Mufasa: The Lion King releases its first trailer:'It's time I tell you a story'

Mufasa: The Lion King will be roaring up theaters come December 20th, making it the perfect Christmas gift for Disney fans. At the D23 Expo this weekend, the full-length trailer of how the orphaned cub who rose to be King of the Pridelands (in live-action) was released. It's an epic but tragic story of animal monarchy and survival,

Earlier in May, Disney fans were gifted with a teaser trailer and poster of Mufasa, which unveiled a 90-second clip of Mufasa's cubhood to royalty, only to fight his brother, Taka, better known as Scar, to the throne.

The full-length trailer has arrived and is encased in a beautiful CGI animation of African wildlife, making the animals as realistic as possible. As the trailer stretches on, the bond between Mufuas and Taka unravels, and then, eventually, there's a haunting break. The story loops back to the 1994 animated hit, in which Mufasa dies at the paws of Scar, So it makes the prequel that much more perturbing and raw, Not to mention emotionally turbulant.

I got the chills when reminded of this fact, as Mufasa's death in the original was crucial to The Lion King's narrative because it impacted Simba's own cubhood and his place as King. Mufasa then parallels Simba and Scar's fight in the prequel, but it's Mufasa and Scar who battle it out this time around.

Mufasa: The Lion King trailer has a King in the making

Rafiki, one of Mufasa's closest advisors, gathers young Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa to tell the King's legend, much to the curiosity of his listeners. As they absorb the tale, Rafiki flashbacks to Mufasa and Scar as oblivious cubs, unaware of what the future holds for them.

"It's time I tell you a story," the wise mandril narrates. "A story of a cub not much bigger than you. Long before they became legends, Mufasa and the prince, who would come to be known as Scar, became brothers."

Get a shiver from watching the trailer below!

The daughter of Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Carter, will be making her voiceover debut as Kiara, the daughter of Nala, who her mother portrays, and Simba, voiced by Donald Glover. How much screen-time Blue Ivy will have, or share with her mother is yet to be revealed.

Per a press release obtained by The Parent Watch, Disney Studios gave the following synopsis:

"Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe. "

Disney certainly cast its magic when creating Mufasa: The Lion King. Viewers will be enchanted by how a tiny cub "without a drop of nobility in his blood" became a righteous leader.

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