Walt Disney Pictures has released the trailer for Barry Jenkins’s prequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 “The Lion King” with “Mufasa: The Lion King,” starring Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover & John Kani. The film will be released in theaters on December 20th, 2024.
Plot Synopsis: “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.
What do you all think of the trailer? The 1994 animated classic is one of my favorite movies of all time, so you can imagine (and for those who don’t want to imagine, just listen to our podcast review) how disappointed and angry I was at how abysmal I found the 2019 “The Lion King” reimagining to be. Ever since then, I’ve hoped and prayed that Disney would not return to this, but then they announced Barry Jenkins, the director behind “Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” and “The Underground Railroad,” would be coming on board as a director. Suddenly, my interest perked back up again. I’ve long believed that if anyone can elevate the soullessness found in the 2019 film, it would be a filmmaker like Barry. And now, having seen the trailer, I feel a mixture of emotions as I hate they carried over the same bland visual style of the first film, but with an all-new story (and all new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda), I’m hopeful Barry can bring something unique to it that will surprise people. What do you all think, though? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.
