Sir Elton John has described the recent CGI remake of Disney’s The Lion King as “a huge disappointment,” claiming that the music lacks “magic and joy.”
The legendary singer-songwriter co-wrote the songs for the original 1994 animation with Tim Rice.
The pair won the Oscar for Best Original Song for Can You Feel The Love Tonight in 1995 and Sir Elton also received the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the track.
He and Rice wrote a new track for the rebooted film, Never Too Late, which was performed by Sir Elton and plays during the end credits.
The star told GQ Hype that the new soundtrack had been “messed up” and had not made “the same impact on the charts” as the original.
“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 on the charts that it had 25 years ago, when it was the best selling album of the year.
"The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success.”
Sir Elton added that he wished he had “been invited to the party more,” revealing that he didn’t feel “really welcomed or treated with the same level of respect.”
“That makes me extremely sad,” he added. “I’m so happy that the right spirit for the music lives on with the Lion King stage musical.”
The new film also featured a new Beyoncé track, Spirit, and inspired a spin-off album titled The Lion King: The Gift, curated by the star, who voiced Nala.
