Interview

Special/Visual Effects

Oscar Watch: The Lion King’s VFX Supervisor’s Groundbreaking New Techniques

Earlier this year, Disney’s live-action remake of The Lion King landed as both a critical and box office hit. Pride Rock looked stunning. The animals appeared real. No creatures were harmed in the making of the film, and Beyoncé herself played Nala, protagonist Simba’s level-headed love interest and future queen. Alongside a star-studded cast, The ...

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  January 8, 2020

Interview

Sound Designer

Meet the Sound Team That Helped The Lion King Roar

After a massive worldwide opening weekend, it’s safe to say the iconic songs from 1994 Disney animated classic The Lion King are still infectious. In the retelling of the story, not only did director Jon Favreau bring back the original Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and songs from Elton John and Tim Rice, but he added ...

By Daron James  |  July 23, 2019

Interview

Actor

Shahadi Wright Joseph on Becoming the Young Nala in The Lion King

Young Nala in Disney’s new remake of The Lion King (which opens today) might be a lioness cub, but she’s nothing less than a princess. After all, Nala grows up to be Queen, at which she’s played by none other than Beyoncé. But the young Nala, voiced by 14-year-old Shahadi Wright Joseph, is very much ...

By Loren King  |  July 19, 2019
Listen to Beyoncé’s Single “Spirit” From The Lion King

The early reactions to the new, gorgeously rendered The Lion King hail a masterpiece of visual storytelling. Among the many aspects of director Jon Favreau’s updated take on the 1994 animated classic that wowed the critics was Beyoncé‘s turn as the lioness Nala. Now you can listen to Bey’s new single from the film, “Spirit,” which ...

By The Credits  |  July 10, 2019
The Lion King Early Reactions Hail A Roaring Achievement

Director Jon Favreau‘s The Lion King held its first screening last night, which means the initial reactions are now stampeding in. This reboot of the beloved 1994 animated classic had a lot to live up to. As he did for his 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, Favreau and his team used cutting edge technology to render, ...

By The Credits  |  July 10, 2019
Stars of The Lion King Announce “Protect the Pride” Initiative

Who says mass popular entertainment can’t also be a force for good? In a new video stars from the upcoming The Lion King, it’s Scar himself (actually, it’s the man who voices him, Chiwetel Ejiofor) who alerts us to a sobering fact: since the release of the original animated film 25-years ago, the number of lions ...

By Bryan Abrams  |  June 26, 2019
Watch Beyonce Speak as Nala in new The Lion King Spot

As we approach the premiere of Jon Favreau’s The Lion King reboot, Disney has been slowly revealing the film’s shockingly gorgeous look. This retelling of the beloved 1994 animated classic has been made to look as close to photorealistic as you could reasonably hope for, rendering Simba, Mufasa and the rest of the animal kingdom of the ...

By The Credits  |  June 4, 2019
The Lion King‘s new Images & Posters Tease Film’s Gorgeous Photo-Realism

There’s one thing we know for certain about Jon Favreau‘s live-action remake of The Lion King—it looks stunning. Now a fresh batch of posters and images reinforce just how precise filmmaking technology has become, allowing Favreau to take the beloved 1994 original and turn it into this lush, photo-realistic take on one of Disney’s most iconic ...

By The Credits  |  May 31, 2019
The Official Lion King Trailer is a Stunner

The first official trailer for Jon Favreau‘s The Lion King is stunning. Favreau is now a veteran of transforming Disney classics with the best available computer animation technology in the business. His first crack at it was his critically acclaimed reboot of The Jungle Book, but as beloved as the 1967 animated film version was, The Lion ...

By The Credits  |  April 10, 2019
New Trailer for The Lion King Drops During the Oscars

And the Oscar for Best Trailer Drop goes to… Disney unveiled its newest trailer for upcoming summer blockbuster The Lion King on Sunday during the 91st Academy Awards, on Hollywood’s biggest night. This follows last November’s rousing first look at the live-action remake, which became the second most-watched trailer in history in 24 hours, raking ...

By Jessy Diamba  |  February 25, 2019
The Lion King Trailer is 2nd Most Watched in History in 24 Hours

Perhaps you caught The Lion King trailer while in a state of well-fed sedation during Thanksgiving? That’s when Walt Disney Studios decided to drop the first teaser trailer for their upcoming live-action take on one of their most beloved animated classics, and it was enough to rouse anyone from turkey-induced catatonia. Jon Favreau’s film, at least from what ...

By Bryan Abrams  |  November 26, 2018
Seth Rogen Shares an Awesome Lion King Cast Photo from the Studio

This cast photo from The Lion King will give you those ‘Hakuna Matata’ vibes all day long. Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner, and director Jon Favreau had no worries as they posed in the recording studio together. Rogen shared the photo on social media yesterday of the live action voice actors. Glover will star ...

By Kelle Long  |  October 18, 2018
All Hail Queen Bey: The Lion King Live Action Cast is A Dream Come True

The Lion King live action remake has found its Queen, and the news is better than we ever dared to dream. Disney tweeted the full cast lineup, and the biggest announcement was that Beyoncé has officially accepted the role of Nala. #TheLionKing. 2019. pic.twitter.com/UMJo18FwDt — Disney (@Disney) November 1, 2017 Queen Bey has truly given ...

By  |  November 2, 2017
The Lion King Live-Action Remake Casts Seth Rogen & Billy Eichner as Timon & Pumbaa

We wrote about director Jon Favreau’s passion for taking on The Lion King live-action remake. Disney knew they had the right person for the job after his ace job handling The Junlge Book live-action remake, and now, they’ve got two very funny actors for the film’s funniest characters, Timon and Pumbaa. The Wrap reports that ...

By  |  April 26, 2017
Jon Favreau Talks Live-Action Lion King at Tribeca Film Festival

Director Jon Favreau is no stranger to huge expectations. When he took on directing a live-action remake of Disney’s beloved 1967 animated classic The Jungle Book, he had his work cut out for him. What he and his team pulled off in their version was stunning, a lush, fully realized world of bears, panthers, pythons, ...

By  |  April 24, 2017
The Jungle Book‘s Jon Favreau to Direct Live-Action The Lion King Remake

Walt Disney Studios has found their man to direct a live-action remake of their blockbuster 1994 animated smash The Lion King. And why wouldn’t it be Jon Favreau? He just directed another Disney smash, the live-action remake of The Jungle Book, which was a critical and commercial homerun. Now Favreau will be taking on an ...

By  |  September 28, 2016