You're almost implying that we should
expect a poor movie, Hatari.

Of course this remake will never be better than the original, but how could it? You're not only asking people to recreate the magic that occured in the production of the first film, but also asking for the remake to have the same impact that it had on so many kids growing up in the 90s and the early 2000s--nostalgia plays a big part in what makes this film so wonderful, and the era that it was released in also plays a big part. But the fact that it manages to hold up today and is still called one of the greatest movies of all time was purely due to how well the story writing, development, casting and animation were. Plus a bunch of other factors too. There's a lot of movies I grew up with that I loved (Simba's Pride being one of them), but I know they're not good movies. But that's fine. They're harmless; they just aren't worthy sequels.
There's a reason why these sequels are not regarded in the same way, although SP also benefits from being released in this special era, which is why so many people love it--because they grew up with it, like I did. Not because it's a good movie. If SP held its standards to the quality of the first, it would've been a far better movie. We would've had amazing animation, an even better story, better songs, because there would've been an actual theatrical-intended team behind it. But it wasn't--it was a cash cow. It was undoubtedly made to cash in on the success of the first movie. It's still so disappointing to me that Disney didn't set out to create another theatrical release for the second instalment of their greatest movie (at the time), although I know that's because Disney didn't believe in theatrical releases for their sequels. I actually think that's a good decision on their part...I think SP's critical feedback would've been 100% worse if it had been released in theatres. Disney knew SP wasn't good enough for theatres. If they thought the movie could've made an extraordinary amount of money (and they did, that's why they send out so many VHS copies to stores for its release), they would've probably given it a theatrical release. (I believe that's what they intended to do with the third movie before they realised it just wouldn't have worked.) But, they knew it wasn't as good because the budget they had set and the people they had chosen to work on it meant the animation was poor and the story was pretty lackluster, and it would've been very embarrassing for it to hit cinemas. It was just a quick and easy way to make money. Unfortunately, that's Hollywood.
I'm not just hating on Simba's Pride specifically, by the way. I just feel like so many aren't aware that there are Lion Kings fans who don't like SP and find it embarrassing, and I'm one of them. That's it. There's a bunch of other examples I could give. Like
Jurassic Park III for instance. Another blatant cash cow. (Many people could say the same about
The Lost World, but I actually really liked
The Lost World--but I know it's not anywhere near as amazing as the original JP, and I know it's not a good movie. That doesn't mean I don't like it though.)
That's not the same scenario here. Disney HAVE given out an enormous budget and assigned a top Hollywood director to make the movie. This is not so much of a cash cow than it is an actual project. So my faith in this movie triumphing over the sequels has pretty much exploded. And I'm excited! We're finally gonna get a good follow-up.
I'm asking for them to make their standards high so that this movie can stand on its own feet. So it's NOT a sequel--it is a remake, like it's intended to be, and it feels like a remake. I don't want a CGI version of the original movie, which I think is what you may have assumed I wanted from my post. Everything to be the exact same and as great as the first. I'd like it to be as great, but what I could easily find great, another person could find boring. Like you said, it depends on how you look at the first movie.
In the simplest terms, I am looking for a retelling/slight retread of the first film. Whatever they choose to do, I'm open to it, just as long as it's treated as its
own movie. Almost as though they were making the first movie all over again, and they're not sure if it's gonna be good, but they're aiming for this timeless magic anyway... wait, that's what a remake is
EDIT: I looked back at what I said in the post you were referring to, and I didn't ask for an improvement on the
first movie. I asked for an improvement on Simba's Pride and 1 1/2. I really, really don't think it's difficult for Jon Favreau, who has just made the new Jungle Book, which ranked in $966 million and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, to make a better movie than those two. Unless he has reverted to his student film days.