Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s participation in the 2019 remake of Disney\u2019s The Lion King was genius casting, not just because of her role in the film, but because \u2026<\/b>
\nBeyonc\u00e9\u2019s participation in the 2019 remake of Disney\u2019s The Lion King was genius casting, not just because of her role in the film, but because it then allowed her the creative freedom to release the album The Lion King: The Gift and subsequently write, direct, and executive produce her latest visual album, Black Is King, that album\u2019s stunning visual companion. Consider her part in The Lion King merely a starting point for a more grandiose story she needed to tell. But while The Lion King was a parable of how to find your own strength and power amid personal setbacks, Beyonc\u00e9 uses the same African backdrop as the setting in Black Is King to lend strength and power to the whole Black experience, to honor it and ennoble it (while writing some bangers along the way). The Gist: Beyonc\u00e9 is an artist so sure of who she is, her confidence is transferable to her listeners. With lines like \u201cYou are welcome to come home to yourself,\u201d \u201cI am a whole mood,\u201d and \u201cStep in your essence and know that you\u2019re excellent,\u201d she knows that the influence she has as a cultural icon and she uses her voice to amplify the message that we are all destined for greatness. Using the story of The Lion King as a jumping-off point, the songs and visuals presented here are an interpretation of that tale, but it\u2019s so much bigger than that. With filming locations in South Africa, West Africa, New York, Los Angeles, London, and Belgium, Bey uses the globe as a backdrop. To that she adds saturated, bright florals that look like the backdrop of a Kehinde Wiley painting bursting to life, and pointed cultural symbols such as the American flag sewn in the colors of the Pan-African flag, to ballads and dance tracks alike. In telling a story about the kings of the past, she\u2019s paving the way for the kings (and queens) of the future. What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s visual albums are so singular and specific to her, so even though it\u2019s obvious to state this, Lemonade and Beyonc\u00e9 share the most DNA with Black Is King, visually and tonally. They all pivot from musical genre to musical genre, woven together by Bey\u2019s calm and direct narration. Performance Worth Watching: This is Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s show, and she commands all of our attention,100% of the time. But just as magnetic when she\u2019s onscreen is Blue Ivy Carter, maybe because we love to watch a celebrity child grow up before our eyes, but when she sings the final lines to \u201cBrown Skin Girl\u201d we were riveted at not just her sweet performance, but at the idea that her mother was putting words into action by giving her daughter a voice. Memorable Dialogue: As this entire feature consists solely of dialogue from The Lion King and Beyonc\u00e9 lyrics, the line that encapsulates the film is a simple one, yet it speaks volumes: \u201cYou can\u2019t wear a crown with your head down.\u201d It is metaphor, it is proverb, it is truth. And it\u2019s the essence of Black is King. Sex and Skin: There\u2019s no sex to speak of, but there are some painted bare breasts. Our Take: No shade to Sir Elton John, but when you watch a Black woman \u2014 a woman who is so sure of her identity, so proud of her Blackness, so rooted to her history \u2014 interpret the story of an African king (lion, human, or otherwise), it makes you cringe to associate \u201cCircle of Life\u201d with The Lion King when you see what she has done. While there are plenty of references to the Disney film throughout, what Beyonce has created is an anti-Disney telling of the tale. Disney isn\u2019t making up for every whitewashed fairy tale, every blonde princess, every brown villain whose stereotype they\u2019ve perpetuated through the years. But for them to essentially give Beyonc\u00e9 carte blanche to tell this story through a very specific lens of African-ness, populated with Black people and told in their voice, is groundbreaking. Our Call: STREAM IT! Black is King is visually stunning and a perfect companion piece to what\u2019s happening in the world at this very moment \u2014 it does not provide a history lesson or point out current injustices, we can get that information elsewhere. It is a soundtrack to anyone who wants to overcome, feel empowered, and rise up. Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Brooklyn. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction. Watch Black Is King on Disney Plus<\/p>\n