17. The Lion King (2019)
The Lion King is an odd part of this live-action trend because there are zero human characters, and it’s still animated—just with computers, nearly shot-for-shot in many instances. The special effects are incredibly detailed and true to life, but in a story where a little lion cub has to react to his father’s death in a stampede, it feels soulless. That’s why the anthropomorphic versions of the characters, with their bigger eyes and larger expressions, worked so well for this profound tale of life and death. Here, the characters are barely able to react, their expressions flat and lifeless because the design focuses so much on capturing real life. Timon and Pumbaa especially look frightening. This new version of The Lion King feels pointless and gives little reason for existing.
