The Lion King set for Digital release on October 11, Blu-ray on October 22

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

As should be a surprise to no one, Disney’s remake of THE LION KING cleaned up the box office this summer. Becoming the biggest non-Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar movie ever from the House of Mouse, KING has made $533 million domestically and over $1.6 billion globally. Needless to say, it will be a sought-after title when it hits on Digital and Blu-ray, and Disney has announced you can add the movie to your collection on October 11 for digital and October 22 for us physical media enthusiasts.

Among the special features will be a three-part documentary, “The Journey to THE LION KING", which chronicles the making of the movie on several fronts. There are also some pre-sell bonuses for the digital crowd, like “Perfecting the Pride,” which chronicles the team’s trip to Africa for research. Also, do you all remember the scene where a dung beetle is pushing Simba’s hair in a pile of, well, you know? Of course you do, and Disney is covering its bases by including a feature about the “importance of the dung beetle both in the film and the African savanna.” Won’t really help the optics, though, will it?

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Here's the full list of features:

PRE-SELL BONUS:

• Perfecting the Pride – Join the team on their research trip to Africa as they immerse themselves in the real world of “The Lion King.”  From the animals in the pride, to the smallest of insects and the grasslands in the savanna, experience the attention to detail that brought the film to life.

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:

• Pride Lands Pedia —Dung beetle shares the importance of his “roll” in the African Savanna in a fun, bug’s eye view of the land and its inhabitants.

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL BONUS:

• The Journey to “The Lion King” –
  • The Music – Go inside the studio with the cast and crew as they work to honor and elevate The Lion King’s beloved music.
  • The Magic – Discover how the filmmakers blended the traditional filmmaking techniques with virtual reality technology to create amazing movie magic.
  • The Timeless Tale – Filmmakers and cast reflect on the story that has moved generations and share how this Lion King carries a proud legacy forward.
• More to be Scene – Recording studio and layer-by-layer progressions of some of most iconic moments in “The Lion King.”
  • “Circle of Life” – Peel back the layers of effects and go behind the scenes of this iconic musical moment from the film
  • “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” – See all the effects, talent and fun that went into creating this vibrant version of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” for the movie
  • “Hakuna Matata” – Join Donald Glover (Simba), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa) and Billy Eichner (Timon) in the studio for the making of this memorable scene.
• Music Videos
  • “Never Too Late” (lyric video) by Elton John
  • “Spirit” performed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
• Filmmaker Introduction
• Audio Commentary – By Director Jon Favreau.
• Song Selection
  • “Circle of Life”
  • “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”
  • “Be Prepared”
  • “Hakuna Matata”
  • “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
  • “Spirit”
  • “Never Too Late”
• Protect the Pride –Director Jon Favreau, the Lion Recovery Fund and conservationists highlight efforts to protect the majestic lions and their home.

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The movie divided critics, with many praising the visual effects, music and voice cast, and others decrying it as a blatant cash grab that changed little to the story, and overall paled compared to the original. At the end of the day, audiences flocked to see this new version of the story, and many will probably do the same when it hits on Digital and Blu-ray. I myself am curious to see how it looks on 4K Blu-ray, but I'm not quite sure if I'm willing to shell out that much cash for it. I mean, when you see CGI lions in IMAX a 4K Blu-ray can only take you so far. 

THE LION KING is on Digital October 11 and 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD October 22.