Depending on who you ask, Disneys forthcoming CGI remake of The Lion King is set to be the biggest film event of the year (sorry Avengers, Quentin Tarantino, Star Wars and, er, Dumbo).
And, to be honest, our crumbling patience for that 19 July release date is already being pushed to its very limits right about now.
Perfect timing, then, to get incredibly envious of anyone who was lucky enough to attend CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, where brand new footage from the remake was screened.
Why werent we invited to this wonderful event, eh?
According to Variety, the five minutes of footage in question contained the first dialogue between young Simba (AKA not the adult lion who is being voiced by the one and only Donald Glover) and Mufasa (James Earl Jones) as they survey the glorious Pride Lands.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Now this sounds awfully familiar…
Look, Simba: everything the light touches is our kingdom, Mufasa states, before telling his furry heir that a kings time as ruler rises and falls like the sun.
One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.
AAAHH.
Variety highlighted the beautiful aesthetics of this updated Lion King world, which apparently puts an array of wondrous effects to very good use indeed.
Director Jon Favreau has created a stunningly realistic African savannah, a sun-baked landscape that teems with herds of antelopes and elephants, the outlet declares.
A spider web is all dew-caked gossamer, the long grasses sway in the wind, and the lions fur is a thing of beauty, matted and moving along with the breeze.
Strong applause greeted the end of the footage from the wide-eyed crowd, which was largely made up of cinema owners – no doubt all licking their lips at the prospect of yet another incoming box office smash.
