Did you now Disney Junior has a Lion King spin-off series in the works?
Neither did we — until now. While we’re theoretically against anyone tampering with such a Disney classic, we’re here for the addition of Gabrielle Union, Sarah Hyland, James Earl Jones & more to the cast of voice talent.
via EW:
Rob Lowe, Gabrielle Union, James Earl Jones, Max Charles, Atticus Shaffer, and Sarah Hyland will lend their voices to the African savannah in Disney’s upcoming television movie The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, a spin-off of the beloved animated film The Lion King.
At least six characters from the 1994 film will appear: Lowe will voice Simba opposite Union’s Nala, while James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella will reprise their roles from the movie as Mufasa and Pumbaa, respectively. Rafiki (Khary Payton) and Timon (Kevin Schon) will also return to the kingdom (but only where the light touches).
The TV movie event, premiering in November on Disney Channel, follows Kion (the second-born son of Simba and Nala) and the rest of the Lion Guard, a task force of animals charged with preserving the Pride Lands. Charles plays the heroic lion cub, who’s also the group’s leader; Shaffer (The Middle) plays Ono, an egret; Joshua Rush plays honey badger Bunga; Diamond White plays Fuli, a cheetah; and Dusan Brown voices Beshte, a hippo. Together, they’re something of a mammalian Avengers — except one’s a bird.
Check out a sneak peek of the series below. It looks cute.
