With the actor’s strike coming to a close, Walt Disney Studios has reshuffled around its release schedule for many of its films. Unfortunately, one of those being delayed is “Mufasa: The Lion King”, which is a prequel to the smash hit live-action reimagining of the classic animated film, “The Lion King”.

Originally, the film was scheduled to arrive in cinemas over the summer on July 5th 2024. However, Disney has now pushed back the films release to Christmas, for December 20th 2024, where it has taken over the slot vacated by Marvel’s “Thunderbolts“, which got bumped back until the following summer.

“Mufasa: The Lion King” is a prequel to “The Lion King”, and the story is told in flashbacks, with Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa telling the story of the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands. to a young lion cub.  Back at last year’s D23 Expo, fans in attendance during the Walt Disney Studios showcase event saw a small teaser trailer for the film (which looked fantastic!).

Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins will direct the new film and will see Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen return as the voices of Timon and Pumbaa. 

After months of disruption from the duel strikes, many studios are reshuffling around their schedules, delaying films and spreading out their releases.  Disney is also trying to rebuild its upcoming film slate, reducing how many titles it releases and wanting to improve the quality of those titles.  No doubt, “Mufasa: The Lion King” will benefit from having a few more months of time for post-production to make it better.  It will also no doubt help spread out the advertising and production budgets a little more.

And while we wait for “Mufasa: The Lion King”, you can catch both the live-action and animated versions of “The Lion King” (yes, they are both animated, but you know what I mean!), on Disney+ now, along with the animated sequels.

What do you think of Disney delaying “Mufasa: The Lion King”?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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