It’s been a long bloody time coming, but the live-action remake of The Lion King has finally hit cinemas. And, as many of you probably already know, the reviews have been pretty mixed.
While Jon Favreau’s modern adaptation of the classic Disney flick has been lauded for its beautiful CGI, many have criticised its lack of emotion or heart.
“The great circle of life has thrown up a gorgeous, star-studded story, but trading feeling for realism means that we lose something of the original film’s excellence.”
Empire Online
It’s a bit of a bummer considering the killer cast (i.e. the fact that literal ~legend~ James Earl Jones returned to the role of Mufasa) and the incredibly realistic animation. To end up with a less-than-excellent product is pretty disappointing.
Image: Disney
On the complete other end of the scale, however, there’s Beyoncé’s new album. The iconic musician decided to produce a series of tunes for and inspired by the new Lion King film, and released them shortly after the movie hit cinemas.
The album, titled The Lion King: The Gift, has been described by Beyoncé as “a love letter” to Africa. It features 27 tracks, made up of a mixture of Afrobeat songs and interludes from the movie.
Unsurprisingly, (because Bey is a literal genius) the catalogue – which has used the artistry of a number of African musicians and producers – has been universally well-received. Many have gone so far as to say it is substantially better than the actual film.
Carl Wilson of Slate effectively put it this way:
“This album is mountains, valleys, rivers, and savannahs better than the movie.”
And the Internet certainly agrees.
While it seems like an extreme premise – that the music inspired by the film is better than the film – it is THE queen we’re talking about, here. Anything Beyoncé touches turns into musical gold, people.
Naturally, I’m assuming you want to listen to this album right about now. So, I’ve included a link for you here:
Chances are you’re going to love it. The film itself, however… we can’t be so sure.