Disclosure: I received a copy of The Lion King complimentary in exchange for my review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Lion King Digital and Blu-ray Release
The highest grossing animated film of all time, Disney’s 2019 The Lion King digital and Blu-ray release is almost here! (Yes that’s right, it may seem live action, but it was a completely animated film made amazingly photorealistic). It’s now out on digital as of October 11th, and coming to Blu-ray October 22nd.
I rather enjoyed this film, and thought it was a great way to re-experience the magic of The Lion King for someone like myself who grew up with the movie. You can read my whole review for the film here, so we can dive into the amazing bonus features.
Bonus Features
I just spent my weekend morning enjoying the bonus features, which I’ll share a little bit about my thoughts with you below:
- More to be Scene: “Hakuna Matata” – This bonus feature shows a side by side of “Hakuna Matata” as its seen in the 2019 film, with the actors Billy Eichner (Timon), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), and Donald Glover (adult Simba) singing “Hakuna Matata” in the recording booth. (I appreciated that Glover had his Lando facial hair during this recording)
- More to be Scene: “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” – This is like the bonus feature above, where you see a side-by-side of the actors John Oliver (Zazu), JD McCrary (young Simba), and Shahadi Wright Joseph (young Nala) singing “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” in the recording studio alongside footage from the film and storyboard art.
- More to be Scene: “Circle of Life” – Showing the side-by-side of the film and artists recording the song.
- Journey to The Lion King: The Music – This shows how Hans Zimmer and Pharrell helped the voice actors with their musical performances, and includes lots of clips in the recording studio!
- Journey to The Lion King: The Magic – This goes through the process of creating the animation of the film observing blocking and acting that the voice actors would do if they were acting out the movie in real life. They also talk about creating the virtual reality world made to build the sets for The Lion King.
- Journey to The Lion King: The Timeless Tale – Talks about the legacy of the original animated The Lion King.
- Protect the Pride – This talks about the ways that Disney and National Geographic helps with lion conservation efforts.
- Pridelands-Pedia – This bonus feature is geared more towards kids, and educates about the animals we can see in the movie.
- Audio Commentary – With Jon Favreau
- Sing-a-longs
- Music Videos
