The first full-length trailer for the live-action remake of The Lion King hit the internet yesterday. And though there’s a lot to love – from the recreation of the iconic moonlit silhouette shot to a few bars of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – the big takeaway is that people are mad about Scar. You remember Scar. He’s the bad guy, voiced by Jeremy Irons in the original film. Well, the reactions to the new Scar are probably tied with the Will Smith Genie thing in Aladdin. The new Scar is making people lose it. Here’s why.
The big problem people have is how Scar looks.
In the original Lion King, Scar has a sneaky, untrustworthy vibe. He slinks around with dark brown fur, black mane, goatee, and green eyes that mark him as evil, an obvious contrast to the upright posture, yellow fur, and chestnut mane of his brother Mufasa.
In every trailer we’ve seen, Mufasa appears strong and kind in the remake and having James Earl Jones reprise his role means his vibe will be consistent between the films.
On the other hand, our first look at Scar shows a very different lion. He’s missing a chunk of his ear, appears more gaunt than slender, and does not have the suave sinisterness he did in the first film. It’s similar to the difference between Jack Nicholson’s neat and polished Joker and Heath Ledger’s ragged and unkempt appearance in the same role.
Plenty of people had not-so-nice things to say about Scar’s appearance on Twitter. Many were offended that the new Scar lacked the sex appeal of the original, who is apparently something of a gay icon.
live-action Scar is not wickedly sexy like the original Lion King cartoon babe was, so i’m out pic.twitter.com/4F3I3YOCqC
– Anna Cafolla (@AnnaCafolla) April 10, 2019
just watched the trailer for the lion king and am disgusted to find that scar isn’t sexy, goth, or gay. just an ugly lion! what’s the point
– Bolt Brown (@BoltBrown) April 10, 2019
This CGI Scar is not gay enough !!!!!! I lived for Scar as a kid, the way he moved, the way he laughed. I used to have my mom play his villain song on my Lion King cassette over and over again in the car. pic.twitter.com/8qh6KIOD2A
– Emily Gaudette (@emilygmonster) April 10, 2019
Some took issue with the CGI of the new film, arguing that the medium itself is too restrictive.
I’m all for the lion king remake, (mostly because of Donald Glover), but these two pictures highlight how having live action cartoon characters restricts the portrayal of emotion, I mean just look at the picture of scar in the original photo compared to the new one #TheLionKing pic.twitter.com/aFpREnNzY3
– Alistair (@ alip1118) April 10, 2019
None of the animals in this new Lion King are emoting. Part of what makes Lion King so special is that Scar could be an ass an make faces like this… every animal, Scar included in this new CGI film looks bland and without character pic.twitter.com/qFBxPlWnwp
– Maximilien Robespierre (@Imperator_Faora) April 10, 2019
Disney’s live action remakes are draining the soul from their films, and it shows the most in their villains. Jafar and Scar were lively and dramatic characters. It showed in their visual design and personality, but these feel so flat and reigned in. pic.twitter.com/eEE9EqVrvo
– VirnoVigoratus (@VirnoVigoratus) April 10, 2019
It wasn’t all bad news, though. Plenty of folks piped up to say that they’re excited to see hyperrealistic Scar in movie theaters on July 19.
I actually love that the live-action Scar looks just like the other lions and does not have a black mane and darker fur. I hate how the villain animals are so often made darker. What signal are they sending? What if you’re the darker kid? https://t.co/LWBWOH40Ra
– Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) April 11, 2019
I guess everyone’s shitting on The Lion King remake now? I guess I’ll let y’all know how it is. I’m still fuckin excited; I think Scar looks menacing and… absolutely fine? pic.twitter.com/sMN3z5RshF
– the🔗awful (@ahfol_) April 10, 2019
