Mufasa’s new CGI “aesthetic” leaves VFX artists mixed compared to live-action Lion King

VFX artists share their mixed reactions to the CGI in Mufasa: The Lion King. The 2019 live action lion king was a massive box office hit that earned more than $1.6 billion worldwide, inevitably leading to the history of Mufasa: The Lion KingWhich acts as a prequel and a sequel to its predecessor. While it was a huge success at the box office, The 2019 movie was criticized for the photorealistic CGI used to depict the animalsEspecially in contrast with The Lion Kings beloved animated origins.

In a new video, Corridor crew Watch a Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer and Breaks down how the CGI looks different than the 2019 lion king. Watch the video below:

They explain why there was a largely negative response to the photorealistic CGI in the previous movie and how Mufasa: The Lion King responded to this by changing the overall visual aesthetic. Although they have mixed feelings about the change, they all acknowledge that the distinction between the two approaches is noticeable. Read their comments below:

It’s gorgeous. It’s really, really beautiful. But a problem that a lot of people have with it is that the original animation has so much character and life because these are expressive beings, whereas if you root it in realism, you don’t have the same characters, you can’t do the same things, So they are not able to connect or relate to the characters in the same way. They’re currently doing The Lion King: Mufasa, and they’ve been getting all the criticism for characters lacking expression.

They added the cartoony nature back into photorealistic renders. The interesting debate is whether it works better now. Now there’s a lot more life in the faces, and it seems like people appreciate that, but what’s the point of doing it in live-action?

There is a huge difference between this one and the original Lion King movie, because in the original live-action CG movie Lion King, everything looked like it was a picture taken in the desert and that these are real animals they are taking pictures of. Outside of the facial animation that the animals have in this one, the look of it looks less realistic.

The first film takes a look out of cues from nature documentaries and how you would practically film animals in the wild. Not every single shot is exactly that, but if you watch the shots, you see that there are far less camera movements in time, and they are all very much rooted in reality.

I have no problem with all the animals are more animated in their faces, able to have more expression, this was something that the original Lion King movie lacked because they were trying to ground everything so hard in photorealism and how animals actually work. I don’t have a problem pushing that further.

It is interesting that in the same universe they made such a strong pivot in terms of their approach.

What this means for Mufasa: The Lion King

The new aesthetic could become the standard for future live-action Disney movies

Disney has built on the success of the 2019 lion king By delivering a follow-up story, but did too Responded to the CGI criticism by making the animals appear a bit more expressive and cartoonish. The overall photorealistic approach remains the same, although the animals are more visually emotional, which may make it easier to emotionally connect with the versions of the iconic characters. Just as the shift leads to varying opinions from the VFX artists, the general audience reception is likely to be wide-ranging as well.

If Mufasa: The Lion King Proving to be a box office success, More live-action lion king Movies will likely follow. The aesthetic of the potential movies could follow in the footsteps of Mufasa: The Lion King depending on how it is received once the full movie is released in theaters. If it’s well-received, it could influence other upcoming Disney remakes that have talking animal characters and eliminate a common piece of criticism.

Mufasa: The Lion King is more exciting than the 2019 lion king

The new CGI looks visually stunning and seems like a more optimal scale Between photorealism and making the characters expressive. This is one of the most exciting elements of Mufasa: The Lion KingAlong with the fact that a new version of ​​Mufasa and Scar’s origin story is told, and it is not just a remake as was the case with the 2019 movie. The changes have been made Mufasa: The Lion King More exciting than its predecessor in 2019, which could lead to making it more than a potential box office hit.

Source: Corridor crew