Shortly after denying Nelson Peltz a seat on the Disney board, the House of Mouse is sharing first looks at two of their upcoming films, Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King. The Hollywood Handle was the first to share the Mufasa image, which Disney debuted as part of the studio’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The picture for Mufasa: The Lion King depicts a young Mufasa standing at the edge of a cliff while staring out at a desaturated Pride Land. The Barry Jenkins-directed sequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 live-action hybrid focuses on Simba, having become king of the Pride Lands, and is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored.
Mufasa: The Lion King pads into theaters on December 24, 2024, to get a piece of that sweet holiday box office. Linda Woolverton, Irene Mecchi, and Jonathan Roberts wrote the screenplay, with Seth Rogen, Kelvin Harris Jr., Billy Eichner, Aaron Pierre, and John Kani leading the cast.
Meanwhile, Disney officially confirmed that Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho will return for Moana 2, celebrating the news with a new image from the forthcoming animated sequel. The still features an older, more confident Moana setting off into the water while holding an oar with Maui’s fish hook and a heart carved into it. If you look carefully, you’ll see an island cliff face with what looks like a multi-eyes sea creature emerging from the waters below.
“Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers,” the official description reads. “After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. Directed by Dave Derrick Jr. with music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina, Moana 2 opens in theaters on November 27, 2024.”
Disney fans can expect more information about both films to surface in the coming months as Disney prepares to dominate the holiday box office charts. Are you excited about Mufasa: The Lion King or Moana 2? Let us know in the comments section below.