Beyoncé portrayed Nala in Disney’s 2019 photorealistic film The Lion King.
Directed by Jon Favreau, the film is a remake of Disney’s 1994 traditionally animated feature. Beyoncé provided the voice for the adult Nala, a lioness who is Simba’s childhood friend and later becomes his mate and queen.
The 2019 production used computer-generated imagery designed to look photorealistic, although the animals and environments were digitally created. Donald Glover voiced adult Simba, while James Earl Jones returned as Mufasa from the original film.
Beyoncé also contributed new music to the project. Her song “Spirit” appeared on the film’s soundtrack and was included on the companion album The Lion King: The Gift. Nala is sometimes confused with Sarabi, Simba’s mother, or Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter from the later direct-to-video sequel, but Beyoncé played the adult Nala in the 2019 remake.