Disney's remakes of classic animated films have reached varying levels of success, but there are many fans of the originals who are not happy with the live-action adaptations.

At CinemaCon, footage from Mufasa: The Lion King was screened, providing an early look to attendees at the upcoming prequel to the Lion King remake. More recently, the official trailer was released, allowing everyone else to get a good look. The director of the movie, Barry Jenkins, shared the trailer on X following its release. With this being social media, there were some complaints left in response to the post referring to the continued trend of Disney reimagining animated classics. One person told Jenkins he was "too good and talented" for Disney boss Bob Iger's "soulless machine."

"There is nothing soulless about The Lion King," Jenkins said in response. "For decades children have sat in theaters all over the world experiencing collective grief for the first time, engaging Shakespeare for the first time, across aisles in myriad languages. A most potent vessel for communal empathy."

When another X user said that he doesn't "have to shill" the Disney movie he did "for the check," the director replied, "Bruh what kind of logic is that? How about this, here are a few videos from the 'same Barry Jenkins who premiered Moonlight' (as you put it) showing some of the things I was doing in my spare time AT THE SAME TIME I was writing Moonlight."

Jenkins proceeded to share several video links to different projects he was working on during the production of Moonlight. This was to make it clear that the big-budget projects he takes on do not affect his passion projects in a negative way.

The Plot of Mufasa: The Lion King

The official synopsis for Mufasa: The Lion King reads, "Mufasa: The Lion King enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe."

Mufasa: The Lion King will be released in movie theaters on Dec. 20, 2024.

Source: X