Jun 13, 2014

Disney Junior to Premiere "The Lion King" Spinoff Series in 2015

"It's like a combination of The Lion King and The Avengers," Nancy Kanter, general manager of Disney Junior, says of the upcoming preschool series "The Lion Guard."

A sequel series to "The Lion King" and its two direct-to-video sequels, "The Lion Guard" follows Keon, the second child of Simba and Nala, as he gathers jungle animals to protect Pride Land.

The idea was conceived several years ago when Disney CEO Robert Iger suggested that Disney Jr. come up with something that could be tied to the 20th anniversary of The Lion King. Cantor noted that the company has been successful in tying new content to the company's "legacy" with shows like "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" and "Sofia the First," which features the fairies from "Sleeping Beauty."

The story premiered as a TV movie in the fall of 2015 and will be adapted into a series on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior the following year. While Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and Mufasa will appear, the story will feature entirely new characters, including "Huli the confident cheetah, Besite the jolly hippo, Ono the intelligent egret, and Bunga the fearless honeybadger."