The Lion King
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: July 19, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 54 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
29
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenJul 11, 2019
The new version amplifies and deepens all that is good in the original. The key is in the visuals. Photorealistic computer-generated imagery renders its African landscapes and animals with astonishing realism. Read full review
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 11, 2019
There’s something about this Lion King, which, like the original, has its narrative roots in “Hamlet,” that feels so much more Shakespearean and — there’s no other word for it — so much more tragic than the 1994 feature-length animation, in which the story’s darker themes were subliminal, not center stage. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 11, 2019
While the musical numbers don’t match the impact of the originals and there’s a bit of a lull in the second act where not all that much seems to be happening, The Lion King is on balance a solid and at times stunningly beautiful film. Read full review
85
Film ThreatAlan NgJul 18, 2019
The Lion King is, for the most part, a shot-for-shot remake of the original from 1994, but unlike the Beauty and the Beast remake, this photo-realistic Lion King leaps ahead of the original as the better picture. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattJul 11, 2019
The story and the songs, with a few notable if hardly unexpected updates, are fondly faithful to the original; the magic mostly intact. Another reboot was never terribly necessary, maybe — but it’s good, still, to be King. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinJul 11, 2019
You might imagine that easy-breezy, Hakuna Matata-chanting middle act would only work when drawn by hand. Yet cinematographer Caleb Deschanel’s expert command of "natural" spectacle and the sheer exuberance of Rogen and Eichner’s performances make it the film’s most purely delightful section. Read full review
80
UproxxMike RyanJul 11, 2019
The Lion King is a monumental achievement of technological advancement. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJul 11, 2019
But though the new ground it breaks is visual rather than dramatic or emotional, this is a polished, satisfying entertainment that just about dares you to look a gift lion in the mouth. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeJul 11, 2019
Favreau’s most important responsibility in overseeing the remake was simply not to mess it up. Which he doesn’t. Then again, nor does he bring the kind of visionary new take to the material that Julie Taymor added when staging the Broadway musical. That makes Favreau’s “The Lion King” an undeniably impressive, but incredibly safe entry to the catalog — one whose greatest accomplishment may not be technical (which is not to diminish the incredible work required to make talking animals look believable), but in perfecting the performances. Read full review
80
IGNRosie KnightJul 11, 2019
Director Jon Favreau's The Lion King is a worthwhile reimagining that relies on nostalgia over risk-taking. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJul 19, 2019
The worst thing you can say about this movie, and maybe the highest compliment you can pay to it, is to say that it would be even more dazzling if it told a different story with different animals but with the same technology, and in the same style — and perhaps without songs, because you don't necessarily need them when you have images that sing. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 17, 2019
There are no humans in the film and their only participation was doing voiceover work. Of all the recent Disney recreations, that makes The Lion King the most curious. Read full review
75
New York PostReed TuckerJul 11, 2019
Although this version is some 30 minutes longer than its predecessor, anyone looking for new story twists or, say, an inspiring backstory for the antelope that gets eaten, will probably leave disappointed. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittJul 11, 2019
This Lion King is akin to a revival of an iconic Broadway musical, with an all-star cast and a few welcome improvements but lacking a certain magic and originality. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicSamantha IncorvaiaJul 11, 2019
Despite minor hiccups, it really comes down to an entertaining time with no worries — er, "Hakuna Matata." Read full review
70
Screen DailyTim GriersonJul 11, 2019
Blessed with some excellent voice performances, this new King is familiar but still lively enough to encourage audiences to emotionally invest again in story they are already so familiar with. Read full review
70
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJul 11, 2019
The contrast between the impossible events happening on-screen and the hyper-realism of the imagery doesn’t always work in the the movie’s favor. Read full review
70
CNNBrian LowryJul 11, 2019
A polished and satisfying film, yet one that conspicuously feels even more like a consumer product than most Disney revivals of its animated classics. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerGary ThompsonJul 17, 2019
The new King is competent, reasonably entertaining, faithful to the original, wholesome, sometimes even enjoyable. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 11, 2019
“King Redux” has just a couple of more laughs than the first Disney cartoon, but being 30 minutes longer, that’s not much of a plus. The original vs. remake comparison is hard to get away from here, but I have to say I was moved just once by this remake — that lovely opening note of African song/chant still thrills. Read full review
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