Black Is King was released in 2020 alongside music from The Lion King: The Gift.
Written, directed, and executive produced by Beyoncé, Black Is King is a visual album film released on Disney+ on July 31, 2020. It reimagines themes associated with Disney’s The Lion King through a contemporary celebration of Black identity, family, heritage, and global African diasporic culture.
The film uses songs from The Lion King: The Gift, Beyoncé’s 2019 companion album to the live-action film The Lion King. Its visual world draws on fashion, dance, symbolic imagery, and artists from several regions and creative traditions.
Black Is King is not a direct remake of The Lion King. Instead, it is a separate visual interpretation connected to the album and its themes. That difference is important when distinguishing it from Homecoming, which documents Beyoncé’s Coachella performance.