Disney presents the first trailer for the live action film “Mufasa: The Lion King”

“Mufasa: The Lion King” will hit theaters on December 20. The film will be a prequel to the live-action remake of the Disney classic that Jon Favreau directed in 2019 and will tell the story of Simba’s father. And more than half a year before its release date, Disney has already revealed a trailer that promises great things for the protagonist… As Rafiki predicts: “The earth will shake.”

“This story begins far beyond the mountains and the shadows, on the other side of the light,” The wise voice of the shaman primate begins in the preview, which lasts just over a minute. And the unmistakable melody of An Endless Cycle that plays in the first seconds does not accompany the characteristic images of the African savanna that the viewer would expect, but rather the landscape that the trailer initially shows is that of snow-capped peaks.

The film will explore the childhood of Simba’s father, who, unlike Simba, is born “without a single drop of noble blood” and, yet, is capable of changing many lives forever. Like his son, he must travel a path full of difficulties until he becomes the king he is destined to be.

The character of Mufasa played a key role in the 1994 animated film The Lion King. However, since the film focused on Simba, little is known about him, leaving room to create an entirely new story. .

After the success of the remake of The Lion King for Disney, with more than $1.6 billion in box office receipts, the mouse house made the decision to expand the franchise and the prequel focused on Simba’s father has been the first step. . “There is a lot of ground to explore if we can find the stories,” explained Sean Bailey, the president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, in an interview with The New York Times.

This new installment, directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), will continue with the photorealistic style of its predecessor. In addition, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen and John Kani will return to provide their voices in the original version as Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki, respectively.

On the other hand, Aaron Pierre will lend his voice to young Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. to Scar who, before receiving the scar by which he would be known, was called Taka, according to Slash Film.