Mufasa: The Lion King trailer offers our first glimpse at the Disney origin story

Discover the origins of a legend in the first trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King. This Disney prequel presents the early years of the magisterial Mufasa, later to become the father of Simba who staked his claim to Pride Rock in both the animated and CG versions of The Lion King (released in 1994 and 2019).

Before Simba's birth, Mufasa was a plucky young lion cub destined to find his way in the world, albeit one that doesn't stem from a royal bloodline (according to the trailer). Here is the new poster.

Image of Mufasa: The Lion King movie poster


In the words of the official 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."

There's a strong pedigree for this one. The director is Barry Jenkins of the Oscar-winning drama Moonlight who is making his first venture into photo-realistic CG animation. Disney veteran Lin-Manuel Miranda (Moana; Mary Poppins Returns) is composing the songs. And then there's the voice cast.

Aaron Pierre (Foe; Brother) voices the young Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr (Chevalier) voices Taka, a lion prince with a bright future who accepts Mufasa into his family as a brother. One assumes that Taka will later adopt the pseudonym Scar – and we know where that relationship goes.

The voice cast also includes Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) and Thandiwe Newton (Crash). All in all, plenty of reasons to be excited for the next (actually first) chapter in the Lion King saga.

Watch the trailer below and get ready for Mufasa: The Lion King's release on December 20th. If you can't wait that long, click the link below the trailer to discover 2024's upcoming family movies.


Click the link below for details of this year's must-see family movies.

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