Well, we know why. MONEY. Other than that, this was a waste of resources. The hand-drawn version was vastly superior, it had more soul. This version plods along and is poorly paced. The dialogue is sub-standard. The script is simple and slowly delivered. This is strictly a young-child's fare. A lot of people praised the original music score. I was NOT one of them, Elton (sorry, SIR Elton) hasn't done anything of merit since Rock of the Westies. Famous names don't impress me, great scores do, and the underscore sounds phoned in. The lead vocals in the circle of life are horrendous. I didn't hear much sound design or foley, they just used the VI East Meets West Hollywood Choir and Strings libraries to cover things up. Does it look good? Of course its does. It's Disney after all, and Favreau is in full stride theses days. The CGI and art direction are immaculate, top notch. I know the story, but 10 minutes-in, I was bored.