Disney classic games are next. In fact, two Disney classic games are on sale here at IndieGala. Furthermore, they’re two of the most beloved games in the entire Disney vault.
The Disney Classic Games: Lion King and Aladdin are available for you (if you are in the EMEA region), and on sale. Check them out and let us know if they can bring you back to your childhood. Because nearly everyone grew up on Disney classic games and Disney classic movies.
Disney Classic Games: what are they all about?
Aladdin and his sidekick, Abu are the stars of this first game. They go through each marketplace to survive another day in the classic Disney adventure.
You as the player of this game will get to travel through Agrabah, to defeat Jafar and rescue princess Jasmine. You can jump, climb then fight, and of course go on an unforgettable carpet-ride. Just like in the movie. Ultimately to recreate the same feeling, in the name of the greatest adventure Disney has to offer.
On the other hand, The Lion King brings to life the mystery of Africa in all of its glory. It’s the tale of Simba, after all.
The beloved lion cub that faced the terrifying challenge at such a young age. Being banished by his family, and forced to flee his land, his home, Simba will face different challenges along the way. But now, you too can be part of Simba’s adventure, and the Hakuna Matata lifestyle.
Exiled to the uncertain wilderness (by his evil uncle Scar), Simba finds strength, friendship, and courage. Thanks to two unlikely companions: Timon the talkative meerkat, and Pumbaa the adorable warthog.
Disney Classic Games: Lion King and Aladdin
But while the Disney Classic Games are on sale here on IndieGala, we will attempt to compare the old and the new versions of the Disney classics.
Through the movies indeed. How does the new Aladdin movie hold up to the original 1992 animated movie? Furthermore, how does the new Lion King compares to 1994 beloved animated classic? Both of the remakes (Aladdin and The Lion King) premiered in 2019, but does it mean that they are better than the 90’s animated flicks? Do they have the potential to be iconic and inspire new memorable video games?
In my honest opinion, not really. But, Disney needed to continue the trend of live-action remakes and needed the cash flow from the pre-existing source material. Rather than bother making up new stories and characters, they put the same great ideas in a brand new packaging. Maybe a half-decent packaging.
Even more, the cynics would say that “they’re milking it” on the current trend, but they’re not far off, to tell you the truth.
Nostalgia and profit
Also, Disney’s idea for some time now, is to bring all familiar tales to new generations. Just as generations and generations of kids grew up on the animated movies (back in the 90’s). So, it’s up to Disney to introduce the same characters to the new generations of kids now. Hence the influx of Disney remakes.
Which is true to a certain extent and it isn’t a bad initiative. But I believe the cynics as well. Much of these Disney live-action remakes of older animated movies feel very sterile, unemotional, and heartless.
In my opinion, they’re just click-baits that prey on nostalgia, past quality products, and familiarity with the characters. Likewise, they’re so ingrained and embedded in our culture that even a baby would recognize Mufasa.
Also, maybe it’s due to the aforementioned nostalgia, but the 90’s animated movies felt more alive, warm, and heart-warming compared to today’s versions. Furthermore, Will Smith is light years away from being the Genie that Robin Williams was. Regardless of how talented Will Smith is.
Disney Classic Games: Lion King the new movie?
Here’s the thing. The 2019’s version of The Lion King confused a lot of people. First of all, it wasn’t a live-action remake, per se. I believe the technical term is a photorealistic computer-animated remake. But we all know that it was CGI. It almost looked animated, but it wasn’t. We most certainly will not see a video game based on the 2019 version any time soon. But I digress.
And while most of the cast of the original 90’s movie didn’t return to voice the remake, the one and only James Earl Jones did return in the role of Mufasa. That glorious voice graced us with another Lion King movie and frankly saved the entire uninspired cast. Don’t even get me started on Beyonce.
Other than that, the cast was different, but pretty much remained the same. The 2019 version of The Lion King is almost identical to the 1994 version. Which just proves my point of lack of original thought in the company. Also, why bother having Jon Favreau as a director if you’re just going to stick to the original formula? It doesn’t make sense.
Disney Classic Games: Aladdin the new movie?
In contrast to the almost identical Lion King, Aladdin had some differences in the development. But, even with the add-ons, the remake sadly didn’t bring anything new to the table.
The main actors were less than average (in the talent portion); the performances were mediocre at best, and Will Smith?
Well, he’s probably the greatest thing that ever happened to this movie. A lifeline, if you will. But what pissed me the most was what Disney did to Iago, though. He’s not the Iago that I know and love. Nor is Jafar. However, there was some improvement in the role of Jasmine. She was truly a bad-ass princess now, so kudos to you Disney. I wouldn’t mind seeing a video game spin-off having her as a protagonist.
Again, I feel that the 1992 version was so much better. The concept of the movie was better, the characters were better formed and developed. And not just in purely visual sense, although the animation was incredible. One can only imagine the machine required to render the 2019 graphics in a game (especially The Lion King).
The classics created memorable character that are still loved and admired to this very day, in various forms, including video games. Again, the 1992 movie had more soul. Indeed, it also had Robin Williams, but let’s not get teary-eyed here. True. We all miss Robin dearly, and seeing other actors in some of his roles makes us appreciate his talent even more. I’m looking at you The Rock!
But will the fans be vocal enough to demand more video game adaptations? We already have some remakes of the classics, but if we get games for the remakes, will they become classics?
Your picks
What are your favorite Disney classics? The 2019 versions of the original 90’s animated movies? Would you like to see video games based on the new movies? Tell us in the comments below.
