Disney’s remake of the 1994 classic The Lion King just got its very first trailer, in the form of a quick minute and a half teaser aired during the NFL’s traditional Thanksgiving primetime game in the US.
The film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and helmed by Iron Man director Jon Favreau, is a photorealistic, computer animated movie featuring a staggering number of high-profile voice actors, including Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, and James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa.
Hans Zimmer is also returning to score the film, while Elton John is coming back to rework some of his original compositions.
In the trailer, we can see what look like the opening moments of the movie, in which Rafiki presents a young Simba to the animals of the Pride Lands, with the quintessential shot of Simba being hoisted above the rock.
All the while, James Earl Jones’ narration as Mufasa plays while the original film’s opening track, “Circle of Life,” can be heard in the background.
The film is scheduled to come out on July 19th, 2019.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, the trailer is a comforting blanket of warm fuzziness, starting with the fact that it showcases a verbatim repeat of the legendary opening scene you know and love: when Rafiki the baboon presents the future king cub to his people. And yes, it’s just as adorable as you were hoping.
Add in the familiar Hans Zimmer score, the familiarity of James Earl Jones’ steady narration as he reprises his role as Mufasa, and the glow of watching a beautifully convincing CGI version of Simba blink his sleepy, confused eyes as he looks upon his domain for the first time, and it’s all calculated to give you a deep, sated holiday glow in your chest.
In other words, there’s no way you aren’t watching this a zillion times while you fumble blindly for the nearest box of tissues.
