The Lion King 1994 Vs 2019: Similarities and Differences

When the trailer for the newly released Lion King live-action remake was first released, it caused an outburst of excitement from fans around the world. People hoped it would live up to its expectations just as the 1994 Lion King musical. Since its release, fans have compared it to its predecessor and here are some of the obvious differences and similarities they’ve pointed out:

The Lionesses Have Bigger Roles To Play

In the original, we hardly got to see much of the lionesses and they were mostly in the background. The remake, however, does a good job in fixing this. We actually get to see Nala leaving the Pride Lands in her quest to find Simba. She also plays a big role in the final scene by helping to defeat Shenzi – the leader of the Hyenas.

We also get to see that Sarabi is one of the motivations for Scar wanting to take over the PrideLands – Sarabi chose Mufasa over Scar. The original only a gave few hints about this backstory but the remake delves deeper.

Timon And Pumba

Timon and Pumbaa are a big deal when it comes to the Lion King. In the original, they provided us with comic relief in spite of all the tragic scenes we witnessed. It is always a delight to see a meerkat and warthog crack funny jokes and sing “Hakuna Matata”. In the remake, Timon and Pumbaa are just as amazing as before. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, the actors who were cast to voice these characters, came up with more jokes of their own and were exceptional nonetheless.

Be Prepared

One of the most defining moments in the original was when Scar sang “Be Prepared”. It showed how menacing Scar truly was and revealed his intentions to take over the Pride Lands. At first, there were rumours that “Be Prepared” had been excluded from the remake but this turned out to be untrue. Although “Be Prepared” is part of the remake, it has been altered to a large extent. First, Scar doesn’t sing the song but instead recites it. The lyrics of the song have also been changed with the exclusion of a few lines.

James Earl Jones

One attribute that makes Mufasa stand out as a character is his commanding deep voice. This, to a large extent, gives him his kingly aura and is one of the reasons why we love the character. Perhaps, this is why Disney thought it necessary to recast James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa once again. In the remake, James is just as iconic as he was in the original and even delivers some of his lines differently.

Scar – Jeremy Irons Vs Chiwetel Ejiofor

Jeremy Irons, the actor who voiced Scar in the original, has been revered by many for his ability to portray a true villain. However, Chiwetel Ejiofor, the actor who was cast to play scar in the remake, is also quite impressive as Scar in the remake. While Jeremy Irons was more subtle in his approach and employed sarcasm in his dialogues, Chiwetel Ejiofor aims to portray a more menacing Scar and is more direct in his dialogues with characters like Mufasa.