When Disney announced they were working on a “live-action” version ofThe Lion King, one of the main questions on everyone’s minds was whether it would be a musical.Tim RiceandElton John’s songs from the 1994 film are iconic, and pretty married to the entire notion ofThe Lion King. Disney understood as much, and directorJon Favreaudid indeed bring back the iconic songs from the animated film—plus more.
The Lion Kingsoundtrack details have been revealed just as tickets have gone on sale, and it’s a predictably impressive lineup that promises beloved songs sung by the likes ofBeyonce,Donald Glover, andChiwetel Ejiofor. Additionally, the soundtrack includes an all-new song by John and Rice called “Never Too Late” that will appear in the film’s end credits and will almost certainly be pushed as a “Best Original Song” contender—just like the new songs in Disney’s live-actionBeauty and the Beast.
The soundtrack features new recordings of the original songs written by John and Rice, score byHans Zimmer, and African vocal and choir arrangements byLebo M. As if that wasn’t enough,Pharrell Williamsproduced five songs on the soundtrack including “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”
As for Zimmer’s score, per the press release he “wanted to approach the score differently for the new film and enlisted the Re-Collective Orchestra (led by founders Matt Jones and Stephanie Matthews), along with the Hollywood Studio Symphony (comprised of Los Angeles-based session players), and his band. The goal was to rehearse and record the score like a live concert performance.” So while Zimmer did indeed return and revisits themes he created for the 1994 film, it was crafted with a bit of a different flavor.
Check out the fullLion Kingsoundtrack listing below—which includes a “TBA” track. The digital soundtrack is set for release on July 11th and the physical album will release on July 19th, the same day that the film hits theaters.
