ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY AND AWARD NEWS  JULY 18, 2019 The Trouble With the New Lion King The original Lion King, released in 1994, wasn’t just an enormously successful blockbuster—it was a watershed moment for Disney Animation, which was at that time just a few years removed from a critical and commercial low point. The film helped set the course for a new period of prosperity—and its remake is now a centerpiece of the studio’s latest initiative of remaking its older films for the modern age, using cutting-edge tech. As critics including V.F.’s own K. Austin Collins have noted, though, the new movie’s photo-realistic approach—which replaces anthropomorphized animal characters with computer-generated ones who look much more like actual lions—is visually impressive but hollow. Yohana Desta spoke with animation experts to find out why the photo-realistic technique is rubbing some viewers the wrong way: “The problem is, how do you make a handcrafted National Geographic character?” urban and media historian Norman Klein, a professor at CalArts, told her. Elsewhere in HWD, contributor Paul Chi speaks with Ben Platt, star of Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Netflix series The Politician; James Gray opens up about his Brad Pitt-starring sad-dad-in-space drama, Ad Astra; Julie Millerpreviews Where’s My Roy Cohn?, an engrossing documentary about Donald Trump’s mentor; and Gwendoline Christie decides she’ll get an Emmy herself.

It’s Good to Be the King? As Disney’s Lion King reboot prepares to debut, animation experts weigh in on why the original Lion King was so groundbreaking—and why a photo-realistic style is rubbing some observers the wrong way. READ MORE » Political Animal “This idea of authenticity versus fake authenticity is really what the show is about,” explained Ben Platt at a special early screening of his Election-esque high school comedy, The Politician. READ MORE » To the Stars Director James Gray also reveals the layers beneath Brad Pitt’s role in the space epic Ad Astra: “He plays someone with schizoid tendencies.” READ MORE » The Source Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary Where’s My Roy Cohn?—about the unscrupulous lawyer who mentored Donald Trump—opens in New York and Los Angeles on September 20. READ MORE » Brienne FTW HBO did not submit Gwendoline Christie or two other Game of Thrones actors for Emmy consideration—so each one paid their own $225 entry fee, and wound up getting nominated. READ MORE »