He felt that if we started improving upon reality, we’d be headed down a slippery slope towards an unbelievable, unrelatable and unemotional film.”īeyonce Knowles-Carter, has taken the idea further by releasing a multi-artist album titled, The Lion King: The Gift. Producer Jeffrey Silver explains how Favreau directed the Lion King by saying, “He wanted everything in the movie to be rooted in reality. Characters like Mufasa and Rafiki use indigenous accents and sounds, creating a cultural experience for the viewers. His use of accents in the voice overs really makes the film’s theme whole. At the same time, we mustn’t ignore the breathtaking photo-realism used in the Lion King remake.įavreau’s use of realism extends to sound, because the selection of voices also come together to make the whole experience convincing. Given the backlash Disney faced a few years ago over casting decisions, it’s no surprise that the new, more inclusive and authentic casting approach is resonating so well.Ĭonsidering that they’re both animated films, The Lion King (2019) and Moana (2016) rely on voice over and graphics to develop a connection with viewers. If you compare the previous version’s voice actors to The Lion King’s 2019 cast, you see how Disney made major decisions to incorporate heterogeneity and authenticity into the live action film. Africa is not just a backdrop in this movie, it’s a part of the characters, the soundtrack and the very essence of the film. The Lion King live action movie is similar to Disney’s Moana (2016), in the sense that the casting takes cultural representation into consideration. Pumbaa, in Swahili means ‘to be foolish,’ while Simba translates to ‘lion’ and Rafiki equates to ‘friend.’ Authenticity and Diversity in Hollywood Disney’s casting decisions Keeping with the original production, the names of the main characters come from Swahili, a popular African language. Favreau reinvents the character, making him a beautiful symbol of tradition, rather than a simple comedic addition. Kani’s script includes several indigenuous sounds, which is very different from the previous version of Rafiki, whose script mainly injected humor into the film. The wise Rafiki, voiced by John Kani, echoes the rich wisdom ingrained in traditional African stories. The film features a group of talented and diverse actors who voice the characters in styles that transport you to a beautiful African desert. The characters of grown-up Simba and Nala are voiced by Donald Glover and Beyonce Knowles-Carter, respectively. Favreau’s remake makes changes, yet still stays true to the classic storyline and this is probably where the formula of success lies. Florence Kasumba, the voice of Shenzi, was born in Uganda. Chiwetel Ejiofor voices the character of Scar and has Nigerian roots. The amount of representation in this casting is a breath of fresh air because Disney has previously faced a lot of backlash regarding their casting decisions. The Lion King’s 2019 casting retains the voice of Mufasa, voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones, but reinvents other characters through new voice actors. The casting announcement shook not only industry insiders, but also audiences worldwide.Īs the Director, Jon Favreau, makes a strong effort to incorporate the essence of Africa within the film, and voice over plays an important role in this. The amazing cast features actors from diverse backgrounds, with many of the cast members having African roots. Let’s look at how the cast is making waves in the industry.ĭisney’s latest remake, The Lion King (2019) has not only become their biggest remake to date, but also one of their most diverse and culturally enriching projects. The movie has surpassed Disney’s Frozen, becoming the highest grossing Disney film of all time, raking in more than $1.3 billion. The Lion King’s live action cast includes Hollywood’s biggest stars, and most importantly, diverse voice actors. The 2019 release of the live action version of Disney’s The Lion King proves that, when it comes to casting, diversity reigns. Directors and producers are now carefully addressing the topic by casting talented and diverse actors in more and more films, and this is only possible because audiences worldwide have chosen to acknowledge and applaud such strides in diversity. Diversity in media is a welcome and long due trend.
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