Bored Panda reached out to Nikolay Mochkin, also known as Ellejart, for an interview: “In my childhood, after watching the classic cartoon The Lion King, I was delighted and immediately began to draw fan art on it on paper with a pencil. And now, when I watched the modern trailer, my first reaction was: “wow! It looks cool, but where are the heroes we were used to from childhood?” I was determined to make fan art with a classic character design, because I can show people what a real film about the Lion King should be. I like all the characters, because they are perfectly accustomed to their roles, and this is a great story. As a result, I am faithful to the classic cartoon.”

Mochkin added he has been drawing since childhood. “Maybe I was born with a pencil,” Mochkin jokes. He told Bored Panda that it takes him anywhere from 3 to 11 hours to create a piece of art. However, he says that he still doesn’t “feel like a successful artist — I'm just a person who likes to draw fan art.”

The artist stated that he mostly creates art of what’s popular and ‘hyped’ up, but he also tries to stay true to his own rule of "draw what you love!”

“Now I am working on the character of Miles Morales,” Mochkin revealed to Bored Panda about his upcoming work. He also had some advice for aspiring artists: “Beginning artists are advised not to be afraid of harsh criticism, not to give in to excessive praise, to listen to your heart and strive to be first.”

The two artists Ellejart and Design By Feo recreated the remake’s movie poster to make Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa look a lot more like their old selves. Now, it might just be the nostalgia talking, but the inseparable trio looks a lot more likable and, ironically enough, way more natural when their appearance is closer to the cartoon version.

Ellejart and Design By Feo are both digital artists. Nikolay has more than 75,900 followers on Instagram, and Design By Feo has over 2,700. Both artists have stunning portfolios that are sure to catch your eye. Ellejart has also previously done a few more fan edits of The Lion King remake to show the Internet how much better the remake could have looked.

Disney released the original The Lion King movie in 1994. Development started back in 1988, while production started in 1991. With an initial worldwide gross of $766 million, The Lion King finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing release of 1994 and the second-highest-grossing film of all time. It is also the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, as well as the best-selling film on home video, having sold over 30 million VHS tapes.

The remake, released in the United States on July 19, 2019, has grossed $543 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews with praise for its visual effects, musical score, and vocal performances, but criticism for the lack of originality and facial emotion on the characters. The Lion King has a rating of 8.5 on IMDb, while the live-action remake has a rating of 7.2.