After a long wait and two teaser trailers, Beyoncé’s new film Black is King is officially streaming on Disney+. Known for her spectacular visual ferocity since the release of Lemonade, Beyoncé is taking it to the next level with this project and a deluxe edition of her Lion King-inspired record The Gift.
Black is King is being described as a coming of age story wrapped in political acuity.
Beyoncé’s new film Black is King remakes The Lion King for its modern, political context. It’s now officially streaming on Disney+.
Having written, directed and executive produced the film, Beyoncé is truly a force to be reckoned with. Describing it as a “love letter to Africa” she has made it clear that the message is to “let Black be synonymous with glory.”
The film features an all-Black cast including her husband Jay-Z, daughter Blue Ivy, Donald Glover, Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyong’o, and Naomi Campbell.
Like everything Beyoncé does, the film demands attention, especially for its message of self-empowerment. Described as a re-imagining of “the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns,” Black is King truly shifts the Disney classic into a coming of age story for our modern political context.
Following Simba’s journey to maturity and self-assurance in a way that illuminates the power of identity, the film is focused on how “timeless lessons are revealed and reflected through Black voices of today, now sitting in their own power.”
To accompany the film Beyoncé re-released her record The Gift as a deluxe edition which features Jay-Z, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and Pharrell Williams.
The film’s release perfectly coincides with the Black Lives Matter movement, Beyoncé’s powerful message of Black empowerment making Black is King a topical and adroitly perceptive cinematic piece.
Be sure to check out the film, now streaming on Disney+.
