Despite being a huge success in the global box office, the original Lion King composer has no love from the new iteration of the film, and more specifically its music.
The iconic singer-songwriter, who composed and performed a number of songs for the 1994 animated film, told British GQ of his disappointment.
“The new version of The Lion King was a huge disappointment to me, because I believe they messed the music up,” he said. “Music was so much a part of the original and the music in the current film didn’t have the same impact. The magic and joy were lost. The soundtrack hasn’t had nearly the same impact in the charts that it had 25 years ago, when it was the bestselling album of the year. The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success.”
John also expressed his desire to have been more involved in the project.
“I wish I’d been invited to the party more,” he said of his involvement in the new feature, or rather lack thereof.
He continued: “But the creative vision for the film and its music was different this time around and I wasn’t really welcomed or treated with the same level of respect. That makes me extremely sad.”
Lion King banked more than $1 billion worldwide.
