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.

A Whole New World: My thoughts on Aladdin (live action)

Courtesy of RogerEbert.com

When Aladdin first came to theaters in 1992, I went to see it a few times. I loved it more and more each time I saw it.  I even choreographed a dance routine to "A Whole New World" during my junior year of high school. Over the years, I saw Aladdin many more times and eventually showed it to my kids. So I was excited to see the live action version when it arrived in theaters this weekend. There had been both good and bad reviews out there, so I didn't go in with high expectations. However, I ended up enjoying it a lot!

I didn't really know any of the actors other than Will Smith. I found out later that Alan Tudyk (King Candy, Hei Hei, Wash from Firefly, etc.) did the voice of Iago. I also didn't realize that Billy Magnussen was going to be in it, but his character seemed rather silly. Initially, I was skeptical about Will Smith playing the genie, but I felt he did a really good job in the role. He changed the rhythm of the songs a bit and it reminded me of when he was the Fresh Prince. He seemed to have fun playing such a monumental part, especially having to fill Robin Williams' shoes. He added his own style of humor and some sentimentality and it all just worked really well. I like that he was on screen more often as Aladdin's "sidekick" and he even had his own romantic side story. I like the way he was animated at certain points.

Aladdin was played by Mena Massoud, whom I instantly found attractive (he had a lot to measure up against since Aladdin was my first cartoon crush). He reminded me of Noah Centineo in the way he talked and smiled. I wouldn't say he had the best singing voice, but it held up fine.

Jasmine was played by Naomi Scott, whom I thought did a great job in this role. She was pretty, had a nice singing voice, and her character got more of a feminist angle than in the original. She performed a new song called "Speechless," which was written by Pasek and Paul (the duo behind Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman.) It was a good song, but I didn't think it needed to be broken into two parts. The first part should have been the main song and the second part should have been a shorter reprise. Or they should have just kept it as one song toward the end. There's one line she says to Hakim closer to the end that I felt could apply to a current situation. That's all I'll say for now though....

Marwan Kenzari played Jafar. He didn't have the same commanding presence as his animated predecessor, but he was still evil and sinister in his own ways. I hope that when they do a live action version of The Little Mermaid, they give Ursula more personality than they gave Jafar. The one letdown was Iago. They should have kept Gilbert Gottfried in the role with his classic lines. This new Iago was just a typical parrot.

Abu was super cute. I was surprised they didn't keep him as an elephant after Prince Ali, but maybe it didn't work well on that set. I like him better as a monkey anyway, and that worked better for him in some parts.

I liked the special effects a lot, especially the flying carpet during A Whole New World. The scenery and costumes were great too. They added new elements I liked that weren't in the original version, but also took some things out, such as all the Disney Easter eggs and some good lines (such as "Jafar, Jafar, he's our man. If he can't do it, GREAT!") Some parts felt a bit chaotic with too many people in one scene. I found myself laughing a lot, but I didn't cry. I felt some warm fuzzies at the end, but that was about it. I like that the lead characters actually did their own singing, unlike in the original when Brad Kane and Lea Salonga took over....not that I minded their voices). My husband mentioned several times that some parts felt sped up, like the dance scenes, and that didn't work for him. I didn't feel too strongly about it either way, as the movie was already longer than the original. I was just annoyed that we waited until after the credits to see if they'd do something else (like when the genie lifted the credits screen), but there was nothing.

Overall, it was an enjoyable two hours of music, magic, and entertainment. My husband wasn't as into it as I was, but my kids really liked it. I can't wait to see what the live action version of The Lion King will be like.

Best of 2018

I've decided to take inventory of some past lists I've made, and do some updates. Hoping for more fun and entertainment in 2019!

Top Five Best Movies that I saw in 2018
You can see how many movies I watch with my kids these days...(and how few I get a chance to see in general. I'm sure Bohemian Rhapsody would be on this list if I had the time to see it!)

1. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (I saw it twice in the theater and cried more than I expected to the first time)
2. Ralph Wrecks the Internet
3. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (this was really funny and I enjoyed it more than the original movie)
4. Paddington 2
5. Mary Poppins Returns 

My favorite new TV shows (shows I started watching in 2018):

1. Manifest
2. A Million Little Things
3. You
4. 90 Day Fiancé (it has become more of a train wreck, but it's fun to talk about with friends and has generated some inside jokes)
5. Rise (So sad that they cancelled it after one short season.)
6. Cobra Kai


Top Ten Favorite Books I read in 2018. (Some may be from previous years or publishing in 2019.)
I've shared my top five chick lit favorites at Chick Lit Central (as Melissa A). I read so many amazing books this year (go to my Goodreads page and see all the 5 star books) and am sad to have to narrow it down at all. Links are to reviews.

1. The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
2. The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis-Graves (review coming soon)
3. Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda (I enjoyed the movie version, but the book was just so wonderful)
4. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
5. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
6. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
7. Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June
8. The Stolen Marriage by Diane Chamberlain
9. The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
10. The Way of Beauty by Camille DiMaio

Ten good things that happened in 2018:
1. My older son's Bar Mitzvah.
2. Jen Tucker moving to Maryland.
3. Going to NYC with the kids to see Wicked (my third time, their first).
4. Seeing Something Rotten with Adam Pascal as Shakespeare.
5. Seeing Waitress.
6. Making some new friends in the neighborhood and through Girlfriend Circles.
7. Trying my hand at canvas painting. I went to a few paint nights and enjoyed the experiences. I liked how my paintings turned out too.
8. Seeing my older son perform in musicals from his camp.
9. My BFF coming to town for a visit (it's our annual end-of-year thing)
10. My younger son getting into honors chorus and my older son getting into Tri-M (music honor society).

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

Disney movies I don't like

A while back, I posted about my favorite Disney movies. At that time, I promised I'd post about the ones I didn't like. Well, the time has finally come...

In no particular order:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The first one was okay, but then they had to keep making sequels and the sequels were just annoying. That made me dislike the first one even more.



Pete's Dragon (original): I watched this with my older son a long time ago and thought it was just so disturbing (all the child abuse going on). It even ruined "Candle on the Water" for me. I liked the remake so much better, and I don't always say that about remakes.




The Fox and the Hound: I watched expecting to be emotionally impacted, but it just dragged for me and I felt nothing.




Robin Hood: I just found it boring.



Frozen: This says it all.




The Princess and the Frog: No memorable songs (I only know one line in "Almost There" and that's the first line of the chorus) and the villain gave me the creeps.



Pinocchio: I also found this one boring.



Tarzan: If the characters had actually sung (aside from Rosie O'Donnell singing nonsense words), I might have liked it.



The Good Dinosaur (Pixar): I was expecting so much more from this than I got and some parts involving villains felt disturbing to me.



Brave (Pixar): This one fell flat for me and it was basically Brother Bear meets Beauty and the Beast.



Runner up: Newsies. I love the music, but take that away and the story is so boring. Thankfully the stage musical gave it new life.

Favorite Disney Movies

Since I love so many Disney movies (I'm a Disney Dork, after all), I am just going to list my top 10 favorites here. What films are on your list?

1. Beauty and the Beast (original animated version, even though the live action one is amazing too): I fell in love with it from the opening number. And Belle is my Disney soul sister!



2. Aladdin: I love how the story was re-imagined by Disney. Robin Williams stole the show as the iconic Genie.



3. Wreck-It Ralph: Incredibly creative, funny, and even emotional. I love the rapport between Ralph and Vanellope. It's one of those movies I can never tire of.



4. Monsters Inc. (Pixar): So clever and imaginative. I love the way the monsters turn scaring kids into a business and way to power the town. And Boo is just adorable! I also enjoyed the prequel, Monsters University.



5. The Parent Trap (original version with Hayley Mills): I watched this for the first time in forever (pardon the Disney song reference) and found myself crying during "Let's Get Together." I watched this countless times as a kid and acted it out with my sister. (I was Sharon.)



6. The Lion King: This says it all!



7. Enchanted: I love the way they turn an animated princess into human form and put her into the modern world. So much fun, while also being sweet and creative.



8. Tangled: Definitely tissue-worthy. It had a similar feel to Beauty and the Beast. Mandy Moore was great as Rapunzel's voice. I also love how Mother Gothel was so easy to hate.



9. The Little Mermaid: Such a classic Disney flick. You can't not smile when Sebastian sings "Under the Sea." And "Part of Your World" is such a great princess ballad.



10. Hercules: It has a similar feel to The Little Mermaid. I love Megara and how she won't say she's in love. There are some great songs and a lot of fun energy. And, of course, I cry at the end.



Runner up:
Cinderella (live action): This was so beautifully done. I enjoyed the animated version as a kid, but the live action version took it to a whole new level. Lily James was such a sweet Cinderella. There were some funny moments, as well as really heartbreaking emotional ones.



Warning: I will be posting a list of my least favorites soon. If you've been keeping up with my blog for the past few years, you will know at least one of the movies going on the list!