The Lion King Soundtrack Details Revealed!

The time is almost finally here for the long-awaited live-action remake of the Disney classic The Lion King and on the same day as tickets went on sale online the details for family musical drama’s soundtrack, which is available for digital purchase on July 11 and physical purchase on July 19!

Get your own tickets for The Lion King by clicking here!

The soundtrack will once again feature music written and performed by Oscar and Grammy-winning superstar Elton John and Oscar and Grammy-winning lyricist Tim Rice, with songs “Circle of Life,” “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” and “Hakuna Matata” being a few of the original hits returning for the new soundtrack. There is also a new song “Never Too Late,” written by John, Rice, and Beyoncé and performed by John.

“Just hearing that music strikes you deeply,” director Jon Favreau said. “Even if you don’t know the film or stage show, there is a spiritual strength in it. But if you know the film, and if you grew up with this music—now it can suddenly and immediately evoke the story itself, as well as all the connected memories and emotions that you have from your own past experience with The Lion King, or from the time of your life that you were in, or your childhood, or the life events it’s connected to.”

The soundtrack will also feature a new original score from Hans Zimmer, who composed the score for the original film, as well as five songs produced by Grammy winner Pharrell Williams and African vocal and choir arrangements from Grammy-winning South African producer and composer Lebo M.

“The incredible musical talents who came together to contribute to this project are unparalleled,” Mitchell Leib, president of music & soundtracks for The Walt Disney Studios, added. “Jon Favreau’s deep love and instinct for musical collaboration inspired Hans Zimmer, Lebo M, Pharrell Williams, Elton John, Tim Rice, Beyoncé, Donald Glover and the entire music team to an awesome level of generosity, spirit and commitment, resulting in a powerful journey of song, production and performance.” 

The tracklist for the film’s soundtrack, which you can pre-order here, is as follows:

1.      “Circle of Life”/“Nants’ Ingonyama” – Performed by Lindiwe Mkhize; African vocals performed by Lebo M; written and composed by Elton John and Tim Rice; “Nants’ Ingonyama” written by Lebohang Morake and Hans Zimmer; produced by Hans Zimmer; vocals produced by Stephen Lipson

2.      “Life’s Not Fair” – Hans Zimmer

3.      “Rafiki’s Fireflies” – Hans Zimmer

4.      “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” – Performed by JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph and John Oliver; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson

5.      “Elephant Graveyard” – Hans Zimmer

6.      “Be Prepared” (2019 Version) – Performed by Chiwetel Ejiofor; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Hans Zimmer and David Fleming

7.      “Stampede” – Hans Zimmer

8.      “Scar Takes the Throne” – Hans Zimmer

9.      “Hakuna Matata” – Performed by Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, JD McCrary and Donald Glover; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson

10.  “Simba is Alive!” – Hans Zimmer

11.  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – Performed by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen; written by Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss and Solomon Linda; produced by Pharrell Williams

12.  “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” – Performed by Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Pharrell Williams; co-produced by Stephen Lipson

13.  “Reflections of Mufasa” – Hans Zimmer

14.  TBA

15.  “Battle for Pride Rock” – Hans Zimmer

16.  “Remember” – Hans Zimmer

17.  “Never Too Late” – Performed by Elton John; African vocal and choir arrangements created and produced by Lebo M; written by Elton John and Tim Rice; produced by Greg Kurstin; additional production by Elton John and Matt Still

18.  “He Lives in You” – Performed by Lebo M; written by Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin and Lebohang Morake; produced by Lebo M and Mark Mancina

19.  “Mbube” – Performed by Lebo M; African vocal and choir arrangements created and produced by Lebo M; written by Solomon Linda; produced by Pharrell Williams

Lions rule the African savanna in The Lion King, which welcomes Donald Glover (Atlanta, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as future-king Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Dreamgirls) as Simba’s friend-turned-love interest Nala, and James Earl Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Field of Dreams) as Simba’s wise and loving father, Mufasa, reprising his iconic performance from Disney’s 1994 animated classic. You can pick up a copy of the 1994 version here.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Twelve Years a Slave, Doctor Strange) was called on to portray Simba’s villainous uncle Scar, and Alfre Woodard (Juanita, Marvel’s Luke Cage) portrays Simba’s no-nonsense mother, Sarabi. JD McCrary (Tyler Perry’s The Paynes, Vital Signs) fills the shoes of Young Simba, a confident cub who can’t wait to be king, and Shahadi Wright Joseph (Hairspray Live, Broadway’s “The Lion King”) brings tough cub Young Nala to life.

Every kingdom comes with a trustworthy advisor or two. John Kani (Coriolanus, Captain America: Civil War) was cast as the wise baboon Rafiki, and John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) was tapped as hornbill Zazu, Mufasa’s loyal confidant. When Simba goes into exile, he relies on two newfound friends—Seth Rogen (Sausage Party, Neighbors) lends his comedic chops to naïve warthog Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street, American Horror Story) joins the cast as know-it-all meerkat, Timon.

RELATED: From the Set: Jon Favreau On the Challenges and Changes in The Lion King

While most of the animals in the kingdom respect the king, the hyenas have other plans. Florence Kasumba (Emerald City, Black Panther) portrays Shenzi, Eric André (The Eric André Show, Man Seeking Woman) is Azizi, and Keegan-Michael Key (Predator, Friends from College) plays Kamari.

Directed by Favreau (The Jungle Book), Disney’s The Lion King opens in theatres July 19. Relive your nostalgia now by buying the original animated film.

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