The Lion King (franchise)

The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of animated original 1994 American feature film, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and prequel, a photorealistically animated remake in 2019), a 2024 prequel/sequel to the 2019 film, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history), which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The franchise is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.

The Lion King (franchise)

The franchise mainly revolves about a pride of lions who oversee a large swath of African savanna as their "kingdom" known as the Pride Lands, with their leader Simba watching over it as "king". The first three animated feature films are widely known for being influenced by the works of William Shakespeare, as well as other works based on his material. It is one of Disney's most lucrative franchises, with earnings estimated to be exceeding $11.6 billion as of 2019.

Films

<table><thead><tr><th>Film</th><th>U.S release date</th><th>Director(s)</th><th>Screenwriter(s)</th><th>Story by</th><th>Producers</th><th>Production companies</th><th>Distributors</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Traditionally animated feature films</td></tr><tr><td>The Lion King</td><td>June 15, 1994</td><td>Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff</td><td>Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton</td><td>Brenda Chapman, Barry Johnson, Andy Gaskill, Kevin Harkey, Tom Sito, Rick Maki, Burny Mattinson, Lorna Cook, Gary Trousdale, Jorgen Klubien, Larry Leker, Ed Gombert, Mark Kausler, Thom Enriquez, Jim Capobianco, Chris Sanders, Joe Ranft and Francis Glebas</td><td>Don Hahn</td><td>Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Feature Animation</td><td>Buena Vista Pictures Distribution</td></tr><tr><td>The Lion King II: Simba's Pride</td><td>October 27, 1998</td><td>Darrell Rooney and Rob LaDuca</td><td>Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus</td><td>Jeannine Roussel</td><td>Walt Disney Video Premiere, Walt Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Animation Australia and Walt Disney Animation Canada</td><td>Walt Disney Home Video</td></tr><tr><td>The Lion King 1½</td><td>February 10, 2004</td><td>Bradley Raymond</td><td>Tom Rogers</td><td>George A. Mendoza</td><td>Disneytoon Studios and Walt Disney Animation Australia</td><td>Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment</td></tr><tr><td>Photorealistic CGI animated feature films</td></tr><tr><td>The Lion King</td><td>July 19, 2019</td><td>Jon Favreau</td><td>Jeff Nathanson</td><td>Jon Favreau, Jeffrey Silver and Karen Gilchrist</td><td>Walt Disney Pictures and Fairview Entertainment</td><td>Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures</td></tr><tr><td>Mufasa: The Lion King</td><td>December 20, 2024</td><td>Barry Jenkins</td><td>Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak</td><td>Walt Disney Pictures</td></tr><tr><td>Musical film</td></tr><tr><td>Black Is King</td><td>July 31, 2020</td><td>Beyoncé</td><td>Beyoncé, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Clover Hope and Andrew Morrow</td><td>Jeremy Sullivan, Jimi Adesanya, Blitz Bazawule, Ben Cooper, Astrid Edwards, Durwin Julies, Yoli Mes, Dafe Oboro, Akin Omotoso, Will Whitney, Lauren Baker, Jason Baum, Alex Chamberlain, Robert Day, Christophe Faubert, Brien Justiniano, Rethabile Molatela Mothobi, Sylvia Zakhary, Nathan Scherrer and Erinn Williams</td><td>Parkwood Entertainment and Walt Disney Pictures</td><td>Disney+</td></tr></tbody></table>

The Lion King (franchise)