| The Lion King | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Allers Rob Minkoff |
| Produced by | Steve O'Brien Don Hahn |
| Written by | Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts Linda Woolverton |
| Based on | Disney's The Lion King by Irene Mecchi Jonathan Roberts Linda Woolverton |
| Starring | James Marsden James Earl Jones Ralph Fiennes Kristen Wiig Patton Oswalt Brad Garrett Hank Azaria Keegan-Michael Key Taraji P. Henson Steve Buscemi Alan Tudyk Jamie Lee Curtis |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer |
| Edited by | Seamus O'Toole |
| Production companies |
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Wonder Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date | February 26, 2025 |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90 million |
| Box office | $1.197 billion |
The Lion King is a 2025 American computer-animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Wonder Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a remake of Disney's 1994 traditionally-animated film of the same name and the sixth CGI remake of a Disney classic. The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, who directed the original film. In the film's ensemble voice cast, James Marsden, Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Wiig, Patton Oswalt, Brad Garrett, Hank Azaria, Keegan-Michael Key, Taraji P. Henson, Steve Buscemi, Alan Tudyk, and Jamie Lee Curtis provide the new voices for Simba, Scar, Nala, Timon, Zazu, Rafiki, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, and Sarabi, while James Earl Jones reprises his role as Mufasa.
The Lion King was released in movie theaters in the United States on February 26, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences for its animation, music, voice acting, and faithfulness to the original film. The film has grossed $1.197 billion worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing animated films of 2026 and the highest-grossing theatrically-released CGI Disney remake.
Plot[]
In the Pride Lands in Africa, a pride of lions rule over the animal kingdom from Pride Rock. King Mufasa's and Queen Sarabi's newborn son, Simba, is presented to the gathering animals by Rafiki the mandrill, the kingdom's shaman and advisor. Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands and explains to him the responsibilities of kingship and the "circle of life", which connects all living things. Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, covets the throne and plots to end Mufasa and Simba, so he may become king.
He tricks Simba and his best friend Nala into exploring a forbidden elephants' graveyard, where they are attacked by three hyenas named Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Mufasa is alerted about the incident by his majordomo, the hornbill Zazu, and rescues the cubs. Although upset with Simba, Mufasa forgives him and explains that the great kings of the past watch over them from the night sky, from which he will one day watch over Simba. Meanwhile, Scar visits the hyenas and manages to convince them to help him overthrow Mufasa in exchange for hunting rights in the Pride Lands.
Scar sets a trap for his brother and nephew, luring Simba into a gorge and having the hyenas drive a large herd of wildebeest into a stampede that will trample. He informs Mufasa of Simba's peril, knowing that the king will rush to save his son. Mufasa saves Simba but ends up hanging perilously from the gorge's edge. Scar refuses to help Mufasa, instead sending him falling to his death. He then convinces Simba that the tragedy was Simba's own fault and advises him to leave the kingdom and never return. He orders the hyenas to kill the cub, but Simba escapes. Scar tells the pride that both Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and steps forward as the new king, allowing Shenzi's clan to live in the Pride Lands.
Simba collapses in a desert and is rescued by Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog duo. Simba grows up in the oasis with his new friends and other animals in their oasis, living a carefree live under the motto "hakuna matata" ("no worries" in Swahili). Now a young adult, Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who turns out to be Nala, who is also grown up. She and Simba reunite and fall in love, and she urges him to return home, telling him that the Pride Lands have become a drought-stricken wasteland under Scar's reign. Feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off. He then encounters Rafiki, who tells him that Mufasa's spirit lives on in Simba. Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him that he must take his rightful place as king. Realizing that he can no longer run from his past, Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands.
Aided by his friends, Simba sneaks past the hyenas at Pride Rock and confronts Scar, who was about to fight Sarabi. Scar taunts Simba over his role in Mufasa's death and backs him to the edge of the rock, where he reveals to him that he murdered Mufasa. Enraged, Simba forces him to show the truth to the rest of the pride. Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses fend off the hyenas where Scar, attempting to escape, is cornered by Simba at a ledge near the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for mercy and attempts to blame his crimes on the hyenas; Simba spares his life but orders him to leave the Pride Lands forever. Scar refuses and attacks his nephew, but Simba manages to throw him off the cliff after a brief fight. Scar survives the fall but is attacked and mauled to death by the hyenas, who overheard his attempt to betray them.
Afterward, Simba takes over the kingship and makes Nala his queen. With the Pride Lands restored to its usual state, Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub to the assembled animals, continuing the circle of life.
Cast[]
- James Marsden as Simba
- James Earl Jones as Mufasa
- Ralph Fiennes as Scar
- Kristen Wiig as Nala
- Patton Oswalt as Timon
- Brad Garrett as Pumbaa
- Hank Azaria as Zazu
- Keegan-Michael Key as Rafiki
- Taraji P. Henson as Shenzi
- Steve Buscemi as Banzai
- Alan Tudyk as Ed
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Sarabi
- Izaac Wang as Young Simba
- Vivienne Marcheline-Jolie Pitt as Young Nala
Reception[]
Box office[]
In North America, The Lion King was projected to gross $150--175 million in its opening weekend. The film closed from theaters on September 28, 2025, earning $566 million in North America and $631 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $1.197 billion worldwide, on a $90 million budget.
Critical response[]
The Lion King was praised by critics and audiences alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 93% approval rating based on 203 reviews. The consensus reads, "For a CGI Disney remake, The Lion King seems content to brilliantly recapture the original film's spirit and engage both newcomers and audiences who grew up with it". On Metacritic, it has a score of 78 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.