If you can break yourself away from your turkey dinner for a few minutes, Disney has just released the official teaser trailer for Walt Disney Studios’ live-action remake of “The Lion King.” Jon Favreau directs the all-new “The Lion King” where a future king must overcome betrayal and tragedy on the savanna to assume his rightful place on Pride Rock. The photo-realistic computer animated version joins Disney’s other recent attempts to update their animated classics for a new audience.
I remember going to the movie theater in 1994 to see the live action Disney movie “The Jungle Book” starring Jason Scott Lee because it was also previewing the opening sequence of the animated feature “The Lion King.” From the moment of the first note, through all the animals crossing the savanna through, to Rafiki lifting baby Simba all over Elton John’s soaring “Circle of Life.” song and Hans Zimmer’s amazing score, I feel in love and have been a huge fan of the movie, the theme park parades and shows, and the Broadway version ever since.
This teaser, I’m watching at home on my laptop. Not quite the same experience, but it’s still an impressive feat when you remember everything you see there is computer animated. Even with just a few scenes, I know I have to see more. It will be great to hear the score and songs again accompanying the vision of a new group of artists.
What both movies also have in common is the great James Earl Jones as the voice of Mufasa. From the teaser it seems evident there will be a lot more in common too. We’re definitely not ready to see Mufasa die again, but it looks like we’ll be treated to that as well. So pack tissues.
In addition to Jones, the live action “The Lion King” features the voices of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key, and Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
Are you ready to see Disney’s “The Lion King” when it returns to rule theatres on July 19, 2019?