Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’, a visual album connected to Disney’s remake of ‘The Lion King’, will be available today on Disney+. So far, it has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews, but the day is still young. “The film highlights the beauty of tradition and Black excellence,” Disney said in an earlier statement about the film.
The visual was released hours before the premiere of Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’ film, which was available on Disney+ at 3 a.m. ET (Friday). Queen Bey wrote and directed it. In addition, Beyoncé produced the project with help from filmmaker Emmanuel Adjei, Pop Star Blitz Bazawule and visual artist Pierre Debusschere. This is a mega project that adapts the ‘Lion King’ story to a wider narrative that showcases African history and heritage. The singer’s new visual album reimagines the lessons of the Lion King for today’s young Kings and Queens in search of their own crowns. Jay-Z, Kelly Rowland, Pharrel, Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Campbell, models Aweng Ade-Chuol and Adut Akech will all make appearances.
This is Beyoncé’s latest move as a self-directed business woman which is not a surprise at all, since the singer has aligned herself with major media partners in the past (Tidal, HBO, Apple and Netflix).