| Black Is King | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Information | |||
| Director |
| ||
| Producer |
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| Writer |
• Beyoncé Knowles-Carter | ||
| Composer |
• James William Blades | ||
| Starring |
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| Distributor |
Disney+ | ||
| Released |
July 31, 2020 | ||
| Running time |
85 minutes | ||
| “ | ” |
Black Is King is a film and visual album directed, written, and executive produced by Beyoncé. It features music from The Lion King: The Gift, a tie-in album inspired by the 2019 remake of The Lion King. The film was released globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020, and aired on August 1, 2020 across Sub-Saharan Africa on M-Net and Canal+ Afrique, and across the Middle East and North Africa on OSN.
Premise[]
The film aims to reiterate the main themes of the 2019 remake of The Lion King for modern young audiences. It follows the history of black families in an effort to celebrate black culture and resilience. The film features director, writer, and executive producer Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the remake, as well as other artists who contributed to The Lion King: The Gift.[2]
Production and development[]
Inspiration[]
On July 19, 2019, a photorealistic computer-animated remake of The Lion King was released worldwide, with American singer Beyoncé as the voice of Nala. On the same day, a tie-in album titled The Lion King: The Gift was released, which was curated and produced by Beyoncé, who described it as "a love letter to Africa."[3]
During the process of voicing Nala for the 2019 remake of The Lion King, Beyoncé delved into the history of the original film. She learned that Solomon Linda, the South African composer of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", did not receive credit or royalties for its use in the film, which angered her and inspired her to tell a story using real Africans rather than animation and lions.[4] "Mbube" is the only song from the original film that is used in Black Is King, with credit given to Linda.[5]
It was reported on June 10, 2020, that Beyoncé had secured a $100 million deal to work on three films for Disney. One source told The Sun, "Beyoncé has become a major player for Disney and is the perfect fit for their brand. She's worked on a number of projects for them, including voicing Nala in the reboot of The Lion King, and now they're keen to secure her for more projects."[6]
Pre-production[]
The music video for the single "Spirit" inspired Beyoncé to create more visuals for The Lion King: The Gift. The project started small, but soon grew into a large production, which included involvement from co-director Kwasi Fordjour. On the project, Fordjour said, "Your adrenaline starts to rush and it becomes like, 'Okay, what are we going to do, how are we going to do it, where do we start?' When you get into the space where you're so interested and enthralled with creating worlds and spaces, it becomes fun, and she makes it fun."[7]
Beyoncé noted that the film was created to "celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry" and "to present elements of Black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy."[8] The project's cast and crew were hired to represent "diversity and connectivity,"[9] and Beyoncé strove to find "raw, new talent."[10]
Gallery[]
Media[]
References[]
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