Disney unveils first look of Jon Favreau’s ‘The Lion King’

Team Udayavani, Nov 23, 2018, 1:42 PM IST

Los Angeles: Disney has dropped a teaser of its much-awaited CGI retelling of 1994 beloved animated feature “The Lion King”.

The 90-second-long teaser of the Jon Favreau-directed film opens with a shot of quaint sunrise and soon introduces the daring yet confident voiceover of James Earl Jones as Mufasa. The actor had voiced the character in 1994 original as well.

“Everything the light touches is our kingdom. But a king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun,” says Mufasa as the teaser introduces the viewers to young Simba.

As the iconic shot of Rafiki presenting the young cub to the animals of the Pride Lands is shown, Mufasa says in the background, “One day, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.” 

The film’s stellar voice cast is being led by Donald Glover as Simba; Beyonce Knowles-Carter as Nala and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar.

English actor John Oliver will voice Zazu, the bird who acts as the king’s adviser, while Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan take on the comedy duo of meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa.

The 1994 original won an Academy award and Golden Globe for the best original soundtrack.

It was reported earlier this year that four songs – “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, “Hakuna Matata”, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Circle of Life” — will all feature in the new version.

The film is scheduled to come out on July 19th, 2019.

All eyes are on Favreau after “The Jungle Book”, another beloved Disney classic that he directed to mega success.