In between walking the red carpet at the world premiere and the magical after party, we got to be some of the first to see Frozen 2. Elsa is my girl, and after seeing trailers all year I was more than ready to see how these sisters were going to shake up Arendelle. I think the general consensus from most people has been that the trailers for Frozen 2 make the movie seem extremely dark. And while I think Frozen 2 definitely visited some more mature themes than the first, the movie for the most part is still friendly enough for the smaller little ones. Before I get into my Frozen 2 review, check out the full trailer below:
I know I’m going to get ALL the shade for this post but I am prepared for it. Let me just insert my disclaimer here. I am a proud member of the Beyhive. I was fully prepared for EVERYTHING that the queen was about to serve up when The Lion King hit theaters. And just being in the same space as her when I went to the world premiere in LA was AMAZING. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Beyonce slays at every single opportunity given. But I wasn’t as drawn to her in The Lion King as I expected to be. In fact, after I watched the movie I found myself unexpectedly in love with a few characters that I wasn’t expecting. These dynamic duos were undoubtedly the stars of The Lion King.
Lets just get it out of the way and say I had huge doubts about when it came to Azizi and Kamari. First of all when I saw their names I had questions on why Disney insisted on changing my childhood in ways that I did not approve of. Banzai and Ed were a part of the animated Lion King that I loved. So I was a huge skeptic when it came to these new named somebodies.
Azizi and Kamari played by Eric Andre and Keegan-Michael Key were the couple everyone didn’t know they needed. When asked at the globe press conference how they came to reach that dynamic Eric Andre said of Key, “He’s incredibly talented and really, really easy to work off of. And he is a selfless altruistic talent, which is rare. So I was in good hands. I was in great hands with Jon. So I don’t know. It was just a very nurturing environment and made it very easy, because I’m very, very sensitive. So the slightest wind of any kind will make me tear up.” Key also praised director Job Favreau’s “encyclopedic knowledge of comedic duos” naming pairs we love such as Fibber Mcgee and Molly, Abbott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy. It was obvious during our time speaking with them that the pair had an amazing relationship off camera. That made their duo shine through in The Lion King.
Timon and Pumbaa are stars in the animated version of The Lion King, so it’s no surprise that Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner fed off of each other to bring the characters we already love to life. When asked how much of their work was improv and how much was planned Seth Rogen said, “It was a lot of improvisation with Billy. Yeah. And we were actually together every time that we recorded, which is a very rare gift to have as someone who is trying to be funny in an animated film, of which I’ve done a lot, and you’re often just alone in there. And I think you can really tell that we’re playing off of each other. It’s an incredibly naturalistic feeling. And they really captured Billy.”
And Billy Eichner definitely played the role of Timon very well! “Yeah. I wish I was as cute in real life as I am in the movie. The Timon they designed is so adorable. And I think the juxtaposition of my personality in that little Timon body really works”. And a Disney movie would not be complete without an Easter egg. The Easter egg moment between Timon and Pumbaa was actually director Jon Favreau’s idea and it was perfectly placed and had the whole theater laughing!
About The Lion King
Disney’s “The Lion King,” directed by Jon Favreau, journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is fraught with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
The Lion King was a visually amazing work of art and I think everyone will love it (you can read my review here). Be prepared to laugh, cry and feel all the nostalgic feels when you head into theaters to check out the latest in Disney’s slate of remakes. And while you may just be there for Beyonce, don’t sleep on the true stars of The Lion King.
The King Has Returned – Disney’s The Lion King is in now playing in theaters everywhere !
I was invited by Disney Studios to attend the red carpet premiere of Disney’s The Lion King. All opinions expressed are my own.
When I found out that Jon Favreau was going to be directing the 2019 version of The Lion King, I was confident that we were in good hands. The Jungle Book is amazing visually and I think it’s slept on! Partner that with an all-star cast and childhood nostalgia and I have literally been waiting years for The Lion King to come to theaters again. Like with all live-action remakes there were definitely some differences between this version of the Lion King and it’s 1994 predecessor. But the visuals were amazing, the cast was selected perfectly and the movie did not disappoint.
I got the amazing experience of being in the audience when the movie was screened for the first time ever. We all filed into the Dolby Theater (home of the Oscars) and viewed the movie among a star studded audience. I can’t wait to share all about that experience in a future post, but for now I will give you the information you came for. Is The Lion King appropriate for young children? There are a few things you should be prepared for.
And the Beyhive has Twitter CHIRPING. This afternoon director Jon Favreau released new promo images showing the actors of Disney’s The Lion King staring at their live action counterparts. Of course with a cast as amazing as this one, I get excited with any little bit of promotion we get from the movie. But naturally, queen Bey stole the show with her image. This character image of Beyonce and Nala is giving life to the millions of members of the Beyhive. Beyonce IS Nala. If these new images don’t excite you, then I don’t know what will. Continue Reading →
We a little over two weeks away from the U.S release of Disney’s live action remake of The Lion King. The boys have been watching the animated version almost daily. Meanwhile, I have been obsessively checking for any inside looks we can sneak at the new version. We are in full pridelands mode in our house! One of the things that I love that have come out of these latest movie remakes is the amazing campaigns. The #FriendLikeMe challenge helped make a wish, and so it only makes sense that Disney would partner with an initiative to protect wildlife. Check out the amazing project they are working on to #ProtectthePride. But, if you are only here for The Lion King activity sheets feel free to scroll to the end.
In only 50 days, Jon Favreau’s live action take on The Lion King premieres in theaters worldwide. Aside from a few trailers, we haven’t gotten much of a sneak peek at the movie until today. Disney finally released The Lion King’s official character posters with just a little under 2 months to go. I have so many emotions about seeing this movie in live action. If I know anything from when I saw Aladdin last week, I know that live action remakes are not EXACTLY the same as the original. However, I felt like this was the perfect time for me to share my top moments from The Lion King that I can’t wait to see in live action.
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