Disney has released the first trailer and clip from their new animated Lion King series, which serves as a sequel to the 1994 film. It’s called The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar. The series is obviously geared towards kids, but it looks like something that I would enjoy watching with my girls.
The Lion Guard centers on Kion as he assumes the role of leader of the Lion Guard, a team of animals in charge of preserving the Pride Lands. Instead of asking the fiercest and strongest lions to help him, Kion looks to his friends whom he believes have the most heroic qualities. This group includes Kion’s best friend Bunga, a fearless honey badger (Joshua Rush); Ono, an intellectual egret (The Middle’s Atticus Shaffer); Fuli, a confident cheetah (Diamond White) and Beshte, a friendly and good-spirited hippo (Dusan Brown).
The series also includes the voices of James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella, who will reprise their roles as Mufasa and Pumbaa. Max Charles (The Strain) will voice Simba and Nala’s second-born cub, Kion. Rob Lowe and Gabrielle Union will be voicing Simba and Nala. On top of that, we have Khary Payton (Teen Titans) as Rafiki and Kevin Schon (The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa) as Timon. Other voice cast members include Modern Family star Sarah Hyland and All My Children‘s Eden Riegel.
The Lion King: Return of the Roar is a film that will launch the series. It will debut on the Disney Channel in November, then the full television series will follow in January of 2016.
Trailer and Clip from LION KING Sequel Series THE LION GUARD: RETURN OF THE ROAR