The Lion King III (Johnsonverse)

The Lion King III (not to be confused with the title of The Lion King 1 1/2 in some regions, The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata) is a 2019 American animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third sequel to the 1994 film The Lion King, and stars the voices of Neve Campbell, Jason Marsden, JD McCrary, Donald Glover, Lacey Chabert, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Broderick, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Khary Payton, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, Fiona Riley, Savannah Smith, Rachel Crow, Sophie Reynolds, Jeremy Irons, Keanu Reeves, and James Earl Jones. The film was written and directed by Tim Johnson, and produced by Don Hahn. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. According to Johnson, the film's premise was inspired by the play Henry V by William Shakespeare.

The Lion King III tells the story of Kiara and Kovu, years after the events of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and the ending of spin-off series The Lion Guard, who have a son named Kusudi (Swahili for "purpose"), who's set to become King of the Pridelands one day, fighting against the spirit of Scar and a cult of crazed hyenas led by Azizi, who plans to take over the Pridelands. They rally Vitani's Lion Guard and Kion's pride, plus Scar's old hyena allies, to assist in the fighting.

The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 19, 2019. It has grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide. It surpassed Frozen to become the highest-grossing animated film of all-time. It is also the second highest-grossing film of 2019, and the seventh-highest of all-time. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its voice acting, animation, and storyline, and is widely considered to be the best film in the Lion King franchise.

Development
On September 28, 2016, Walt Disney Pictures and Johnson Studios confirmed that Tim Johnson would direct a third Lion King installment (a photorealistic CGI remake of the original film was proposed instead, but was rejected by Tim).

Casting
Many of the original film's cast members reprised their roles, as well as some returning from the sequel and The Lion Guard. On May 1, 2018, Chiwetel Ejiofor was confirmed to voice Azizi. On June 9, Donald Glover was announced to voice adult Kusudi. Khary Payton reprises his role as Rafiki from The Lion Guard and its pilot movie, replacing the late Robert Guillaume. Keanu Reeves voices adult Kion.

Music
Like the first film, Hans Zimmer returned to compose the soundtrack. Elton John was brought in to write three new songs for the film.

Release
The Lion King III premiered in Hollywood on July 9, 2019 (coincidentally on Tim's 24th birthday). The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 19, 2019, after a theatrical 3D re-release of all three prior Lion King films. The film began its international rollout a week before its domestic release, starting with July 12 in China.

Home media
The Lion King III was released on Digital HD on October 11, 2019 and on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 22, 2019.

Crirical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 100%.

Accolades
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