25 years later, ‘The Lion King’ roars again (with Beyoncé)
Posted July 16, 2019 3:52 pm.
LOS ANGELES — “The Lion King” director Jon Favreau says he hopes audiences won’t be able to tell that his new version of the beloved classic isn’t actually live-action.
Favreau has employed state of the art technology, including a combination of virtual reality and keyframe animation, to create the hyper-realistic animals for the film.
The director tells The Associated Press his version gives the story depth “not just visually but both story-wise and emotionally.”
“The Lion King,” out Thursday, is one of this summer’s most anticipated releases. Early tracking suggests that it could make as much as $150 million in its first weekend in North America, and it’s already grossed over $55 million in China.
The film features the vocal talents of Donald Glover, Beyoncé and James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press