National Geographic has released the official trailer for LION, an epic four-part event series following the extraordinary real-life journey of a young lion cub named Kio as he grows from vulnerable cub to king.
The series debuts on National Geographic on August 19 at 9/8c, with all episodes streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Executive produced by Disney Legend and The Lion King live-action director Jon Favreau and BBC Studios Natural History Unit Creative Director Mike Gunton, LION blends natural history filmmaking with the emotional sweep of a cinematic coming-of-age drama.
Narrated by O.J. Lynch, who portrays Mufasa in The Lion King stage production, the series brings audiences into the world of the Maasai Mara’s lion kings, queens, and a new hero whose journey unfolds across four years.
A Real-Life Lion King Story
At the center of LION is Kio, a tiny cub whose path to survival becomes a sweeping story of family, courage, danger, and transformation.
Filmed in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, the series follows Kio across one of the most ambitious natural history productions ever centered on a single pride. The crew, including local Kenyan filmmakers, logged nearly 1,400 filming days across 52 shoots, marking the most time ever spent in the field exclusively following one lion pride.
That level of commitment gives LION a rare sense of intimacy. Rather than presenting lions through broad wildlife observation alone, the series follows Kio’s life like a true character journey, allowing audiences to experience the drama, risk, and emotional stakes of his world as he grows into his place within the pride.
Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton Bring Blockbuster Storytelling to Natural History
With Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton executive producing, LION is positioned as more than a traditional wildlife documentary.
Favreau brings a storyteller’s understanding of myth, family, and emotional scale, while Gunton brings the world-class natural history expertise behind landmark projects including Planet Earth II and Dynasties. Together, the series aims to deliver a gripping drama rooted in documentary truth.
That combination makes LION especially interesting. It is not fictionalized, but it is clearly built with the narrative momentum of a blockbuster. The series follows real animals and real stakes, but with the emotional structure of a hero’s journey.
Favreau described the experience of following the pride for four years as extraordinary, noting that Kio’s journey continued to surprise the team throughout production.
Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music Scores the Wild
The music is also a major part of the series’ identity.
The score is led by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer alongside Niccolò Pacella and George Hutson Warren for Bleeding Fingers Music, with additional vocals from the Nairobi Chamber Chorus.
The soundtrack draws from recordings captured in the Maasai Mara, including local singers, instruments, and even lion roars. That gives the music a powerful connection to the land and the animals at the heart of the story. The score also subtly weaves in rerecorded musical nods to The Lion King, creating a bridge between Disney’s iconic lion mythology and this real-world natural history event.
The original series soundtrack will be released by Hollywood Records on August 21 and will be available wherever music is streamed.
A Family Event With Real Stakes
National Geographic describes LION as a co-viewing experience for animal lovers, families, and audiences drawn to epic storytelling.
That framing makes sense. The series carries themes that are easy to connect with across generations: family, survival, hope, loss, courage, and the difficult path toward leadership. It has the emotional accessibility of a coming-of-age story, but the tension comes from nature itself.
For viewers who grew up with The Lion King, there is an obvious emotional connection here. But LION is not a fantasy. It is a real journey, filmed over years, shaped by the dangers and beauty of the wild.
Disney Continues Protect the Pride Campaign
In connection with LION, Disney is continuing the Protect the Pride campaign, supporting the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund and its partners working across Africa.
The campaign shares the Lion Recovery Fund’s vision to help double the number of lions in the wild by 2050. Since launching Protect the Pride in 2019, Disney has invested more than $5 million in the Lion Recovery Fund, whose network has helped support more than 400 conservation projects across 26 countries.
That conservation component gives the series added weight. LION is not only about watching one cub’s story unfold. It also points toward the larger real-world fight to protect lion populations and support locally led conservation efforts.
Watch the Trailer
LION premieres on National Geographic on August 19 at 9/8c, with all episodes streaming August 20 on Disney+ and Hulu.
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