It's finally here: See The Lion King at Pathé cinemas

The new Disney Live Action version of The Lion King is in cinemas this summer. Go and see it at your nearest Pathé cinema! At Pathé, you can choose between 4DX, Dolby Cinema and IMAX to bring your cinema experience to brand new heights!

The Lion King - Disney Live Action

In the new Disney Live Action movie by director Jon Favreau, the scene is set in the African Savanna where a future king is born. Simba adores his father, King Musfasa, and takes his own royal destiny to heart. But not everybody in the kingdom celebrates the arrival of the new cub. Scar, Mufasa’s brother – and previous heir to the throne – has his own plans.

The fight for Pride Rock will contain betrayal, tragedy and drama, which eventually results in Simba’s exile. With the help of a few curious new friends, Simba will have to find out how he can grow up and take back what is rightfully his. 

Mind-blowing techniques and technologies

Is it live action or animation? “It’s hard to explain. It’s like magic. We’re reinventing the medium.”

In early 2017, 13 key members of Favreau’s team embarked on a two-week safari to scout throughout Kenya, to observe first-hand the natural environment and animals of the Pride Lands, the primary location of The Lion King.

The team observed every species of animal that was featured in the original film, visited the entire region from north to south, stayed in five lodgings and used three different helicopters and six Safari Land Cruisers. It took more than 2.200 pounds of camera equipment to capture a whopping 12,3 TB of photographs.

Disney has had tremendous success with the original animated version and then the Broadway musical. Favreau knew that he had to be very careful with it. There was a tremendous responsibility "not to screw it up". He wanted to demonstrate that he could be respectful of the source material while bringing it to life using mind-blowing techniques and technologies.

Once the film was created within VR, Favreau shifted gears and directed the film during the animation process. Ultimately, the complex team of artists, technicians, live-action professionals and cutting-edge animators created what is essentially a new way to make a movie. But is it live action or animation? “It’s hard to explain,” says Favreau. “It’s like magic. We’re reinventing the medium.”

The Lion King celebrity cast

The Lion King has a celebrity cast with Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Billy Eichner as Timon and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa. 

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter was called on to bring the fierce and intelligent lioness to life. “When you think of somebody who you’d be excited to interpret the role of Nala, especially the musical performances, Beyoncé is in a class all by herself,” says Favreau.

Director Jon Favreau: “It’s a struggle - when you have tweens and teens at home - to be thought of as cool because you’re irritating to your children. But having Beyoncé in my film definitely bought me a lot of credibility on the home campus with my kids and their friends. I’m a big fan of her music and was very excited to explore what she could bring."

Watch The Lion King at Pathé

The Lion King movie uses groundbreaking techniques to bring loved characters to life in a completely new way. You can enjoy the movie at Pathé in many different ways. The movie will be available in IMAX, Dolby Cinema and 4DX! Go and see the Lion King at Pathé from July 17. 

Get your tickets now

Watch The Lion King at Pathe, whether you choose Pathé De Munt, Pathé Amsterdam Arena, Pathé Eindhoven, Pathé Scheveningen in The Hague, Pathé Maastricht, Pathé Nijmegen or Pathé de Kuip in Rotterdam. Check out the Pathé website for more information.