Fans of the animated classic “The Lion King” will have to wait until Christmas before a new adventure from the animal kingdom comes to the cinema. But with a trailer that has now been published, the Disney studio is already getting in the mood for “Mufasa: The Lion King”.

The computer-animated film directed by Oscar winner Barry Jenkins (44, "Moonlight") tells the backstory of the lion king Mufasa. Prominent actors voice the many animal roles, including Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogen and Donald Glover. US singer Beyoncé voices the lioness Nala, her daughter Blue Ivy Carter (12) lends her voice to the lion girl Kiara, as Disney announced.

In the trailer, young Mufasa sprints through vast savannahs, over waterfalls and rugged mountain ranges in a photorealistic, virtual world with elephants, monkeys, big cats and other animals.

The project follows the computer-animated blockbuster originally titled “The Lion King” (2019) from director Jon Favreau. It was about the young lion Simba, who is supposed to take over the throne of his father Mufasa as king in the African wilderness. That was also the story of the original adventure "The Lion King" from 1994 - one of the most popular Disney animated films to this day. The German film composer Hans Zimmer received his first Oscar for the music.