The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Moira Kelly, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Rowan Atkinson, and Robert Guillaume. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. Inspired by African wildlife, the story is modelled primarily on William Shakespeare's stage play Hamlet with some influence from the Biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, and follows a young heir apparent who is forced to flee after his uncle kills his father and usurps the throne. After growing up in exile, the rightful king returns to challenge the usurper and end his tyrannical rule over the kingdom.
Jason Christopher Marsden is an American actor, director and producer, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He is best known for his voice roles as the official voice of the Disney character Max Goof, since 1995, Chester McBadbat in The Fairly OddParents, Chase Young in Xiaolin Showdown, Nermal in The Garfield Show and the title character in the Tak and the Power of Juju video game trilogy from 2003 to 2005. He is also known for voicing Thackery Binx in Disney's cult classic film Hocus Pocus (1993).
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video musical romantic drama film. It is the sequel to Disney's 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King, with its plot influenced by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and the second installment in The Lion King trilogy. According to director Darrell Rooney, the final draft gradually became a variation of Romeo and Juliet.
The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film produced by the Australian branch of DisneyToon Studios and released direct to video on February 10, 2004. The third and final installment released in the original Lion King trilogy, it is based on The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa and serves as an origin story for the meerkat/warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa while the film is also set within the events of The Lion King (1994). A majority of the original voice cast from the first film returns to reprise their roles, including Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as the voices of Timon and Pumbaa, respectively. The plot of the movie is inspired by Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a tragicomedy that tells the story of Hamlet from the point of view of two minor characters. The Lion King 1½ received generally positive reviews from critics.
Howard Earl Bailey Jr., known professionally as Chingy, is an American rapper from St. Louis, Missouri. He toured as an opening act with fellow St. Louis rapper Nelly in 2002, and signed with Georgia rapper Ludacris' record label, Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP) that same year. Released in a joint-venture with Capitol Records, his 2003 debut single, "Right Thurr" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Chingy specialized in catchy, club-friendly beats and simplistic lyrics delivered in a sing-song, nursery rhyme style.
Simba is a fictional character in Disney's The Lion King franchise. First appearing as a lion cub in The Lion King (1994), the character flees his homeland when his father, King Mufasa, is killed by his treacherous uncle, Scar. Several years later, Simba returns home as an adult to reconcile his childhood trauma, confront Scar, and reclaim his place as King of the Pride Lands. He subsequently appears in the sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) and The Lion King 1½ (2004). Simba was originally voiced by actors Matthew Broderick and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as an adult and cub, respectively; various actors have voiced the character in related media.
Madge Dorita Sinclair CD was a Jamaican actress best known for her roles in Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975), Convoy (1978), Coming to America (1988), Trapper John, M.D. (1980–1986), and the ABC TV miniseries Roots (1977). Sinclair also voiced the character of Sarabi, Mufasa's mate and Simba's mother, in the Disney animated feature film The Lion King (1994). A five-time Emmy Award nominee, Sinclair won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series for her role as "Empress" Josephine in Gabriel's Fire in 1991.
"One Call Away" is a song by American rapper Chingy, featuring actor Jason Weaver singing the chorus, credited as J-Weav. It was released as the third and final single off his debut album, Jackpot (2003), on January 12, 2004. It was released through Capitol Records and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace label. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart for three weeks, and peaked at numbers three and six on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts, respectively. It also reached the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. A video for the single was released that featured actress Keisha Knight-Pulliam and streetball player Philip "Hot Sauce" Champion.
Joseph Stanley Williams is an American singer, songwriter and film score composer, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Toto from 1986 to 1988 and again since 2010. Williams is a son of actress Barbara Ruick and prolific film composer John Williams. Outside of Toto, he has worked as a composer and studio vocalist, including providing the singing voice of adult Simba in the 1994 animated film The Lion King.
Nala is a fictional character in Disney's The Lion King film franchise. Introduced in the animated film The Lion King (1994), Nala subsequently appears as a less prominent character in the film's sequels The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) and The Lion King 1½ (2004), and serves as a recurring character in The Lion Guard (2015–2019). In the original animated film trilogy, the adult Nala is voiced by American actress Moira Kelly. Young Nala's speaking voice in the original film is provided by actress Niketa Calame, while singers Laura Williams and Sally Dworsky provide the singing voices of young and adult Nala respectively. Nala is introduced as the daughter of an unnamed lion and Sarafina, the best friend of Simba, and ultimately becomes his wife as well as the daughter-in-law of Mufasa and Sarabi and the niece-in-law of Scar by the end of The Lion King. Nala becomes Simba's wife as well as his Queen Consort. Nala is also the mother of Kiara and Kion, and in The Lion King: Six New Adventures, she is the mother of Kopa.
Timon and Pumbaa are an animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King and its franchise. Timon was played through his many appearances by Nathan Lane, Max Casella, Kevin Schon, Quinton Flynn, Bruce Lanoil in the Wild About Safety shorts and Kingdom Hearts II, while Pumbaa is voiced by Ernie Sabella, and was portrayed by Tom Alan Robbins in the original cast of the Broadway musical. In the CGI remake, the characters are portrayed by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, respectively. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella first came to audition for the roles of the hyenas, but when the producers saw how well they worked together, they decided to cast them as Timon and Pumbaa.
Jason Raize Rothenberg, known professionally as Jason Raize, was an American actor, singer, and former Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. He was best known for his roles as the adult Simba in the Broadway stage musical version of The Lion King and the voice of Denahi in the animated Disney film Brother Bear.
"I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is a song written by Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics) for the Disney animated feature film The Lion King (1994). The song is performed by American actor and singer Jason Weaver as the singing voice of young Simba, with English actor Rowan Atkinson and American actress Laura Williams providing supporting vocals in their roles as Zazu and the singing voice of young Nala, respectively.
"Don't Worry" is a song by American rapper Chingy with guest vocals from singer Janet Jackson, released as the second promotional single from his second album Powerballin', which sold over two million copies worldwide and served as the follow-up to his debut album Jackpot. A music video was not filmed.
"Hakuna Matata" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. The music was written by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is based on Timon and Pumbaa's catchphrase in the movie, Hakuna matata, a Swahili phrase meaning "No worry(ies)".
"Circle of Life" is the song from Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M as the film's opening song. In an interview, Rice said he was amazed at the speed with which John composed: "I gave him the lyrics at the beginning of the session at about two in the afternoon. By half-past three, he'd finished writing and recording a stunning demo." John sang a pop version of the song with the London Community Gospel Choir, which was included in the film's soundtrack and made into a music video.
The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of animated original 1994 American feature film, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and prequel, a live-action remake in 2019, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The franchise, led by the musical's box office at $8.1 billion, is the highest-grossing entertainment property. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.
Trevor Howard Lawrence Jackson is an American actor and singer. He is best known for portraying Aaron Jackson on Freeform original series Grown-ish, Kevin Blake on Syfy original series Eureka, Kris McDuffy on Disney Channel's television movie Let It Shine, and Kevin LaCroix on American Crime. Other notable appearances include Broadway musical The Lion King, where he played the Young Simba, and television guest star roles on both Cold Case and Harry's Law. In 2012, he won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series. In 2018, he starred as the lead of the crime drama film Superfly as Priest.
The Lion King is a 2019 American musical drama film directed by Jon Favreau, written by Jeff Nathanson, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Fairview Entertainment. It is a photorealistic animated remake of Disney's traditionally animated 1994 film The Lion King. The film stars the voices of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Florence Kasumba, Eric André, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, with Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and James Earl Jones. The plot follows Simba, a young lion who must embrace his role as the rightful king of his homeland following the murder of his father, Mufasa, at the hands of his uncle, Scar.
Jaydon McCrary is an American actor, dancer and singer. He is best known for his turn as Kenny Payne in The Paynes on the Oprah Winfrey Network. He starred in The Lion King (2019) as the voice of young Simba. He is signed to Hollywood Records and released his first extended play Shine, in April 2019. His song "Keep In Touch" was featured in dancing video game Just Dance 2020.
Jason Weaver IMDb photo 