Differences Between "The Lion King" Animation & Live-Action: Part 2

Differences Between "The Lion King" Animation & Remake. Part 2 Number 11. The travels of a fur clump. The way Rafiki learns that Simba is still alive is pretty much the same in both versions of The Lion King, and it all has to do with a clump of Simba’s fur that travels to him. But in the animated movie, it just blows to him on a gust of wind. In the remake, it takes a much longer journey to get to Rafiki. It starts out being blown away to a bird using it in its nest to being eaten by a giraffe and literally pooped out and carried by a dung beetle until a sand storm carries it to an ant who brings it Rafiki’s tree. Talk about fate intervening. Number 12. Mufasa’s words of wisdom When dealing with talking animals battling for a fictional throne, some suspension of disbelief is necessary in talking about The Lion King. But when Simba’s late father Mufasa starts talking to him through a cloud in the original, it’s natural to have some reservations on how the remake was going to tackle this moment. Thankfully, director Jon Favreau opted for a more abstract moment, having a cloud that kind of sort of could be in the shape of a lion’s face “speak” to Simba as more of a hallucination than anything. Yeah, Simba still hears his father’s voice, but it could be argued he’s just hearing what he wants to hear. Number 13. Beyonce’s new song We all knew this one was coming after Beyonce announced her new song “Spirit” as part of her curated album inspired by The Lion King. So where is the new song located in the movie? As Simba and Nala make their way back to Pride Rock to take on Scar, “Spirit” plays throughout the montage of the long journey home. It’s uplifting and empowering as Simba finally accepts his destiny. Number 14. There are new lyrics to "Hakuna Matata," sort of. If you’re a fan of The Lion King soundtrack then there is a lot to enjoy about the new film, as all of the songs that you love can be found. Most of them are identical to the previous version, but there are a couple of exceptions. One of the funnier changes is that a line in "Hakuna Matata" has been extended. The verse that tells the story of Pumbaa in the original film sees Timon stop Pumbaa when he sings the line that rhymes with "down-hearted", but in the new version, Pumbaa gets to complete the line. What makes it all the funnier is that Pumbaa actually expects Timon to stop him, in one of the film’s fourth wall breaking moments. Number 15. "Be Prepared" is almost entirely different One of the highlights of the original Lion King is Jeremy Irons' performance of the villain song “Be Prepared.” While there were early rumors the song wouldn't even be in the new version, that tuned out, luckily, to be untrue. However “Be Prepared” goes through a lot of changes for the new film. It’s less of a song in the new Lion King and more like a spoken word piece. The lyrics are also almost entirely different, with only the line about "teeth and ambitions" surviving. Which is good, because it's literally one of the best lines in either version of the movie. Number 16. Timon and Pumbaa’s performance One of the best Disney scenes of all time is when Timon and Pumbaa “dress in drag and do the hula” as a distraction for all the hyenas at Pride Rock when Simba and Nala sneak back into their home. Unfortunately, the remake just straight up erases that entire moment. Instead, Timon and Pumbaa take a page out of another Disney character’s book and begin performing Lumière’s opening lines of Beauty and the Beast‘s “Be Our Guest.” It was definitely surprising and hilarious, but we were achin’ for some bacon! Number 17. Zazu isn’t a prisoner. After Scar takes control in the original movie, the next time we see Zazu he’s in a cage, having been imprisoned by Scar. He’s serving the new king against his will, mostly by singing to him to keep him entertained. In the remake Zazu is free, and he appears to be in hiding. In fact, he’s serving the previous royal family in secret. We see him giving his morning report to Sarabi rather than Scar. He also gets a few good licks of his own in during the final battle with Scar and the hyenas. Number 18. There are new lyrics to "Hakuna Matata," sort of If you’re a fan of The Lion King soundtrack then there is a lot to enjoy about the new film, as all of the songs that you love can be found. Most of them are identical to the previous version, but there are a couple of exceptions. One of the funnier changes is that a line in "Hakuna Matata" has been extended.