“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar,” the Disney Channel sequel to the 1994 hit film “The Lion King,” has been given an official premiere date, Disney announced Friday.
“The Lion Guard” television movie event will debut in November on the Disney Channel, while the subsequent series will premiere in 2016. The movie will also be available on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior app, and on demand the following day. Both the movie and the series will roll out globally in 2017.
Set in the African savanna, the series introduces Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, who is destined to become leader of the Lion Guard, a team of animals comprised of the Pride Lands’ greatest animals.
As Kion looks to assemble the members of the new Lion Guard, he does not call upon a group of lions to serve with him as tradition dictates, but instead chooses some of his friends whom he believes best exemplify these heroic qualities – Bunga, a fearless honey badger; Fuli, a confident cheetah; Beshte, a friendly and good-spirited hippo; and Ono, an intellectual egret.
Many of the beloved characters from “The Lion King” will appear in the movie, too. James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella reprise their original roles as Mufasa and Pumbaa, respectively.
Rob Lowe and Gabrielle Union star as Simba and Nala, respectively. Other voice talent includes Max Charles as Kion, Joshua Rush as Bunga, Atticus Shaffer as Ono, Diamond White as Fuli, and Dusan Brown as Beshte.
Both the movie and series were developed by Ford Riley, who also serves as executive producer. Howy Parkins directed. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation.
“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” will debut on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m./6c on Disney Channel in the U.S. and will also debut on Disney Channel in Canada the same day.