The mane of Mufasa, the lion king, was blown by the wind, as if he was bathing in the wind of Africa. Simba, the lion cub, was licked a few times by his mother, whining and struggling, his cuteness soared, and people couldn't help but immerse themselves in sucking the cat cub.

Disney uses maximum manpower and material resources to recreate reality in classic stories. Audiences who watched the animated version of "The Lion King" with their parents 25 years ago are now old enough to accompany their children to the cinema.

The excitement in spirit and content has made generations of Disney audiences revisit and move. The younger generation experiences the family inheritance of the real animal world version, while the older generation audience simply enjoys the upgrade in special effects with the emotional help of the animated version.

The pursuit of "real lions" in "The Lion King"

Don't think that Disney has no requirements for authenticity just because of the Fujian earth buildings in "Mulan". When "The Lion King" was being filmed that year, the team took the team to North Africa to collect images. Later, during the filming process, Disney's team also invited anatomy experts to study the lion's dynamic and static state, muscle and bone structure, so that it could be used in the animation. Act like a true lion.

This habit has also been continued into the production of the new version. ?Real Lion Version? The "Lion King" team also watched a lot of video materials, and animals such as lions, hyenas, and warthogs became the objects of their observation.

In early 2017, the core team went to Kenya to conduct research. Among the materials they shot, there are more real observations: the texture of glorious rocks, the stars in the North African night sky, and the majestic waterfalls. The young lions play closely with each other and catch butterflies and insects.

The new version of The Lion King has a clearer understanding of the ecological environment of the entire North Africa. Due to the update and upgrade of shooting technology, the entire team already knew before setting off that this time "The Lion King" would be shot entirely in virtual reality. How realistic the situation presented on the big screen can be depends entirely on the team's observation of reality.

Many people know that if human-like or animal-like creatures are created through computer simulation, once such images are stuck at more than 50% but not 95%, it will trigger human concerns. Inappropriate associations between corpses and zombies, triggering feelings of fear and disgust.

At least in this direction, Disney's new version of "The Lion King" has escaped the shadow of the "uncanny valley". The big lion on the screen is majestic and the little lion is cute. The villain Scar also expresses his ambition to seize power through his slightly bald forehead and thin and narrow cheeks. The BBC documentary-style restoration allows "The Lion King" to restore reality to its peak in the virtual and reconstructed coordinate system.

VR: Is it a real lion or a fake lion?

The groundbreaking significance of "The Lion King" is that it is not a live-action movie in the traditional sense, but uses a mixture of VR, CGI and real shooting.

During the filming of the film, one hundred and thirty animators drew 86 different animal species for the film. According to Disney, each named character will take approximately nine months to complete.

The animal figures were constructed by blending concept designs, real-life references and characters from the original The Lion King film. Once the looks are approved by the director and production team, the designs are scanned via 3D printing and built into the computer.

Ten years ago, James Cameron's "Avatar" pioneered technology in which actors wearing motion-capture suits could be filmed in real time within a digital background. Today, VR technology is becoming more and more popular in Hollywood. In movies such as "Ready Player One" and "Solo: A Star Wars Story", many teams began to use VR headsets to check virtual shots, and there were even plans to use VR technology to achieve filming.

This shooting mode was truly realized in "The Lion King". Director Jon Favreau and Cameron's technical team turned VR from a film-making tool into a sandbox game full of improvisation.

The new version of "The Lion King" first uses key frames to model all creatures, and then uses the most advanced VR technology to shoot. The entire crew was filming as if they were living in the VR world of "The Lion King". In a 360-degree virtual environment, hiking on the African savannah, as long as you put on a helmet, all around the director and staff will be digitally created animals.