by TheLionPrince » August 25th, 2018, 7:07 pm
Putting aside the reports that "Be Prepared" is being excluded from the remake, I would say you can't cut any of the songs because of plot and character development and we have a cast of well-known singers.
You can't cut "Circle of Life" from the film. You just can't. It feels easy to cut "I Just Can't Wait to be King" since it's easy to convey through dialogue that Simba thinks being king is all about having power. Also, I think it's hard to translate Simba's imagination with the animals and backgrounds drenched in shiny African colors into photorealism CGI. However, at the same time, JD McCrady (the voice of cub Simba) has an amazing singing voice and you want to see it put to good use. So, I say the song stays.
For "Be Prepared", again, it's easy to convey through dialogue that Scar wants to kill Mufasa and Simba in order to become king, but also, the song tells us that Scar is promising the hyenas endless food only if they help him. Plus, it's one of the best villain songs ever composed so you can't cut that song.
I feel you need "Hakuna Matata" because it helps to have an upbeat song to uplift the audience after Mufasa dies. Lastly, you also need "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" because you have Donald Glover and Beyonce in the cast and you want to hear them sing together. However, I have read criticism that Simba and Nala's love story subplot doesn't add much to the plot, but I wouldn't cut the song.