Lion King in 3D (movie review)

[alan]

So I'm going to see Lion King in 3D tonight. Probably not the smartest (i.e. time-management, economically, etc) thing to do but I know if I don't go soon curiosity will overwhelm me and if I miss it and then I will regret it. Going to see it in theatres since I don't have a blu-ray player and I'm a "watch movies in a movie theatre"-kinda guy. (I'll also keep the receipt, glasses, and/or ticket stub, etc as special souvenirs) Also, I don't plan on buying the Diamond edition media since I have the Platinum so this one-time thing should work out.

Anyways, as a kid, I watched Lion King religiously and I've literally seen it hundreds of times. I watched it so much back then that I've actually got the script practically memorized and it still stays with me now. I got to see it when it first came out and this experience, I expect, will be very nice.

Also, if I am going to 'critique' how Disney does 2D-to-3D I might as well witness it for myself. Watching reviews and trailers about movies, although helpful, can only go so far in explaining things. Some things you have to experience for yourself.

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Has anyone else seen it? Watched a 3D Bluray? What did you think of it?

[alan]

Music
3D Visuals
Cool Effects in Scenes
Music scenes
Characters
TLM ideas
Overall Rating

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Music
It was great to hear the Circle of Life in the movies. It transported me directly to the Africa and it was so loud that it just enveloped me. Actually, throughout the movie I wasn't paying attention to the dialogue but rather background music. This might be because I know virtually the whole script, or, I don't turn up the volume that high at home and at the movies I couldn't help hearing it. For me, I really liked this and it gave a cool '3D' music feel, i.e, my auditory experience was very full.

On a funny note, I can't tell you how relieved I was when I didn't hear Morning Report! I think I actually sighed, lol.

3D Visuals
It was basically Lion King pop-up book in movie form: the flat backgrounds were behind 2D layers set on differing depth distances to give a sometimes lackluster 3D effect. For most 'still-camera' movement, the 3D just made the 2D characters stand-out from the background. Ironically, it almost made it more fake. Again, similarly with me listening to the score music rather than the dialogue, I found myself appreciating the background paintings.

3D was really effective for the large sweeping/overhead/moving shots or where you had to follow the characters in a 3D’ish way (following Zazu flying during Circle of Life; cub Simba running away by climbing through thorns; view of Timon's and Pumbaa's jungle; the bachelor trio walking across the world's longest log; the dust flying through the air after Simba collapses; Nala chasing Pumbaa; Simba chasing Rafiki though the vines; Simba running to the pridelands across the desert; the final fight; the finale!)

Cool Effects in Scenes
As for special effects, I found the elephant graveyard scenes really cool. The 'fog of war' was in front of everything and it was very effective in my opinion. Or maybe it was just because there was lots of movement and chasing in those scenes so that made the 3D actually relevant?

I really loved the scene where Scar is questioning/confronting Simba and is walking around him while the camera is turning as well. I don't remember too much of the 3D but it was amazing to watch anyways. Also when Simba is clinging to the edge of the cliff was amazing in 3D. Actually the whole last 10 min of the movie was epic! There was so much depth contrast and lots of movement so I was bound to like it. Also the red hot embers were cool to watch.

One of the few non-musical scenes which was great was, unfortunately, the Stampede scene. Interestingly, those wildebeest were computer generated (I think) so I suppose having more computer effects to them just made it even better? Also, again, I really liked the 'fog of war' effect when Simba was with Mufasa's body. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the fog effect is very close and the rest is far away, i.e., the fog effect mostly preserves the 2D'ness of the original movie.

Music scenes
I've gotta say my favourite 3D experiences were basically all the musical numbers! Circle of Life was epic and majestic, Can't wait to be King was so fun and colourful, Be Prepared was the best (that Nazi-esque scene with the goosestepping hyenes are really good, and, the elevating rocks were very cool), Hakuna Matata was even more catchy than before, Can You Feel the Love tonight was stunningly beautiful.

Characters
The 3D didn’t do anyhting to the characters. It just gave them a pop-up feel away from the background. In a way, I figured out what was animated and what wasn’t. Overall, I don’t feel there was any need to have the characters in 3D. And the 3D to a character, in itself, didn't do anything anyways.

But for some reason I felt it worked with Timon? Maybe because he's really small so 3D doesn't affect him, maybe it's because he's so skinny in 3D he might as well in 2D, or, he's just Timon and he's scene-stealer?

TLM ideas
I paid particular attention to 'water' and 'drops' because I assume The Little Mermaid is going to need that extensively. I didn't notice too much since there's not that much water, drops, or bubbles in the Lion King; and even if they are, they are used differently. For example, in Hakuna Matata it just seemed to be a flat splash of water rather than individual droplets or bubbles. In Can you Feel the Love Tonight there was some but I was mesmerized by the moment and was too busy checking out the wonderful scenery and the reflections and ripples in the water. Although there was some rain in the end scene, it was a kinda flat rain that, although close, it was obviously 2D.

Overall, you cannot change the nature of a 2D picture of water but when used correctly it might a overall 3D underwater feel (if the bubbles are very near and animation happens behind them?) Since TLM is 2 years away I can only expect the 3D will improve.

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Overall Rating (scale 1-10)
3D: 5
2D: 9
Experience: 10

In short, a 2D movie will always be a 2D movie and althugh 3D is a cool novelty it will never overcome it. 3D has the half/half rating because I feel the movie didn’t need it although it was effective in certain places. Overal, the movie didn’t have a 3D feel anyways because it was just 2D animation set on 2 or 3 different layers.

But, the experience?! WOW. I could never miss the opportunity to see one of my childhood favourite's in the movies. Despite criticisms, the Lion will always be the King.

[arielana]

Alan wrote:

or, he's just Timon and he's scene-stealer?

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ahahah I love Timon. Expecially in LK3