Aladdin has exceeded expectations at the box office, and may have done even better had critics embraced the live-action reboot. Given the response to
The Jungle Book, though, it's easy to imagine Jon Favreau's
The Lion King being a critical and commercial hit, and now a series of character posters provide a detailed look at the "live-action" animals who will appear in the movie.
Cutting edge technology has been used to bring the likes of Simba, Scar, and Pumbaa to life on the big screen, and while it's still a little strange to look at photorealistic versions of the beloved cartoon characters, it's fair to say Disney has done a great job of putting them in a real-life setting.
However, there are some changes which could prove to be controversial among fans of the animated classic, and it will be interesting to see whether moviegoers embrace this realistic version of the movie (especially when Pumbaa, for example, has arguably gone from looking adorable to downright terrifying).
So, to check out the full gallery of
The Lion King posters, hit the "View List" button below!
The young Simba has been at the forefront of marketing from the start and looks adorable. It remains to be seen how the reboot will balance out the young and older version's share of screentime.
We haven't seen a lot of Nala thus far, but know she's integral to Simba's story. Disney has given bigger roles to many of its female characters in these reboots, so here's hoping that happens again.
Rafiki is obviously one of The Lion King's most iconic characters, and Jon Favreau has done a fantastic job of making the baboon look realistic, while also giving him an older, wiser appearance.
There was no way anyone else could play Mufasa, and Favreau made the right decision to bring back James Earl Jones. Like Darth Vader, his voice is synonymous with this beloved character.
When Scar was officially revealed, some fans weren't happy as he didn't look enough like the animated version for their liking. Well, he has the scar and looks pretty terrifying, so what's the problem exactly?
Sarabi (Simba's mother) also takes something of a back seat in the animated movie, so many fans are hopeful that she'll get more to do here, especially with Alfre Woodard providing her voice.
Is it me, or does Zazu look a little...creepy? Casting John Oliver is a pretty interesting decision, and it's hard to say right now whether his performance will come close to Rowan Atkinson's.
Spider-Man: Homecoming star Donald Glover will play the adult Simba and it's honestly hard to imagine anyone better suited to the role. Hearing him sing here also promises to be a pretty big treat.
Getting Beyonce to play Nala is a big win for Disney, and it's bound to bring even more eyes to the movie. We can also expect the singer to belt out her fair share of songs during this adventure.
How cute is this little fella? Something tells me that Disney won't struggle to sell its fair share of Timon toys when
The Lion King is released this summer, and Billy Eichner seems like a solid choice.
As for Pumbaa, he's beginning to look like the stuff of nightmares! However, they've made the warthog about as cute looking as they could, so seeing him in action promises to be very interesting.