The Lion King Remake Was “A Huge Disappointment” – Elton John

The Lion King Remake Was “A Huge Disappointment” – Elton John. (Photo by Ferdy Damman / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT

English music legend Elton John has seen Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King and he is not impressed.

John, who composed and performed songs for the original 1994 animated film spoke to British GQ in an interview:

“The new version of The Lion King was a huge disappointment to me, because I believe they messed the music up. Music was so much a part of the original and the music in the current film didn’t have the same impact.

“The magic and joy were lost.”

John also cited the poor commercial impact of the new soundtrack:

“The soundtrack hasn’t had nearly the same impact on the charts that it had 25 years ago, when it was the best-selling album of the year. The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success.”

“I wish I’d been invited to the party more, but the creative vision for the film and its music was different this time around and I wasn’t really welcomed or treated with the same level of respect. That makes me extremely sad,” John added.

Although John returned to the studio to help adapt classics like “Circle Of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” for the new soundtrack, he believed that the live-action adaptation “messed the music up”.

The Lion King remake featured new tracks by Beyonce including Spirit and Never Too Late, while the film also inspired a soundtrack curated by Queen Bey – who voiced Nala – called The Lion King: The Gift.

For the album, Beyonce worked with Jay-Z, Childish Gambino, Pharrell Williams, Kendrick Lamar, Tierra Whack, 070 Shake, Blue Ivy Carter and Jessie Reyez, as well as African artists such as Wizkid, Shatta Wale, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, Tiwa Savage, Tekno, Yemi Alade, Busiswa and Salatiel, among others.