Disney Released the First Trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King

Disney’s highly anticipated film “Mufasa: The Lion King” is soon to hit the theaters. With its new trailer release, fans can now get a glimpse of what the film has to offer to the audience. The upcoming film is helmed by Barry Jenkins, while Lin-Manuel Miranda is writing the film’s songs. Miranda said,

“Elton John. Tim Rice. Hans Zimmer. Lebo M. Mark Mancina. Beyoncé, Labrinth, Ilya Salmanzadeh. Beau Black, Ford Riley, the incredible music team on ‘The Lion Guard,’ and so many musical contributors over the years. The Lion King has an incredible musical legacy with music from some of the greatest songwriters around, and I’m humbled and proud to be a part of it. It’s been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa’s story to life, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this film in theaters.”

Earlier this month, Jenkins was on hand at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to debut the first teaser trailer for theater owners. Giving a brief about his film, he told attendees,

“It’s an expansive adventure. Audiences can expect so many things in this film — an epic story and a comedy with plenty of familiar faces. There are some absolutely hilarious moments and some with extreme gravitas.”

What’s in store for the upcoming ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’?

“Mufasa: The Lion King” is an upcoming musical drama film penned by Jeff Nathanson. It is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pastel Productions and is a live-action, photorealistic animated prequel to the similarly created 2019 remake of the original 1994 animated classic.

In the newly released trailer, it was revealed that Blue Ivy Carter will make her film debut voicing Kiara, daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala, while her mother, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, will reprise her role as Nala from the 2019 film. Additionally, Aaron Pierre voices the title character (voiced by James Earl Jones in both of the previous films), while Kelvin Harrison Jr. voices his brother, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor in the 2019 film and Jeremy Irons in the 1994 animated classic).

The 2019 film, directed by Jon Favreau, was a blockbuster hit and grossed a total of $1.7 billion at the global box office to become the top-grossing Disney-branded film of all time.

Since the upcoming movie serves as both an origin story and a follow-up to Favreaus’s film, a similar box-office fate is expected. But what is this prequel film all about? This prequel is about the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands, who goes back to the African savanna where Rafiki tells Kiara—daughter of Simba and Nala—the story of her grandfather while Timon and Pumbaa add color commentary. So, in brief, the film will tell the backstory of Simba’s father, Mufasa, an orphan who grew up to be a wise, powerful, and compassionate ruler. The official logline of the film reads:

“Mufasa: The Lion King enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.”

“Mufasa: The Lion King” is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 20, 2024.