The Lion King

References

The Lion King

film by Favreau [2019]

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The 2019 film The Lion King is a photorealistic computer-animated musical drama directed by Jon Favreau. It is a remake of the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name.123

The story follows Simba, a young lion prince who is forced to flee his kingdom after his uncle Scar murders his father, King Mufasa, and seizes the throne. Simba grows up in exile, but eventually returns to challenge Scar and reclaim his rightful place as king. The film features songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, with music by Hans Zimmer. The film's visual effects were highly praised, earning an Oscar for their realism.31

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Beyoncé
Acting career and soundtracks
…the 2019 remake of Disney’s The Lion King, Beyoncé voiced the character of Nala and performed several songs on the soundtrack, including “Spirit,” an original song she cowrote, and a rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” She also concurrently released an album inspired by the movie, The Lion…
Read More
…the 2019 remake of Disney’s The Lion King, Beyoncé voiced the character of Nala and performed several songs on the soundtrack, including “Spirit,” an original song she cowrote, and a rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” She also concurrently released an album inspired by the movie, The Lion…
Read More

Jon Favreau
Marvel blockbusters and Disney movies
…directed another animated Disney movie, The Lion King (2019).
Read More
…directed another animated Disney movie, The Lion King (2019).
Read More

Donald Glover
Acting, writing, and producing career
…computer-generated imagery “live-action” version of The Lion King (2019) and its prequel Mufasa: The Lion King (2024).
Read More
…computer-generated imagery “live-action” version of The Lion King (2019) and its prequel Mufasa: The Lion King (2024).
Read More

James Earl Jones
Voice work and television
…reprise his role in the 2019 remake. In addition, in 1977 he won a Grammy Award for best spoken word recording for Great American Documents.
Read More
…reprise his role in the 2019 remake. In addition, in 1977 he won a Grammy Award for best spoken word recording for Great American Documents.
Read More

John Oliver
Other projects
…to Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King. During the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America strike, Oliver teamed up with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyersto create the podcast Strike Force Five, in order to support their out-of-work staff and striking writers. The series
Read More
…to Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King. During the 2023 Writers’ Guild of America strike, Oliver teamed up with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyersto create the podcast Strike Force Five, in order to support their out-of-work staff and striking writers. The series
Read More

Seth Rogen
Later credits: Steve Jobs, Sausage Party, and The Studio
…the 2019 remake of Disney’s The Lion King. In the comedy An American Pickle (2020), he was cast as a Jewish immigrant who falls into a vat at a pickle factory and is rescued 100 years later, perfectly preserved.
Read More
…the 2019 remake of Disney’s The Lion King. In the comedy An American Pickle (2020), he was cast as a Jewish immigrant who falls into a vat at a pickle factory and is rescued 100 years later, perfectly preserved.
Read More