All posts tagged: Lion

Inside the roaring machinery behind the musical ‘The Lion King’

Inside the roaring machinery behind the musical ‘The Lion King’

We thought we were in for a children’s show, dreading the overdone Disney schmaltz… Our fears vanished at the speed of a sunrise. The Lion King on stage exudes a formidable inventiveness and opens up an imaginary world that appeals to all ages. It’s no surprise that this musical is now in its seventh season at the Théâtre Mogador in Paris. This journey into the African savannah plunges us into a theatrical universe filled with puppets, masks, shadow play, laughter and emotion, offering a visually stunning show that’s a world away from the American studio’s big fluffy, sometimes kitschy universe. After attending The Lion King, all you want to do is go behind the scenes to see the high-precision craft involved. The resources deployed to bring these animals’ Shakespearean story to life – 50 actors (including 14 children), 100 technicians, 10 musicians and a conductor – are truly impressive. So we sneaked into the hallways, into the workshops and under the stage of the Théâtre Mogador, to take the measure of the machinery required for …

Mufasa: The Lion King 2 review – A catastrophic waste of director Barry Jenkins

Mufasa: The Lion King 2 review – A catastrophic waste of director Barry Jenkins

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Disney, it seems, is at least open to feedback. While the 2019 version of The Lion King may have been a hit, critics and audiences alike expressed an aversion to the uncanny inexpressiveness of its photorealistic, computer-animated felidae. And so, in its prequel, the lions have all had melted plastic grins slapped across their mouths. Some may prefer this. Personally, it frightened me on a primordial level, as if one of my old rainbow-splattered Lisa Frank pocket portfolios from the Nineties had gained sentience. The sell here is both the promise of jacked-up anthropomorphism, and the talents of Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins, director of the miraculous Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). The news that he’d direct Mufasa: The Lion King sparked a minor controversy. Could he really turn what, on paper, seemed like arbitrary franchise mining into something extraordinary? …

Frozen sabre-toothed kitten reveals ‘significant differences’ with modern lion cub | Science, Climate & Tech News

Frozen sabre-toothed kitten reveals ‘significant differences’ with modern lion cub | Science, Climate & Tech News

The frozen remains of a sabre-toothed cat thought to be about 31,800 years old have been studied for the first time in history, according to a study. The cub’s mummified remains, including its head, front arms and paws, and part of its chest, were found well-preserved in Arctic permafrost on the banks of the Badyarikha River in Yakutia, in Russia‘s Siberia region, in 2020. “Findings of frozen mummified remains of the Late Pleistocene mammals are very rare,” the researchers explained, referring to the period in which it lived. They added: “For the first time in the history of palaeontology, the appearance of an extinct mammal that has no analogues in the modern fauna has been studied.” Image: A modern day lion cub. Pic: A V Lopatin/Scientific Reports When compared to the remains of a modern lion cub of a similar age, there were “significant differences”, said the experts. The kitten, which was about three weeks old, has wider paws with their width almost the same as their length. It also does not have carpal pads …

Linkin Park’s comeback album shows Emily Armstrong is less ‘stray cat’ more roaring lion

Linkin Park’s comeback album shows Emily Armstrong is less ‘stray cat’ more roaring lion

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free Like a “stray cat” who “just kept showing up” is how Emily Armstrong describes the gradual way she joined Linkin Park, seven years after the death of founding co-frontman Chester Bennington. On From Zero, her first album with the band, she roses and snarls more like a look than a backyard moggy. The 38-year-old Dead Sara singer joins Mike Shinoda at the mic one minute into lead single “The Emptiness Machine” and a minute later they’re both taking turns bawling: “I only wanted to be part of something!” It’s a line that’s guaranteed to get fan fists pumping the air when the world’s most successful nu-metal band embark on a massive global tour next year. Choosing a woman for the role, LP are able to make a clear statement that they’re not trying to “replace” Bennington without tinkering with the …

James Earl Jones, voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion King, dies aged 93 | Ents & Arts News

James Earl Jones, voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion King, dies aged 93 | Ents & Arts News

Acting great James Earl Jones, who voiced Star Wars villain Darth Vader and Mufasa in The Lion King, has died at the age of 93. Jones, a longtime sufferer of diabetes, died at his home surrounded by family members, his agent Barry McPherson said. No cause of death was provided. He appeared in Conan the Barbarian, played Eddie Murphy’s dad in Coming to America and starred in The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games. But it was his iconic voice as the villainous Darth Vader for which he was best known. Image: Jones with Star Wars creator George Lucas in 2007. Pic: AP Image: Jones poses with Darth Vader at the premiere of ‘Star Wars Episode II’ , 2002. Pic: Reuters Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, Vader’s son in Star Wars, tweeted: “RIP dad.” Jones was one of the few entertainers to have won the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards). Celebrities paid tribute to Jones, with Colman Domingo, who stars in the recently released Sing Sing, saying on X: “Thank you …

Mufasa: The Lion King director Barry Jenkins defends film against ‘soulless’ criticism

Mufasa: The Lion King director Barry Jenkins defends film against ‘soulless’ criticism

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Barry Jenkins has defended his upcoming prequel to 2019’s live-action The Lion King remake after one sceptical fan described the project as “soulless”. On Monday (29 April), the first trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King was released online giving Disney fans a preview of what the film will have in store. Though many expressed their excitement for the film, others on social media gave a more lukewarm response, criticising it as being a vehicle in service of Disney CEO Bob Iger. “Barry, you’re too good and talented for this Iger’s soulless machine,” reads one comment on X, formerly Twitter. Jenkins, whose directing credits also include the films Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, replied directly to the comment and noted that the Lion King story had affected countless fans in deep ways since the 1990s. “There is nothing soulless about The Lion King,” Jenkins replied. “For decades children have …

Blue Ivy Carter to make film debut alongside Beyoncé in Mufasa: The Lion King

Blue Ivy Carter to make film debut alongside Beyoncé in Mufasa: The Lion King

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter is making her film debut in Mufasa: The Lion King, Disney’s forthcoming prequel to 2019’s Lion King reboot. Blue Ivy, 12, will voice Kiara, the lion cub daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala, voiced by Donald Glover and Beyoncé in the 2019 movie. Her casting was revealed in the film’s first trailer, released on Monday (29 April). “Introducing Blue Ivy Carter with Beyoncé Knowles,” the end credits read. Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr will portray the younger versions of Mufasa and Scar, respectively. Mufasa was voiced by James Earl Jones in both the 1994 animated classic and the 2019 remake. John Kani, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are among the returning cast members, Mads Mikkelsen and Thandiwe Newton are set to join. Directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mufasa will tell the origin story of King Mufasa, Simba’s father, …

Beyoncé Is Keeping It In The Family As She Returns For Disney’s New Lion King Film

Beyoncé Is Keeping It In The Family As She Returns For Disney’s New Lion King Film

Disney has announced more information about the upcoming follow-up to The Lion King, which is due to hit cinemas later this year. The animated classic was first released in 1994, with its recent remake – combining live-action filmmaking with CGI animation – becoming a box office hit in 2019. And while the original Lion King spawned two straight-to-video sequels and various TV shows, this upcoming film will be a whole new story, inspired by the classic character Mufasa. On Monday afternoon, Disney released a new teaser for the origin story, as well as details about its cast. Returning for Mufasa: The Lion King will be Donald Glover and Beyoncé as Simba and Nala, while Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner will be back in action as Timon and Pumbaa. Aaron Pierre will be voicing the titular lion in his younger years, who was originally played by James Earl Jones in both versions of The Lion King. Most exciting of all, though, is the announcement of the new character Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, who …