‘The Lion King’ Trailer References These Iconic Moments From Original Film
The countdown has begun! In 100 days, Disney’s highly anticipated live-action film The Lion King will finally make its way to theaters. In honor of the occasion, the House of Mouse has released a new trailer on Twitter.
Fans of the 1994 animated movie have been busy collecting scenes that pay homage to the original classic, and the trailer is chock-full of them.
The trailer opens with Simba and Nala exploring an elephant graveyard, just like in the animated classic. Scar laments in voiceover.
“Life’s not fair, is it my little friend? While some are born to feast, others spend their lives in the dark, begging for scraps.”
The line is incredibly similar to that from the original movie, in which Scar, when ready to eat a mouse, complains to his prey that “life’s not fair.”
The trailer then cuts to Mufasa showing Simba the extent of the kingdom from the top of Pride Rock, with a voiceover explaining the circle of life.
“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.”
During the narration, the trailer shows a clip of Simba putting his small paw in the large paw print of Mufasa, another direct reference.
However, the similarity that is receiving the most attention is in the following clip, which shows the water buffalo stampede. Twitter users have been voicing their dread of the sad scene.
“OMG the stampede scene is going to look too real and it is absolutely going to destroy me,” user @Captain_Hooks said.
“As a mature, 35-year-old man, I’m fully prepared to cry my eyes out when Mufasa dies,” agreed another.
“Omg my heart will break again,” concurred a third.
Just like in the original, Scar appears to blame Simba for the stampede, and tells Simba to “run away and never return.”
The trailer then alludes to more references, like the time-lapse of Simba, Timon, and Pumba during the “Hakuna Matata” sequence, as well as showing Rafiki and Nala.
The trailer ends with Simba taking his place on Pride Rock, with the classic soundtrack playing in the background.
This trailer is the second one that has been released by Disney. An earlier teaser was almost identical to the opening of the animated classic, where animals travel to Pride Rock to honor the birth of the new lion prince.
Long Live #TheLionKing. pic.twitter.com/akXdWDawLB
— The Lion King (@disneylionking) February 25, 2019
The reaction to the full-length trailer has been wildly positive, receiving nearly 3 million views and over 22,000 likes in the space of six hours. The movie also boasts a star-studded cast, with the likes of Donald Glover, Seth Rogan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodward, and John Oliver.
Beyoncé is voicing the role of Nala, and James Earl Jones, who voiced the original Mufasa in addition to his most famous role as Darth Vader, has returned to voice the iconic role once more.
The movie will be released on July 19.
