“While others search for what he can take, a true king searches for what he can give,” the lion king Mufasa tells his young cub Simba in the trailer of Disney’s latest live-action version of an animated hit. The original film was released in 1994, and was a huge success, spawning spin-offs and stage adaptations.
Director Jon Favreau had similarly directed the live-action version of Disney’s Jungle Book in 2016. The new film follows the journey of Simba, who is deprived of his inheritance by his evil uncle Scar. Simba must find the courage to reclaim the throne “with help from a curious pair of newfound friends”. The two-minute trailer ends with a version of South African musician Solomon Linda’s The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which was also used in the 1994 film.
The voice cast includes James Earl Jones as Mufasa (he had voiced the character in the animated film too), Donald Glover as Simba, Beyonce as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, John Kani as Rafiki and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. The movie will be released on July 19.
Also read:
Avenge my death, Kimba’: Remembering the Japanese anime that came before ‘The Lion King’