Disney has announced that Amy Sedaris will be voicing a new and original role in their live-action version of The Lion King. According to Variety, Sedaris will be playing an elephant shrew. Because this is a G-rated affair, Sedaris’s character won’t be able to comment on how her nose looks like a ding-dong or any of the other things you’d expect from the lady who brought Jerri Blank to life.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Disney released the first teaser trailer for its new Lion King, and it quickly became the second-most-watched trailer in YouTube history. But the ever-turning Circle of Hype demands that anything that big is going to have backlash, and Twitter was aflame with people decrying the new movie for being derivative, less colorful than the original, and generally less magical than the animated version.
Well, would a totally unoriginal and cynical cash grab have a new elephant-shrew character? And would that character be played by an alt-comedy legend who exudes authenticity?? Huh? Check and mate.