“The Lion King” Roars on Blu-ray

 

 

Review by John Delia

Roaring into the home entertainment market Walt Disney’s The Lion King live action release brings the adventure to the living room and on the road with several media including 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. The film works its magic like its animated predecessor, but this time it all looks real with special effects, computer graphics and more. The Blu-ray and DVD combo pack with Digital HD code is loaded with plenty of bonus features including music videos featuring Elton John and Beyonce Knowles.

Most everyone has seen the animated feature of The Lion King, but now it’s lifelike with CGI animals that fill the pride lands and take on the main characters. But, just in case here’s a quick synopses of the film.

 

The movie brings to life a pride of lions that oversees the vast open lands of their cliff-side home. In this adventure we find inquisitive Simba, heir to his father Mufasa’s throne, checking out his vast empire, meeting new friend Nala and growing up. But there’s treachery in the family as Simba’s devious uncle Scar is plotting to take over the kingdom. When Simba gets tricked into thinking he has killed his father and gets banished, the story takes on some fun loving friends and then a darker adventure leading back to the lion cub’s return.

 

BONUS FEATURES

The Lion King live action film has all new special features that are fun, informative and peak the imagination.

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:
“Pride Lands Pedia” Dung beetle shares the importance of his “roll” in the African Savanna in a fun, bug’s eye view of the land its inhabitants.

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL BONUS:
“Filmmaker Introduction”
“Audio Commentary” – By Director Jon Favreau.
“The Journey to “The Lion King” – features the following:
”The Music” – Go inside the studio with the cast and crew as they work to honor and elevate The Lion King’s beloved music.
“The Magic” – Discover how the filmmakers blended the traditional filmmaking techniques with virtual reality technology to create amazing movie magic.
“The Timeless Tale” – Filmmakers and cast reflect on the story that has moved generations and share how this Lion King carries a proud legacy forward.
“More to Be Scene” – Recording studio and layer-by-layer progressions of some of most iconic moments in “The Lion King.” They include:
“Circle of Life” – Peel back the layers of effects and go behind the scenes of this iconic musical moment from the film
“I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” – See all the effects, talent and fun that went into creating this vibrant version of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” for the movie
“Hakuna Matata” – Join Donald Glover (Simba), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) and Billy Eichner (Timon) in the studio for the making of this memorable scene.
“Music Videos”
“Never Too Late” (lyric video) by Elton John
“Spirit” performed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
“Song Selection”
“Circle of Life”
“I Just Can’t Wait to be King”
“Be Prepared”
“Hakuna Matata”
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
“Spirit”
“Never Too Late”
“Protect the Pride” –Director Jon Favreau, the Lion Recovery Fund and conservationists highlight efforts to protect the majestic lions and their home.

 

It may sound like it with this review, and yes The Lion King still is one of my all-time favorites even with the new medium of live action. The story has adventure, comedy, budding love, and very good messages for family. With the live action it gets more realistic so beware of this for the timid and immature viewers.

The film has been rated PG for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements. The bonus features have not been rated.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good family film for your home or on the road. (4.5 out of 5 Stars)

Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, James Earl Jones, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright, John Kani, John Oliver, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Florence Kasumba, Eric Andre and Keegan-Michael Key
Director: Jon Favreau
MPAA Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Family
Running Time: film 1 hr. 58 min.
Video Release Date: October 22, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: July 19, 2019
Language: English (changeable to Spanish or French and Descriptive Audio)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Video: Widescreen, Blu-ray has 1080p 16×9 with Aspect Ratio of 1.78:1
Subtitles: Blu-ray- English SDH, French, Spanish also English Closed Caption
Number of Discs: the Multi-screen edition has 2 discs and a digital code
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Released on: 4K Ultra HD, Multi-screen Edition, DVD, Digital 4K, Ultra HD, HD, and SD