Africa is not just a backdrop in this movie, it’s a part of the characters, the soundtrack and the very essence of the film. The Lion King live action movie is similar to Disney’s Moana (2016), in the sense that the casting takes cultural representation into consideration. Pumbaa, in Swahili means ‘to be foolish,’ while Simba translates to ‘lion’ and Rafiki equates to ‘friend.’ Authenticity and Diversity in Hollywood Disney’s casting decisions Keeping with the original production, the names of the main characters come from Swahili, a popular African language. Favreau reinvents the character, making him a beautiful symbol of tradition, rather than a simple comedic addition. Kani’s script includes several indigenuous sounds, which is very different from the previous version of Rafiki, whose script mainly injected humor into the film. The wise Rafiki, voiced by John Kani, echoes the rich wisdom ingrained in traditional African stories. ![]() The film features a group of talented and diverse actors who voice the characters in styles that transport you to a beautiful African desert. The characters of grown-up Simba and Nala are voiced by Donald Glover and Beyonce Knowles-Carter, respectively. ![]() Favreau’s remake makes changes, yet still stays true to the classic storyline and this is probably where the formula of success lies. Florence Kasumba, the voice of Shenzi, was born in Uganda. Chiwetel Ejiofor voices the character of Scar and has Nigerian roots. The amount of representation in this casting is a breath of fresh air because Disney has previously faced a lot of backlash regarding their casting decisions. The Lion King’s 2019 casting retains the voice of Mufasa, voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones, but reinvents other characters through new voice actors. The casting announcement shook not only industry insiders, but also audiences worldwide.Īs the Director, Jon Favreau, makes a strong effort to incorporate the essence of Africa within the film, and voice over plays an important role in this. The amazing cast features actors from diverse backgrounds, with many of the cast members having African roots. Let’s look at how the cast is making waves in the industry.ĭisney’s latest remake, The Lion King (2019) has not only become their biggest remake to date, but also one of their most diverse and culturally enriching projects. The movie has surpassed Disney’s Frozen, becoming the highest grossing Disney film of all time, raking in more than $1.3 billion. The Lion King’s live action cast includes Hollywood’s biggest stars, and most importantly, diverse voice actors. The 2019 release of the live action version of Disney’s The Lion King proves that, when it comes to casting, diversity reigns. Directors and producers are now carefully addressing the topic by casting talented and diverse actors in more and more films, and this is only possible because audiences worldwide have chosen to acknowledge and applaud such strides in diversity. As for the movies opening in theaters later this year, look through our 2019 release schedule for that information.Diversity in media is a welcome and long due trend. Share your thoughts about the new version of The Lion King below, and if you haven’t already, read CinemaBlend’s review of the movie. Favreau recently told CinemaBlend that following The Lion King, he’s not specifically aiming to do another major motion picture or smaller-budgeted movie next he’s just looking forward to continuing to “explore all the different platforms and formats” various stories have to offer. Jon Favreau is also attached to direct The Jungle Book 2, although that still doesn’t have a release date. ![]() In addition to being the showrunner, he also wrote the pilot episode. After just a week in theaters, it’s made over $728 million worldwide, meaning it’s only a matter of time before it crosses the $1 billion mark.Īs for what’s next for Jon Favreau, he’s still hard at work on the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, which has already been renewed for Season 2. Commercially speaking though, it’s doing incredibly well for itself. As far as the overall movie, goes, The Lion King has received mixed reviews, with the other main criticism being that it’s almost a beat-for-beat remake of its 1994 predecessor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |