New Lion King Video Includes First Look At ‘Hakuna Matata’

[AlphaKing]

While there is certainly a cynical way to look at Disney's recent litany of remakes, it has to be said that one of the wonderful things about the films is that it allows fans to see movies they already love in entirely new ways. This includes hearing brand new versions of favorite Disney songs.

We've only been given a few teases of the new music that will be part of the remake of The Lion King, including a bit of Donald Glover and Beyonce performing "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" Now, a new behind the scenes video gives us our first listen to "Hakuna Matata." Check it out.

In the new Lion King, Timon is voice by Billy Eichner while Pumbaa is given life by Seth Rogen. Simba is voiced by both Donald Glover as the adult version of the character and JD McCrary as the younger version. Based on what we see in the The King Returns clip, and as it follows from the animated original, both versions of Simba will part of the song.

It sounds pretty good, though Seth Roegen has said that recording it wasn't easy.

I've always found "Hakuna Matata" to be an interesting choice for a song. It's an upbeat number that is clearly designed to be the ear worm tune that it became, and yet, it's a song whose message flies in the face of that which the movie as a whole is trying to convey. The Lion King is about facing your past and accepting it, no matter what you may have done, in part because forgiveness is always possible.

However, "Hakuna Matata" is about leaving your past alone, moving on from it and essentially forgetting about it. The philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" is specifically against the idea of facing your past.