Who composed the new songs from The Lion King: Mufasa?

He reveals that he was inspired by Mads Mikkelsen – who voices Kiros, the leader of the white lions in the original version – to write the villain’s great song…

It’s not easy to move on after “The Story of Life”, “Hakuna Matata” or “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. Without a doubt, the soundtrack of Lion Kinglargely composed and written by Elton John, is one of the best in cinema history. So who dared to take up the torch for Mufasa: The Lion King ?

It is Lin-Manuel Mirandacreator of the famous Broadway musical, Hamiltonwhich was chosen. It must be said that the composer / director / actor is a sure value. He is the one who created the hits for recent Disney animated films, such as Moana in 2016 or Encanto in 2021.

“When Disney asked me to do the songs for MufasaI finished editing Tick, Tick…Boom!. And I had just finished solving the Madrigal problems in Encanto. I had literally just written the final issue and was going on vacation. I was exhausted” tell Lin-Manuel Miranda at ComingSoon. “Plus, I’m not a great multitasker. I need to work on things that are really different so I can do them simultaneously.”

The musician took six months to cut, then began working on new songs for The Lion Kingat the beginning of 2022. “I didn’t really hesitate to accept the job. Because a lot of people have already tackled the Lion King In fact. Beyoncé made an inspired album. There’s a Broadway musical with incredible arrangements by Lebo and Mark Mancina. So I felt like there was room to play in that universe.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda thus composed the next Disney hits, notably “I Always Wanted a Brother”, the catchy hit from the film, which brings together Mufasa and Taka.

He also imagined the villain’s song with “Bye Bye”, an enjoyable first for him: “I hadn’t had the chance to write an old-fashioned villain song before. I even suggested this one. She wasn’t in the script.“And the composer then reveals having been inspired by Mads Mikkelsen, who dubs Kiros, the leader of the white lions in the original version:

“The inspiration came from Mads Mikkelsen. This Danish actor is a James Bond villain. He’s one of our biggest villains. And I could imagine his voice very well. And then I just wanted to surprise people. I was looking for a contemporary dance sound that no one would expect from this lion. I thought of Mads as someone of ambiguity and I wanted him to be ambiguous like him.

The Lion King: Mufasa is released this Wednesday, December 18 in cinemas in France.