The first trailer for The Lion King has finally released. This is one of the most-anticipated Disney films of 2019, due to release in July next year, and fans have been eager to get a glimpse of director Jon Favreau’s handiwork ever since footage screened at D23. Now it’s here, above all, this new Lion King trailer stresses a remarkable sense of continuity between the animated classic and the upcoming live-action adaptation, with Favreau reproducing some of the most beloved scenes in Disney history.
The Lion King is entirely CGI-created, with Donald Glover in the starring role of Simba, and Beyoncé as Nala. The award-winning singer is even collaborating with Elton John on a brand new song for the remake.
Watch ‘The Lion King‘ 2019 trailer:
The Lion King trailer ends with a brief glimpse of the adult Simba, who steps up to Pride Rock and roars to declare that the King has returned. It’s a stunning moment, filled with power and emotion, and is perhaps the best show that the remake is nailing the most important aspects of the original.
6 Facts about ‘The Lion King‘:
- The Lion King was the first Disney animated film to feature a completely original storyline—that is, one that was not an adaptation of a pre-existing story.
- The first script was titled King of Beasts, then King of the Jungle
- “Hakuna Matata” wasn’t originally in the script; instead, there was a song about eating bugs called “He’s Got it All Worked Out.” According to Minkoff, “We couldn’t convince everybody that making the entire song about eating bugs was a good idea. Soon after, the research team came back from their trip to Africa with the phrase ‘Hakuna Matata’. We talked about it in a meeting with Tim Rice—and that’s when the idea struck. I remember Tim saying, ‘Hmmm… Hakuna Matata. It’s a bit like Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.’ A song was born!”
- The Lion King is the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated feature of all time with a total box office of over $987 million; it is also the third highest-grossing animated feature in general, the 19th highest-grossing film of all time, and the best-selling videotape of all time.
- Screenwriter Irene Mecchi said in “The Making of The Lion King” that the idea for the movie was first presented to her as “Hamlet in Africa with Bambi thrown in, so Bamblet.”
- According to a 1995 article in Entertainment Weekly, Disney made more than $1 billion on Lion King merchandise in 1994.