My THESIS
From Hand-drawn to CGI: The Transformation of Animal Representation in Disney’s The Lion King (1994-2019)
Thesis Grade: 9/10
Disney’s animation choices have an effect on how audiences perceive animals. This research compares The Lion King (1994) with its 2019 CGI remake, exploring how the shift from hand-drawn expressiveness to photorealistic CGI changes emotional engagement with animal characters. The hand-drawn animation of the original fosters empathy through exaggerated, anthropomorphic features, allowing viewers to feel connected to Simba, Mufasa, and the other animals. In contrast, the 2019 remake prioritises visual realism, creating technically impressive images that paradoxically distance audiences emotionally.
The thesis demonstrates that this shift has ethical implications: hyperreal CGI positions viewers as spectators of a perfectly simulated world rather than participants in an empathetic relationship with nonhuman life. Through a comparative visual analysis of key scenes: Circle of Life, Hakuna Matata, and Mufasa’s Death. The study shows how digital aesthetics influence both perception and emotional response, revealing the cost of realism when it replaces expressive artistry.
WHO I MET ALONG THE WAY