Elton John had some strong words about the new “Lion King” remake in an interview with British GQ published on Monday, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“The new version of ‘The Lion King’ was a huge disappointment to me,” John said, according to EW.
John’s words hold some weight as he co-wrote the music for the original 1994 “Lion King” and received an Academy Award for his work on the film, HuffPost reported.
“I believe they messed the music up,” John said in the interview, according to EW. “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,” he added.
Movie audiences apparently disagreed. The film had already earned $1 billion globally after less than three weeks in theaters, Variety reported.
Still, the soundtrack did not do as well as the film, according to Rolling Stone.
“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,” John said, according to EW. “The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success.”
According to John, he was not as involved in the new film as he would have liked.
“I wish I’d been invited to the party more,” John said, according to EW, “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.”
John did see one bright spot, however: the musical version of “The Lion King.”
“I’m so happy that the right spirit for the music lives on with the ‘Lion King’ stage musical,” John said, according to EW.