lion King'' franchise veterans Thomas Schumacher (a producer of the original film) and Julie Taymor (director of the [[Theatre/TheLionKing Broadway adaptation]]) serving as executive producers. The film was released on July 19, 2019.

Songs from the original film have been confirmed to be featured in the remake. The music team from the original film returns; Music/HansZimmer returns to score the film, and Music/EltonJohn is working with Beyoncé to rework his songs from the original film and to produce new music as well in his final major act before his retirement. Tim Rice, who worked alongside John on the original, also returns to help with the soundtrack, as do iconic vocalist [[https://twitter.com/iamlebo_m/status/1113626643480764416?s=21 Lebo M. and Mark Mancina]] (who arranged the original’s songs). Chance the Rapper and Music/PharrellWilliams are [[https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/chance-rapper-jon-favreau-hans-zimmer/ also]] contributing to the soundtrack.

* AdaptationDyeJob: As seen in all promotional materials so far, by virtue of using realistic animal designs, a lot of the more distinctive color designs for the various characters are either toned down or removed altogether. For instance:

** Zazu lacks the blue of his animated counterpart, resembling his Broadway incarnation (and real-life counterparts) in being mostly white.

** Nala and Scar both have amber-colored eyes instead of teal and bright green (although the former's eyes do show hints of teal). Baby Simba also has blue eyes, as real newborn lion cubs do, though they change to the familiar light brown when he gets older.

* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Current examples provided in the trailers include:

** All but one of the more clearly identifiable birds [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/disneyanimals/images/a/a9/Circle_of_Life_elephant.png/revision/latest?cb=20180414184112 riding on the elephant's tusks]] on the way to Simba's presentation (a hornbill, various assorted and stylized parrots and bee-eaters) have been replaced by other species (including an African gray parrot and a pair of red-billed oxpeckers) in the international trailer.
** A [[https://twitter.com/foreverbeey/status/1143279828579299328?s=21&fbclid=IwAR2ezSlWmF_n5q5ukysgS7lBpBfJXujYpCRtcaI7I2_VAVwuBfMpt33YDYw promotional short clip]] reveals that the chameleon that [[http://images6.fanpop.com/image/quiz/1108000/1108760_1406223545919_500_294.jpg Simba roars at in the gorge]] has been species-swapped from a fictional one-horned Jackson's chameleon-esque design to a hornless helmeted species.[[note]]Although its specific species is difficult to readily identify.[[/note]]

* AnimalsLackAttributes: Despite all their meticulous anatomical detail, the animal models still lack genitalia and anuses. This can be seen at the proper angle throughout much of the trailer footage.
* AnimalReligion: TV Spot 5 features Mufasa telling a young Simba about the "great kings of the past", who watch over the Pride Lands from the heavens.
* AnimalStampede: The iconic wildebeest stampede scene caused by the film's villains features in multiple promotional materials.
* AnimalTalk: As in the original film, all the animals (with dialogue at least) speak the same language regardless of their being different species. (For instance, Pumbaa and Timon duet and speak to each other in their end-stinger trailer appearances.)
* ArmorPiercingSlap: Scar kills Mufasa this time around by ''slapping'' him into the wildebeest stampede.
* ArtEvolution: The animation, color palette, and even character models are [[https://screenrant.com/lion-king-cgi-changes-trailer-difference/amp/ markedly improved]] between the two teaser trailers, a trend that continues into the more recent TV spots.
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Current examples include:

** Adult Simba [[MightyRoar roars]] atop Pride Rock, but the sound he makes is the typical Hollywood beefed up tiger-esque roar rather than an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rf4LGT_GMg actual lion vocalization]]. He also does the stereotypical wide-mouth yelling posture commonly associated with roaring, but actual full-blown lion roars are produced with the mouth in an almost closed position similar to a howling wolf.

* BattleAmongstTheFlames: Per some of the later TV spots and as in the original film, flames engulf Pride Rock and the surrounding area during the final battle between Simba and Scar.
* BigGood: Mufasa, the king of the Pride Lands and loving dad to Simba, who throughout the trailers can be heard telling his son about the responsibility of kingship and how to rule in a fair and selfless manner.

** An unnamed elephant shrew that was not in the original film appears in TV Spot 14.
** As shown in the same TV spot, a group of other animals (including a bat-eared fox, a bushbaby, a dik-dik and a guineafowl) apparently live with Timon and Pumbaa as they are all seen eating grubs, in contrast to the original film where it was just Simba, Timon and Pumbaa.

** Timon is presented as such throughout the various TV spots he appears in.

* DisneyVillainDeath: An unnamed hyena chasing Simba alongside Shenzi, Kamari, and Azizi ends up falling over the same cliff that Simba falls off of, but while Simba manages to land not too far down, the other hyena meets his demise this way.

* EvilUncle: Scar; brother to Mufasa and envious of his position on the throne, a jealously that only intensifies with Simba's birth. ("I was first in line, until the ''prince'' arrived.") The trailers featuring him make it very clear that he seeks to - and ultimately does - take over the Pride Lands through less than honorable means in an alliance with the hyenas.
* {{Foil}}: The main trailer quickly establishes the juxtaposition between Scar and Mufasa's views on the throne. While Scar envies Mufasa for his immense privilege (and apparent birthright judging by his words) as king, Mufasa advises Simba that a good ruler is more interested in what they can give to their kingdom as opposed to reaping the personal benefits of the job.

* HeavenAbove: TV Spot 5 features voiceover from Mufasa explaining that the great kings "look down on us from those stars" and at the end is shown to begin to manifest in spirit form in a head of clouds during an electrical storm.
* IAmXSonOfY: Simba stoically proclaims "I am Simba, son of Mufasa" after he meets back up with Rafiki.

* MisplacedWildlife: The various trailers provide sufficient geographical context to determine that the Pride Lands are situated in the sprawling Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, specifically north of Mt. Kilimanjaro in south-central Kenya [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Map_showing_Counties_underthe_new_kenyan_constitution..gif between Kajiado and Taita-Taveta counties]] near the border between Kenya and Tanzania. Accordingly, this specific range provides multiple examples of animals that don't belong there in real life, including:
** A group of gemsbok (''Oryx gazella'') are featured in the first teaser trailer even though the species is only found in southwestern Africa rather than the East African setting of the story. The similar and related East African oryx, specifically the beisa oryx (''Oryx beisa beisa''), would've been a more appropriate choice.
** In two prominent group shots of animals in the teaser trailers, an '''Indian''' rhino is prominently featured, though geographically accurate black rhinos (which actually live in Africa) appear in the background of other shots. One of the latter TV spots released before the film [[https://youtu.be/FX85niqwTuQ shows]] that the animal has been replaced with an appropriate African species of rhino (specifically a white rhino and a black rhino).
** Rafiki's design seen throughout the promotional materials firmly establish him as a mandrill (as opposed to a baboon), resulting in him being very out of place as mandrills hail from the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrill#/media/File:Mandrill_area.png rainforests of West Africa]] as opposed to the East African Serengeti.

** A downplayed example with the giraffes seen throughout the promotional materials, which specifically resemble the Rothschild giraffe subspecies/ecotype.[[note]]Depending on which phylogeny you choose to follow, it is either a distinct subspecies (''Giraffe camelopardalis rothschildi'') or just an ecomorph (''G. c. camelopardalis'').[[/note]] Despite these giraffes presently only found in a select few protected regions of Uganda and western Kenya, their historical distribution was wider only a few centuries ago and possibly could've encompassed the Serengeti-Mara region proper alongside their cousins, the Maasai giraffe (''G. c. tippelskirchi''), which don't appear in any of the footage despite being the most common giraffe in the region.
** An African gray parrot is seen hitching a ride on an elephant's tusk in the international trailer despite not being native to southern Kenya.

** Rather than an elephant graveyard, the hyenas' main den site bears a much closer resemblance to [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thelionkingfanon/images/f/fc/Outlands.png/revision/latest?cb=20171115191036 the Outlands]] as portrayed in ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'', chiefly by way of the combination of rock formations/large termite mounds and the numerous tunnels and caverns within.

** As seen in TV Spot 1, Sarabi's design features spots on her forelimbs to give her a more distinctive appearance relative to the other lionesses, similar to how in the cartoon canon [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/lionguard/images/5/5c/Kion-large.png/revision/latest?cb=20151106214959 Kion]] (Simba and Nala's son from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'') is the only lion character whose design [consistently][[note]]One of Kiara's friends, Tiifu, also has leg spots, but they don't always appear depending on the episode she's in[[/note]] includes leg spots.
** TV Spot 5 features a shot of Simba and Nala cuddling on a large rock in a forested cliffside region, similar to the end of an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZskNUleZaM early version]] of the "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" scene from the 1994 production.
** That same clip also shows Simba seated in-between his father's forelimbs as he learns about the kings of the past (as opposed to being on his back as in the [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/0a/97/630a978f2d413de84cbe3f160ea9a9ad.jpg original]]) a position reminiscent of a [[https://lionking.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lion_in_the_Moon?file=TLITM5.png similar scene]] between Simba and Sarabi from early in the development of the original film.
** The Russian promo clip features multiple background creatures that are references to various minor characters from prior ''Lion King'' projects:
*** The bat-eared fox is a callback to [[https://lionking.fandom.com/wiki/Bhati Bhati]], a unused character from early drafts of the original film who was one of Simba and Nala's childhood friends (along with Timon and Pumbaa; the fox's featuring in the Timon and Pumbaa-led clip is itself a reinforcement of this reference).

** Zazu’s line about Mufasa’s rambunctious childhood is adapted from the Broadway play.
** The film proper begins with a short scene of a mouse scurrying about, minding its own business before it runs afoul of Scar, much like the Broadway play.
** When Pumbaa suggests keeping Simba, he explains that “one day when he’s big and strong”, quoting “My Lullaby” from ''Simba’s Pride''.[[note]]While the phrase is hardly original to ''Simba’s Pride'', the context and place of the quote here is what sells it.[[/note]]
** Scar’s subplot about trying to make Sarabi his queen is unquestionably a reworking of a subplot from the original film and the Broadway adaptation in which Scar infamously tries to make Nala his queen.
** At the end of the film, when Simba is reuniting with his friends and family after the battle, the rain causes the mane on Simba’s crown to be matted down and resemble his animated counterpart’s [[https://youtu.be/ajd16gEk6dY original]] hairdo.

* RealityEnsues: Even though Simba lives with them and has changes his diet to insects, the other animals other than Timon and Pumbaa are still afraid of him since he used to be their natural predator.

** A flock of white-backed vultures surround an unconscious Simba in the desert
** Other residents in Timon and Pumbaa's home include a lesser bushbaby, a bat-eared fox, an aardvark, a black and rufous elephant shrew, Günther's dik-diks, and a vulturine guineafowl.
** A group of banded mongoose are featured in a [[https://twitter.com/DisneyStudiosBR/status/1141005175282425856 promotional gif]].

** During the famous log scene, Timon is seen walking on all fours instead of two like in the original. Real meerkats can stand on their hind legs but cannot walk bipedally.
** Scar’s mane no longer being black is because a dark mane is a sign of a lion being very healthy and well-fed. As he is not the king, Scar likely does not get first pickings when it comes to eating at kills, explaining why he is not as healthy in appearance as Mufasa (though his emaciated body is a bit extreme). Sure enough, shots of Scar from latter portions of the film depict him with a darker, fuller mane, [[spoiler:a likely product of Scar becoming king and now getting first dibs on food.]]
** Among the animals eating bugs with Timon and Pumbaa is a bat-eared fox, which is known to be a species of fox that is primarily an insectivore.
** The rhinoceroses appear to be both black rhinoceroses and white rhinoceroses, as told by the former having a narrow, pointed mouth and the latter a wide mouth.
* StargazingScene: TV Spot 5 shows Mufasa and Simba looking at the stars as Mufasa's voiceover explains that [[StarsAreSouls "The great kings look down on us from those stars."]]

''The Lion King'' is the 2019 photo-realistic re-imagining of the 1994 [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney]] epic ''Disney/TheLionKing''. It is directed by Creator/JonFavreau, director of 2016's wildly successful live-action/CGI adaptation of ''[[Film/TheJungleBook2016 The Jungle Book]]'', and brought to screen using the same highly photorealistic CGI techniques by Creator/MovingPictureCompany as that film employed. The screenplay was written by Jeff Nathanson, with ''Lion King'' franchise veterans Thomas Schumacher (a producer of the original film) and Julie Taymor (director of the [[Theatre/TheLionKing Broadway adaptation]]) serving as executive producers. The film is set to be released July 19, 2019.

** In two prominent group shots of animals in the teaser trailers, an '''Indian''' rhino is prominently featured, though geographically accurate black rhinos (which actually live in Africa) appear in the background of other shots. One of the latter TV spots released before the film [[https://youtu.be/FX85niqwTuQ shows]] that the animal has been replaced with an appropriate African species of rhino.

* AfricanChant: The isiZulu chants from "Circle of Life"[[note]]"Ingonyama nengw' enamabala", which roughly translates to "A lion and a leopard come to this open place", alluding to how Simba's birth ceremony is important enough for old enemies to come together in peace[[/note]] are used throughout the various trailers and TV spots.

* EvilUncle: Scar; brother to Mufasa and envious of his position on the throne, a jealously that only intensifies with Simba's birth. ("I was first in line, until the ''prince'' arrived.") The trailers featuring him make it very clear that he seeks to - and ultimately does based on TV Spot 13 and subsequent advertisements - take over the Pride Lands through less than honorable means in an alliance with the hyenas.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Current examples as provided by the various trailers include:

* BadassBaritone: Mufasa has a deep and powerful voice befitting of his impressive physique and position as literal king of beasts, and can be heard throughout the various trailers.

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: The various trailers and TV spots show that Simba and Nala grew up as close friends - and were even betrothed as cubs, which neither was excited about - before eventually falling in love when they reached adulthood.

** A trained ear can detect that Mufasa's returning speech used in the teaser trailer is comprised of both audio from the original film ("Everything the light touches is our kingdom.") and James Earl Jones re-recording more or less the same lines ("But a king's time as ruler" onwards). This can be identified due to Jones' voice sounding distinctly older than the original dialogue from 1994 for the second portion of the quote.

* IAmXSonOfY: Simba stoically proclaims "I am Simba, son of Mufasa" in TV Spot 6.

* ShoutOut: The Indian rhino prominently featured in the "Circle of Life" sequence in the earlier trailers is likely a reference to director Jon Favreau's previous Disney work, ''The Jungle Book'', which is set in India and features Indian rhinos.

** The film proper begins with a short scene of a mouse scurrying about, minding its own business before it runs afoul of Scar, much like the Broadway play.

** A trained ear can detect that Mufasa's returning speech used in the teaser trailer is comprised of both audio from the original film ("Everything the light touches is our kingdom.") and James Earl Jones re-recording more or less the same lines ("But a king's time as ruler" onwards). This can be identified due to Jones' voice sounding distinctly older than the original dialogue from 1994 for the second portion of the quote. In the film proper, a few more demanding lines from Mufasa are delivered using Jones’s original recordings from 1994, most prominently, “If you ever come near my son again”.

** A trained ear can detect that Mufasa's returning speech used in the teaser trailer is comprised of both audio from the original film ("Everything the light touches is our kingdom.") and James Earl Jones re-recording more or less the same lines ("But a king's time as ruler" onwards). This can be identified due to Jones' voice sounding distinctly older than the original dialogue from 1994 for the second portion of the quote.

** Baby Simba has an appropriately long tail, whereas his cartoon iteration has a short bobcat-like tail (except in some shots where he doesn't, which is a notable animation goof).