Hakuna Matata!: My thoughts on The Lion King (live action)

Courtesy of Disney Movies

About five years ago, I shared a post declaring my love for The Lion King. I saw it in the theater more times than I can count and memorized a lot of the dialogue, as a result. Naturally, it was hard to watch the live action version without comparing and contrasting between the two. Instead of doing a normal review, I'm just going to share what worked and didn't work this time around. I am keeping it as spoiler free as possible, even though I assume most readers have seen the original at least once.

What worked:

*Keeping the original songs and score. While different people sang the songs, it was still nice that they weren't changed.

*The new song from Beyonce that played while adult Simba and Nala were running back home.

*Timon and Pumbaa. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen did a great job in their roles and pretty much stole the show. The CGI versions were so cute! I also loved little Pumbaa during a flashback scene.

*All the CGI animals. They looked so real and baby Simba was, of course, adorable.

*John Oliver was perfect as Zazu. So funny too! I just wish they had done the part where he's singing "It's a Small World" to annoy Scar.

*Adding more of a purpose to Scar's cruelty. I felt like the backstory between Mufasa and Scar wasn't as prevalent in the original version.

*Rafiki's level of emotion. I think I got the most teary-eyed when he sadly wipes away the image of Simba on the tree and later when he excitedly updates the image.

*The visual effects. The scenery was perfect and I loved all the little butterflies flying around at one point.

*James Earl Jones coming back to do the voice of Mufasa. I wouldn't want it any other way!

*The quick, but fabulous, homage to Beauty and the Beast. (Even though I missed Timon doing the hula.)

What didn't work:

*The watered-down version of "Be Prepared". Scar basically talked through the lines and the hyenas yelled "be prepared!" That song is supposed to be chilling and it lost its essence this time around.

*Changing two of the hyenas' names. I didn't even know what they were and kept thinking that they were still Banzai and Ed.

*The lack of chemistry between Simba and Nala. I just didn't feel it. Like they were mad at each other, then they're suddenly frolicking together in waterfalls? It seemed like they rushed into "Can You Feel" too soon.

*Some of the funny lines being taken out. Like Timon telling Pumbaa "sit down before you hurt yourself." Also, Rafiki never said "Asante sana squash banana." And the hyenas did not say "Mufasa!" "Oooh, do it again." We were missing Ed's weird laugh (or whatever his name is now), as well.

*Scar's scar not being as pronounced. (I did like how mangy he looked though.)

Final thoughts:

While most of the movie was the same, it felt longer than the original. Maybe the fight scenes were dragged out a bit more? And while I went almost weekly to see the original in the theater, I can't say I'd do the same for this one. My daughter was scared of the hyenas and upset by the scene in the gorge, but afterward she told me she loved the movie.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've seen it.

Annual birthday book giveaway!

I love having birthdays, but I also enjoy giving other people gifts. I have a bunch of books to give away to TWO lucky readers! So, enter via the Rafflecopter below and two of you will get a box of random books. US only please, as I have to cover the shipping costs. (Sorry!)


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Giveaway ends July 24th at midnight EST.

Thoughts on Stranger Things season 3-with SPOILERS

Courtesy of E! News

Instead of just sharing random observations and thoughts about season three, I'm going to share 10 things I loved and one thing I hated, to total up the magic number of 11. This was a shorter season, but more intense and scary than the previous two. It leaves things open for a fourth season, with a huge question at the end.....who is behind that door?

10 Things I loved:

1. Erica (Lucas' sister). She had some of the best lines and was so sassy. ("You can't spell America without Erica.") I love how Dustin was trying to prove that she was a nerd.

2. Dustin and Suzie singing "The Neverending Story" over a satellite connection.

3. Robin. She's a new character played by Maya Hawke, the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. She's so much fun to watch and manages to surprise me a lot.

4. Elle's clothing makeover to the tune of "Material Girl" and then her telling Mike "I dump your ass." I love how she and Max became close too.

5. The fact that most of the season takes place in a mall. It brings back fun 80's memories of stores long gone. It also makes me think of this.

6. That Mayor Kline is played by Cary Elwes, who was Wesley in The Princess Bride. It would have been even better if this took place in 1987 and there was a meta moment.

7. That because it is 1985, they get to see Back to the Future and talk about their first impressions. (Alex P. Keaton sleeping with his mom.)

8. Steve Harrington. That's all you need to know. :) Seriously, when he was beating up the Russian guy in the control room, I thought "Don't f-ck with the babysitter." He was just super cute this season in general.

9. When Mike confesses that he loves Elle when he doesn't think she can hear him. As much as I thought Mike was really awkward this season, it was such a sweet moment.

10. The dialogue between Hopper and Alexei involving slushy flavors. I love how riled up Hopper becomes. I also love how Joyce is more vocal and demanding this season.

One thing I hated: 
That Hopper is potentially dead. Some people are speculating that he's really the American behind the door, but I don't get how he could have survived that explosion. It was really sad at the end, hearing the speech he had written to share with Elle. I also was really shipping him with Joyce. They were supposed to go on a date!

I would love to hear your thoughts on season three. I miss this show already and hope it won't take too long to get to a fourth season. I can't wait another year and a half!