Disney’s The Lion King is roaring into theaters and I couldn’t be more excited!
Last week my children and I were invited to a private media screening of Disney’s The Lion King at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and had so much fun! Just across the street from where the world premiere was the night before, this theatre is an amazing place to see a movie – especially with your children! My daughter also thought it would be fun to reenact the famous scene on Pride Rock – so we had a fun little photo shoot outside the theatre before the movie!
I am loving this new trend from animation to live action we have been experiencing lately with Dumbo, Aladdin, and now The Lion King. The original animated film that was released in 1994 is one of my all time favorite Disney movies and I was really excited about seeing it again in live action. With one of the best soundtracks of all time and an endearing movie about animals it definitely doesn’t disappoint.
And we actually were able to see the movie screening in 3-D! It was my daughter’s first movie in 3-D and I wasn’t sure what she would think of it, but she loved it! She kept her glasses on the entire time and was so fascinated how the animals kept jumping out at her. She kept saying “mom it’s like I am in the movie too!” If you have the opportunity to watch the movie in 3-D I strongly recommend it! It really brought the movie to life on a whole new level!
Since I was with both of my children by myself and still not able to pick up my son because of my recent surgery, the wonderful El Capitan attendants were so helpful helping us find our seats. One of the attendants offered to get both of my children booster seats to sit on and even picked up my son to help him into his seat. Another attendant brought my son headphones so the movie wouldn’t be so loud – which is was! Then they were able to sit us on the aisle in the back row so we wouldn’t bother our neighbors in case we were too loud or had to leave – which we did during some of the scarier scenes, which were too much for my son to watch.
At one point, since I couldn’t hold my son, they even let me bring in my stroller next to my seat since it was out of the way of the aisle so he could sit in there contained and not run around! I can’t tell you how accommodating they are if you just ask for help. And as someone that works with children with Autism, I love that the theatre has special showings that are sensory friendly where it isn’t as loud and the lights aren’t as dark during the show.
It was incredible seeing the movie in live action. There is a familiarity to the story and the characters my generation grew up with 25 years ago. Seeing everyone back in Pride Rock felt like I was being reunited with old friends.
The animals really come to life in this film and I love the incorporation of some of the new voices behind the animals – like having Seth Rogen as the voice of Pumbaa and Beyonce as the voice of adult Nala. And of course having James Earl Jones return as the voice of Mufasa was a special treat. My daughter loved how the lions were “real” and also “talked.” And I have to say that I loved all the scenes with Timon and Pumbaa! They take funny to a whole new level in this film. You will be laughing all the way home!
The movie itself is 1 hour 58 minutes, which can be a little long for little ones, depending on their age. And if you’ve seen the original film, you know there are a few scenes that may be too young for little ones, so knowing this, I primed my daughter by verbally reminding her before they happened and took my son into the area between the theatre and the lobby so he wouldn’t get too scared. Since this movie is more realistic than the animated film, these scenes are much more “real” and could be difficult for some young children.
Overall we loved the movie and highly recommend it for families and children 5+! The movie is rated PG and is directed by Jon Favreau.
Disney’s The Lion King comes out in theaters this Friday, July 19th! You can grab your ticket in advance here!
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