The digital release date has been revealed for Mufasa: The Lion King. A follow-up to the 2019 remake of The Lion King, Mufasa is a story that acts as both a prequel and a sequel to the classic story. It is directed by award-winning Moonlight helmer Barry Jenkins and features music by the incomparable Lin-Manuel Miranda. Mufasa features a leading voice cast including Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, and Billy Eichner.

As per Disney, the digital release date for Mufasa: The Lion King has been revealed. The movie will hit VOD on February 18. This will be followed by the film’s release to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 1. These releases will have a litany of bonus features, most notably including a full-length singalong version of the movie with lyrics on screen. Other bonus features include music videos, outtakes, and cast and crew interviews and featurettes.

What This Means For Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa Did Not Announce A Disney+ Date Yet

A notably absent aspect of this announcement was Mufasa‘s Disney+ release date. This follows a recent trend with Disney, who also announced the digital release date for Moana 2 in the past few days. Like Mufasa, Moana 2 will roll out a digital release date, followed by a release to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD. All of these formats, for both movies, will seemingly come before the тιтles appear on Disney+. This will extend the time period in which Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King can be profitable.

The sing-along option is a particularly strategic bonus feature for Mufasa: The Lion King. As an original musical, Mufasa‘s songs are a major part of the movie’s appeal. In recent weeks, one song in particular, “I Always Wanted A Brother,” has become extremely popular on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. As such, there will be an even higher demand for a Mufasa: The Lion King singalong version, causing more people to purchase the film on digital.

Our Take On Mufasa: The Lion King’s Release Date

Disney Could Still Turn More Profit

Even since earlier 2024 movies like Inside Out 2, Disney has been seeming to want to expand the theatrical exclusivity for their movies in general. In Mufasa‘s case, the film is only coming to digital about two months after the movie released in theaters. Still, by allowing more purchase options and not letting it go to Disney+, the company is expanding the movie’s profitability window. This worked for Universal with their financially profitable digital release for Wicked, so hopefully the strategy can help Disney as well.

Source: Disney