Sir Elton John "never thought" he would see a remake of ‘The Lion King’.
The 72-year-old singer – who penned and performed some of the movie’s biggest hits including ‘Circle of Life’ and ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ – is thrilled that the Disney movie has got a live action remake, but admits he didn’t ever think it could have happened until the success of Jon Favreau’s ‘The Jungle Book’.
Speaking at the European premiere of ‘The Lion King’, held in London’s Leicester Square, he said: "It’s astonishing. I never thought it would ever happen but because ‘The Jungle Book’ was so wonderfully done and reinvented by Jon Favreau, this one has been done the same.
"It will give a new, more realistic view of ‘The Lion King’. The other one was obviously an animation, this one is not. And it’s just another notch up there for Disney and ‘The Lion King’. I’ve seen the movie, it’s fantastic."
For John – who was involved in the 1994 original animated movie – it is "wonderful" to see the story of ‘The Lion King’ back in the cinema.
He added: "I’m very glad that I was involved in the first one, since 1993 I was first involved in it and it’s been a part of my life ever since. I must have seen it about 40 times by now. It’s wonderful to see it and wonderful to be involved in it."
Sir Elton John ‘never thought’ The Lion King would be remade
