Elton John says "they messed the music up" on the latest version of the Lion King movie

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – MARCH 04: (L-R) Lionel Richie, Sir Elton John, Miley Cyrus, and Ricky Martin attend the 26th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party sponsored by Bulgari, celebrating EJAF and the 90th Academy Awards at The City of West Hollywood Park on March 4, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for EJAF)

“The new version of The Lion King was a huge disappointment to me, because I believe they messed the music up,” he said. “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. 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. The new soundtrack fell out of the charts so quickly, despite the massive box-office success.”

“I wish I’d been invited to the party more, 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. I’m so happy that the right spirit for the music lives on with the Lion King stage musical.”