Elton John has recently shared his opinion on the new Lion King soundtrack, saying that the updated renditions sung by the likes of Beyonce and Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), don’t do justice to the original soundtrack.
For Elton John, who co-wrote the music on the original soundtrack alongside his longtime collaborator Tim Rice, the remake just hasn’t hit the mark.
John spoke of his dissatisfaction, citing his lack of involvement from the latest film as the main reason for its comparative failure. The new soundtrack ranked at only no. 13 on the Billboard 200 as opposed to the original soundtrack which was the best-selling soundtrack during the year of its release in 1994.
John Favreau’s photorealistic remake of the classic Disney animation has attempted to renew the film’s cult status, recruiting some of the biggest names in the film and music industry to voice the characters we all know and love.
Elton was understandably disappointed that his writing and compositional skills weren’t duly called upon considering he was one of the masterminds behind the tracks which almost everyone can sing at least a few words of.
The magic of the original Hakuna Matata though still remains immortalised in the live musical which has continued to maintain international success since it first hit the stage in 1997.
