Tony Bancroft co-directed the originalMulanand he is not impressed withThe Lion Kingremake. The remake received some backlash when the first trailer was released late last year after it looked like it was going to be a shot-for-shot copy of the original. The backlash continued over the “live-action” description. With that being said, the movie is currently number one at the box office with over $700 million globally, so none of the perceived backlash had any effect onThe Lion Kingremake.
One common thread in all of theDisneyremakes has been how incredibly divisive they are. Some fans love them and champion the technological advances, while others aren’t into them at all. The same can be said aboutThe Lion King, even as it sits at number one.Mulanco-director andPumbaacreator Tony Bancroft recently made it to the theater to see the remake and says, “I just sawThe Lion King. It’s the ‘meh’ heard around the world.” He then used the hashtags, “sorry” and “not sorry.”
This isn’t the first timeTony Bancrofthas thrown some shade atThe Lion Kingremake. Earlier in the month he shared a comparison video between the original and the remake. He said, “I’m not laughing, you’re laughing,” in his caption. It’s not clear if any of the original animators, designers, or writers ended up getting any money from the remake. However, before the movie hit theaters, it was believed that they were not going to get in on any profits, even though they helped to create the original. Bancroft may be (understandably) a little angry if that’s the case.
Tony Bancroft not only created Pumbaa, but he was a supervising animator onThe Lion King. He had previously worked onBeauty and the BeastandAladdinas an animator and an assistant animator onThe Rescuers Down Under. He then went on to work onThe Hunchback of Notre Dameand then co-directedMulanin 1998. As for theMulanremake, Bancroft seems to be okay with it so far. We’ll have to wait and see what happens when it’s released.
The Lion Kingremake may have some critics, but it is conquering the box office. The movie did $191.7 million domestically in its opening weekend alone, earning the record for highest opening in July, beating outHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2($169.1 million). The remake should be able to make it to $1 billion if it keeps going how it has been going so far. Regardless, some Disney fans aren’t into it and they aren’t into the other remakes either. you may’t please everybody, even the people who work for Disney. You can check outTony Bancroft’s Twitterreview ofThe Lion Kingremake below.
