Jon Favreau’s The Lion King Gets Its First Teaser

AAAAAH ZEBENYA!!!

It’s fair to say that The Lion King stands tall as one of the greatest animated films of all time. The characters, songs and exquisitely crafted visuals are practically timeless, managing to enrapture one generation after another. While many will claim that the original can never be bested, we can’t deny that we’re way too excited to see what Jon Favreau has up his sleeve in regards to the live-action remake. Given how he succeeded with The Jungle Book, we’re oddly optimistic – especially after seeing the first teaser trailer.

According to an article on Empire –

Ever since it was announced, there has been a mixture of consternation and anticipation surrounding Jungle Book director Jon Favreau’s updated version of The Lion King. Could his CG critter-driven version truly live up to the legacy of the original? From the first footage on display here, he’s certainly brought an impressive visual palette.

There are several touchstones from the original to be found here – mostly notably narration from James Earl Jones’ Mufasa (because only the original Mufasa will suffice) and the call for the animals to meet the new young ‘un Simba.

The voice cast here also includes Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Beyonce, Billy Eichner and John Oliver. The Lion King will be out on 19 July next year.

From what we’ve seen so far, the visual effects look just as impressive as they did in Favreau’s previous Disney venture, so there’s little doubt we’re going to be blown way when I Just Can’t Wait To Be King leaps on screen. Let’s just hope that it manages to hold its own and not suffocate under the overwhelming nostalgia of the original.

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Songs from The Lion King Franchise.