“Nants ingonyama bagithi baba.”
That might look like double Deutsch, but it’s actually the iconic opening words to “The Circle of Life,” which literally translates to ‘there comes a lion’ – fitting, really, given that it’s now synonymous with The Lion King, Disney’s timeless classic that tells the story of young cub following in his father’s footsteps.
And now, much like Cinderella and The Jungle Book before it, The Lion King will be receiving a fresh lick of paint this summer thanks to Jon Favreau, who’ll be taking us back to the Pride Lands for a live-action adventure the likes of which we’ve never seen before. That’s mostly because an absolutely incredible ensemble cast has been assembled here, featuring everyone from Donald Glover (Solo: A Star Wars Story) to Beyoncé to the frankly irreplaceable James Earl Jones.
And now, with its release date quickly approaching, Disney has dropped a new trailer online. Though not terribly long, its mix of vibrant cinematography, richly textured CGI, and of course, a few familiar music cues, should hit all the right notes to get fans emotional and maybe even a bit misty-eyed.
Overall, it’s another promising look at the upcoming live-action remake and has us hopeful that Favreau will strike gold again after his success with The Jungle Book. Something tells us we have nothing to worry about though, especially because of that aforementioned cast that Disney’s lined up.
The Lion King is the last of the three remakes that the studio’s releasing this year, after March’s Dumbo and May’s Aladdin. We wouldn’t be surprised if the films pull in more cash as they go along, too, with the Savanna-set epic poised to bring in a ton of money at the box office.
