The first trailer for Disney’s remake of The Lion King is here, and looks absolutely stunning.
Disney hasn’t held back from reimagining its beloved animated movies in “live-action” (or in The Lion King’s case, photoreal animation), including Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). Returning to carry on the legacy with The Lion King is the director of The Jungle Book and Iron Man, Jon Favreau.
The star-studded cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, Billy Eichner as Timon and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa. James Earl Jones, the original voice of Mufasa, returns to reprise the role. Hans Zimmer returns the the score and Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated with Beyoncé to rework the soundtrack.
This first trailer basically replicates the original “Circle of Life” opening from the original, with nearly all the same camera moves. But now it’s photorealistic — so that’s something.
Other upcoming live-action remakes include Dumbo (2019), Aladdin (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019), Mulan (2020) and the most recently announced, Lilo and Stitch.
The Lion King is set to premiere on the 25th anniversary of the original’s release: July 19, 2019
