The Lion King Remake Isn't Exactly Like The Original After All

It only took 90 seconds for fans to identify that the initial teaser for The Lion King's remake is a condensed replica of the animated film's starting scene — a realization that instantly sparked side-by-side comparisons and later, questions as to whether the carbon copy loses some of the magic of the original.


Although Disney wants us all to know that the Jon Favreau-directed Lion King isn't going to be exactly like the 1994 version we know and love, and the proof lies in a brand new character: an elephant shrew, voiced by Amy Sedaris.


The native African mammal is a small addition — elephant shrews look way more 'shrew' than they do 'elephant' — nevertheless as we know from the customary lore, physical stature is no indication of importance to the kingdom. (Just look at Zazu!) Still, given that the species can survive in a number of habitats, there's no way of knowing however) where Sedaris's shrew will enter or just how much of the story she'll affect.


The comedian joins a already-stellar cast list, including Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa, John Oliver, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre, and more.


If the hype beyond the teaser trailer is any indication, The Lion King is guaranteed to be a massive success. Within a day of its Thanksgiving debut, the preview amassed 224.6 million views, surpassing the record previously contained by Avengers: Infinity War for Disney's most viewed trailer in its first 24 hours.


in case you are not counted among the 224.6 million viewers, check out the initial teaser for The Lion King above. The movie hits theaters July 19, 2019.