The first 'Lion King' reactions are here and everyone's going wild for this 1 thing

Did the Circle of Life move us all?
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

It's been 25 years since Simba first told us that he couldn't wait to be king.

Now, in 2019, he's back to remind us, only this time in a far more visually realistic form.

Yep, that's right: Disney's The Lion King remake is just days away from its July 19 release and the first reactions from critics are already being shared on Twitter.

Mashable's Angie Han explained that despite the many positives — solid casting, impressive animation — there isn't much new about the movie.

"It's more nostalgic rehash than fresh reimagining," she tweeted.

For the most part, though, the reactions seemed to be fairly glowing.

Mashable's Alison Foreman described it as "cute and heartwarming."

The one big thing a lot of people seem to be mentioning? How damn good the movie looks.

Several people also called out Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, who play Timon and Pumba respectively, and Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance as Scar.

That being said, some people did highlight the difficulty of giving CGI animals emotions.

Not long to go now. The Lion King is out July 19.

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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