Then and now: The cast of 'The Lion King,' 1994 vs 2019
Take a trip down memory lane and look forward to the future by taking a look at the cast of “The Lion King,” then and now.
This year, Disney nostalgia lovers and neophytes alike can return to Pride Rock with the computer-animated reboot of the 1994 animated film “The Lion King.”
Mufasa (then)
James Earl Jones loaned his iconic voice to the patriarch of Pride Rock, Mufasa, in 1994.
Jones, who is also known for his voice work as Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, never fully left the “Lion King” saga. Jones voiced Mufasa in all of the “Lion King” franchise’s sequel and prequel films, including 2015’s television movie “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar.”
Sarabi (then)
Velvet-voiced actress Madge Sinclair, known for her work in “Roots” and “Gabriel’s Fire” voiced Simba’s mother in the original film.
Fun fact, in addition to portraying Simba’s parents in “The Lion King,” Sinclair and James Earl Jones also co-starred in “Coming to America” (starring Eddie Murphy) as King Jaffe Joffer and Queen Aeoleon, Prince Akeem’s parents.
Sadly, Sinclair passed away in 1995 at the age of 57.
Nala (then)
Niketa Calame and Laura Williams split the duties of young Nala’s speaking and singing voice, while Moira Kelly (pictured) and singer-songwriter Sally Dworsky spoke and sang adult Nala’s parts.
Nala (now)
Shahadi Wright Joseph, who recently had a turn in Jordan Peele’s thriller “Us,” should be perfectly comfortable playing young Nala after filling the role in “The Lion King” musical on Broadway. Stepping into the role of Simba’s adult love interest is none other than the music industry’s reigning queen, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (pictured).
Scar (then)
Mufasa’s villainous younger brother Scar got his dark voice from Jeremy Irons (pictured), who also sang much of Scar’s solo song “Be Prepared.” Unfortunately, Irons damaged his voice during the recording of the song and the rest of his vocals were done by veteran voice actor Jim Cummings.
Timon & Pumbaa (then)
The duo of the wise-cracking meerkat and flatulent warthog got their voices from Nathan Lane (pictured) and Ernie Sabella, respectively. Lane and Sabella previously shared the stage in the 1992 Broadway revival of “Guys and Dolls.”
Timon and Pumbaa (now)
Seth Rogen (pictured) and Billy Eichner are Simba’s new comic foils and, if their previous work is to be believed, they’ll likely have the audience in stitches.
The Hyenas (then)
Scar’s trio of hyena henchmen got their pipes (and their trademark cackles) from Whoopi Goldberg (pictured), (who was Shenzi), Cheech Marin, (Banzai) and Jim Cummings (Ed).
The Hyenas (now)
In the 2019 update, the hyenas are getting new voices, new names and new personalities. Keegan-Michael Key voices Kamari, Florence Kasumba voices Shenzi (the only hyena to keep the name from the original movie) and Eric André is Azizi.
Rather than being Scar’s bumbling flunkies, these hyenas are a more sinister group. “Those hyenas were funny. These hyenas are dangerous,” Kasumba said according to the movie’s
Rafiki (then)
Previously known for his role as the original snarky butler, Benson (sorry, Geoffrey and Niles), Robert Guillaume voiced Rafiki, the sage, fruit-wielding baboon who steers Simba toward his rightful destiny as king.
Guillaume enjoyed a lengthy career as an actor and voice actor before his death in 2017.
An Omaha couple and their toddler travel the United States with the cast and crew of the popular Broadway touring musical "The Lion King."
