The first look at the Disney remake, “Lion King”, was dropped in November and already had 11 million views on Youtube, according to youtube.com.

“Everyone is so excited for Beyonce to be in the movie, but I am so excited for Seth Rogan to be Pumba. He is going to be hilarious,”  sophomore Joey Townsed said.

The Lion King first footage reveal was close to a frame-for-frame recreation of the “Circle of Life” opening of the animated movie. The trailer opens with  the sunrise over the African Savanna, though of course this time it actually is a real sunrise over the horizon. The film is shot to match up with the same shots of the animals seen during that opening sequence in the cartoon, and they look photo-realistic despite being CGI. It is especially powerful when the animals are seen them running by a realistic shot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background.

“It’s my favorite Disney film, so I am excited to see how it has been recreated,” senior Ian Sargent said.

Rafiki, who looks very similar to how he looks in the cartoon, though a bit less gangly and a bit more realistic than as cartoony. The biggest character design change was for Simba, simply because he is a lot furrier than he was in the cartoon. Instead of being as round and stylized as baby Simba in animation, this version is a bit closer to a realistic lion cub.

“The little lion is so cute, and I know I am going to cry when I see him and Mufsa,” senior Kenzie Marler said.

The sequence ends with Rafiki marking Simba and then presenting him by holding him up over the animals gathered at Pride Rock. Jon Favreau, the film’s director, took the stage, and told the gathered crowd that “we know how important this is” to not tarnish the legacy of a film as beloved as “The Lion King”. “We’re working hard, we love you guys and we love this movie,” he said. Disney has not stated when and if it will release another look at the film.