the '94 animated classic was the first movie i ever saw in theaters, so i went in with an open mind and open heart; nostalgia was on my side but i knew nothing would replace the lion king that i grew up with. i was so excited for this movie, but not nearly as much for the fact that it's the lion king as the fact that it's a complete masterpiece that showcases how far we've come with digital effects and animation. i spent the entire movie constantly amazed by how real everything felt; i mean there were talking animals and the movement of the mouths felt as convincing as the rendering of waterfalls and the sand dunes under simba's feet.

did i miss the full be prepared song? sure. was i disappointed that the hyenas didn't giggle and stage whisper 'mufasa' to each other before the song hit? duh. but there were things in this movie that the original didn't have, and they worked. donald glover and beyonce duetting together was as bizarrely perfect as you could imagine it to be. seeing the aftermath of simba running away after the stampede is heartbreaking on a whole different level when you're an adult, and not a little kid. this scar is genuinely upsetting on a level that the original never quite was, most likely because he was less stylized and more gritty. the hyenas weren't quite as much a source of comedic relief but i definitely lost it when azizi called the cubs "a midnight snack". also, keegan michael key as a neurotic hyena who just wants his personal space? nothing has ever been more perfectly cast in the history of disney.

everyone cast in this version did the characters justice, and then some. but i think the accolades for this movie should absolutely go to the animators and effects artists; they brought real, genuine emotion and life to the eyes of completely digital animals, ones who weren't meant to be seen as cartoons or parodies of the real things. they made this movie feel so natural and authentic that you could start to believe you were watching a nature documentary - at least until zazu or timon come screaming across the screen anyway.

watch this first and foremost for the incredible graphics, and then for the cast that stayed faithful to the original while bringing new and memorable moments all the same. it does the remake thing the right way.