Elton John Calls ‘Lion King’ Remake a ‘Huge Disappointment’

Nate Nickolai

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Elton John isn’t feeling the love for Disney’s latest live-action remake.

In an interview with GQ U.K., the legendary musician criticized Disney’s remake of “The Lion King,” citing the film’s music as a “huge disappointment.”

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“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,” John said. “The magic and joy were lost.”

John also highlighted the soundtrack’s commercial performance, arguing that the franchise’s original music debuted to a much stronger reception in 1994.

“The soundtrack hasn’t had nearly the same impact in the charts that it had 25 years ago, when it was the bestselling album of the year. The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success,” John said. “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. I’m so happy that the right spirit for the music lives on with the Lion King stage musical.”

John composed and performed a number of songs for the original 1994 animated film, including versions of “Circle of Life” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” This year’s remake features performances from music artists such as Pharrell Williams, Beyoncé and Donald Glover.

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