In 1994, Disney released its newest animated film, The Lion King, which told the story of a young lion cub named Simba. Simba was set to become King of the Pride Lands, following in the paw prints of his father, Mufasa.
But when Mufasa is killed in a stampede, Simba runs away, thinking it is his fault. However, Simba is forced to return to the Pride Lands when he learns his evil uncle, Scar, has turned the area into a wasteland and is threatening the lions in Simba’s pride.
The Lion King became one of Disney’s most popular animated films, but it was not simply because of the story. Fans also absolutely loved the music, which was created by Tim Rice and Elton John. Two of the songs — “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life” — are on Billboard’s top Disney songs of all time, coming in at number two and number eight, respectively.
When Disney released its live-action remake of The Lion King in 2019, the company brought back Elton John to sing a brand-new song that played during the film’s credits.
Related: Crazy ‘Lion King’ Theory Will Blow Your Mind!
This is why Disney’s decision to dump Elton John is all the more shocking.
This December, Disney will release a new live-action Lion King prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King. The movie will explore Mufasa’s origin story and continue the story of Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara. Some of the live-action film’s voice actors will be returning for the prequel, including Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner as Timon.
However, the movie will have no music from Elton John, which has deeply upset the music icon. Instead, Disney chose to go with Hamilton creator, Lin Manuel Miranda.
According to a source who spoke to In Touch, Disney’s decision to ignore the Grammy winner has left him “hurt and disillusioned”.
“After gifting the studio with such timeless classics as ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ and ‘Circle of Life,’ Elton has been blindsided by this egregious snub,” an insider exclusively tells In Touch of the 77-year-old, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the 1994 film.
The source adds, “To have his legacy disregarded in such a callous manner is a bitter pill to swallow. He feels hurt and disillusioned by Disney’s actions!”
The decision to exclude Elton John from Mufasa: The Lion King is just one of the issues fans have with the new film. When Disney released the full trailer for Mufasa; The Lion King, fans railed against the company for completely changing Mufasa’s backstory. The trailer revealed that Mufasa was actually an orphan and Scar was the prince of the Pride Lands.
Fans also let Disney know how they felt about the prequel when Disney tweeted asking if they would be watching the new film. Unfortunately for Disney, many of those who answered did so with a resounding no. Fans pointed out that they did not enjoy the live-action remake.
Related: Disney Asks Fans if They Will Be Watching ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, Immediately Regrets It
A surprising number also said that they will be heading to the theaters on the day the film is released, but they will not be watching Mufasa. Instead, they will be watching Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which is premiering the same day.
Disney is also preparing for a huge Lion King celebration, which will take place at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl on May 24 and May 25. Disney will be filming the event for Disney+, which led some to hope that Sir Elton John would make a surprise appearance. However, if the In Touch report is true, that is unlikely to happen.
Do you think Disney should have included Elton John in Mufasa: The Lion King? Let us know in the comments!
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