New Lion King Trailer Reveals More Familiar Faces
Hail to the king — and the other talking animals in the kingdom he rules.
Walt Disney Studios has unraveled a brand-new trailer for the forthcoming Lion King remake, this time showing off familiar faces fans know and love (and fear, in one particular case) from the '90s animated classic.
Though not technically a live-action remake since the film uses photorealistic CGI rather than, you know, footage of actual animals out in the wild, the new take on The Lion King has a strikingly real feel to it — starting with its cast of characters. Fans marveled at how incredible Simba (voiced by Donald Glover) and his father Mufasa (James Earl Jones, who reprises his voice role from the original film) looked in the first sneak peeks at the Lion King reimagining, and now they're gushing over the ensemble cast.
In this new trailer, we see a collection of characters in stunning detail: Chiwetel Ejiofor's Scar, Simba's nefarious uncle who is hell-bent on taking Pride Lands throne for himself as he believes he deserves it more than his brother Mufasa; Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's Nala, Simba's longtime friend and eventual love interest; Seth Rogen's Pumbaa, the goofy and energetic warthog who adopts Simba after he runs away from home following a particularly tragic event; Billy Eichner's Timon, the witty little meerkat and best friend of Pumbaa who also cares for Simba; John Kani's Rafiki, the eccentric mandrill who delivers wisdom to the Pride Lands as its shaman; and John Oliver's Zazu, the somewhat paranoid red-billed hornbill who serves as Mufasa's advisor and later Simba's.
Past looks at The Lion King featured voiceovers from a few characters, but this footage is extra-special in that it offers the first clips of some of the animals speaking on camera. Scar snarls at Simba, "Life's not fair, is it, my little friend? While some are born to feast, others spend their lives in the dark, begging for scraps." He later tells him to run away and never return — an urging that opens up a window for Scar to complete his dark and twisted plan. Elsewhere, Mufasa shares with Simba a powerful message: "Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give."
The fresh footage also teases iconic scenes from the original Lion King remade in brilliant CGI — like the heartbreaking wildebeest avalanche, Rafiki sketching Simba's face on a rock with his hands, a young Simba pouncing on bugs, an adult Nala and Simba reuniting by the water, and the montage of Simba growing older as he, Timon, and Pumbaa walk across a log. Just after the title card and cast list flashes across screen, the trailer teases yet another classic moment: Timon and Pumbaa vocalizing the melody of "Hakuna Matata."
Check it out in the video above.
With each new look at the Lion King remake we get, the more confident we are that the film will be a smash. Director Jon Favreau clearly knows what he's doing here, having directed the Academy Award-winning remake of The Jungle Book from 2016. Though most reimaginings aren't quite as good as the original, and while some Disney fans will live and die by the original Lion King, Favreau's vision of the beloved tale is undeniably dazzling. The film is out in theaters on July 19, so there should be at least one more trailer and a few posters headed our way before then, giving us an even better idea of the remake's chances at success.