SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses minor plot details for “Mufasa: The Lion King,” now in theaters.
Lin-Manuel Miranda and composer Dave Metzger both knew the mighty musical legacy they had to uphold when writing the music for Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
The “Lion King” prequel tells the story of young Mufasa, voiced by Aaron Pierre, and his adopted brother Taka, who will be known as Scar (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.). In writing original songs and composing new music, Miranda and Metzger looked at how they could honor the tracks written by Elton John and Tim Rice, as well as Hans Zimmer’s score from the original animated film. Under the direction of Barry Jenkins, they also aimed to inject new music and give the prequel its own distinct sound.
South African musician Lebo M, whose chants and voice have been integral to the “Lion King” universe, returned to maintain that consistent thread, while Miranda drew inspiration from the ’90s R&B band Jodeci in writing the film’s love song.
Here, Metzger and Miranda discuss with Variety navigating the balancing act and reveal the secret to writing music that will live forever in the Disney canon.
When you come into this world, you have to honor the legacy that came before you, but you also get to put this fresh air of music into the film. So, where does that begin for each of you?
DAVE METZGER: Hans Zimmer’s score was just iconic, so you have to acknowledge that. It wouldn’t be fair to the film if I hadn’t gone there. But the toughest part was trying to figure out how much of the original score to use to make sure that everybody knew that we were in this world.
However, when talking with Barry Jenkins, he wanted this to have its voice and identity. So, it was about coming up with themes.
In the case of Rafiki, I came up with a new theme for him that hadn’t existed before. I gave him a voice he hadn’t had in the original film.
I’ve also got to be using Lin’s themes in the score, because you’re doing a disservice if you don’t do that — not only to the audience but to the film itself. So, it’s a matter of looking at where best to utilize those. A great example is “I’ve Always Wanted a Brother.” I was able to change that throughout the film and add another level of depth to their character and relationship.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA: One of my favorite discoveries in writing this music was finding that “I’ve Always Wanted a Brother” theme because it is this joy as we get to know Mufasa and Taka, but then Taka takes a turn, and that theme comes back in a really mournful way. The notes don’t change, but the context does, and Dave grabbed that ball and ran with it.
Lebo M returns for the soundtrack. How integral was he to your work and finding the music of “Mufasa”?
MIRANDA: If there is a connective tissue across “The Lion King,” it is Lebo M. It is the African rhythms, harmonies and the singular voice that he brings to it. It’s the first voice we hear in the original film. His work with you, Dave and Mark Mancina on the Broadway soundtrack is what expanded, I think, the musical palette of what “The Lion King” could be for Broadway, and is one of the reasons it’s one of the longest-running shows on Broadway and all over the world. So, to me, he’s synonymous with it.
It was really fun to work with him. And I think he was very excited to work on new songs because he’s been the caretaker of these incredible Elton John and Tim Rice songs across the different ways they’ve manifested, and I was just very deliberate about making space for his work.
In the song “Milele,” I knew he was going to come in with beautiful choral counterparts to it. And he did. He writes with his voice, and it’s incredible to watch. He listens to the track, he internalizes and goes to the mic and then he harmonizes with himself. It was fun to be witness to that and then witness him translating that to his choir a year later when we recorded the soundtrack. That was part of the reason I said yes, was to get to be in the room while that creation was happening.
METZGER: Lebo has been a brother for 30 years for me. He is the voice of “The Lion King.”
At the end of the film, Mufasa and Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) roar, and it switches into an African choral element with Lebo singing. I had written my theme for Kiara, and the night before, I thought it would be great to have Lebo doing something on it. So the next morning, we were in the studio with the choir. He listened to my theme and my music, and he sat there in the control room, absorbing it. He runs out to the studio, and this choir is out there just waiting. And then he starts singing a line, he points at a group of singers, and then they start singing, and all of a sudden you’ve got this amazing creation. So Lebo is just like a miracle.