SAN DIEGO - Fox 2’s Margie Ellisor traveled to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to sit down with the stars of the new live action film, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King.’ 

‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is the prequel film to the award-winning 1994 movie, ‘The Lion King.’ The film follows the journey of Mufasa (voiced by actor Aaron Pierre) trying to find his way after becoming an orphan. Along the way, Mufasa meets new friends Taka, later known as Scar (voiced by actor Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone) as they go on a journey searching for their destinies. 

During the interview, Ellisor got the opportunity to talk with Pierre about how he was able to display an adolescent version of the iconic character, Mufasa.  

“There was elements of being unsure, elements of not knowing what the future holds in navigating, how to manage that,” Pierre said. “I just sort of poured that into my portrayal as opposed to allowing those nerves to be something that prohibited me.” 

Actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. spoke about his character, Taka, and how his character develops throughout the film as the heir to a royal bloodline. 

“He's trying to figure out who he is in connection to his father's shadow.” Harrison Jr. says. “He's trying to figure out how to love, how to appreciate life, how to find his inner strength. But also, he does not communicate yet.” 

In the interview, actress Tiffany Boone spoke about her character, Sarabi, and how she was able to connect to her. 

“I think I have a big heart, and I can start crying at any moment pretty much,” Boone says. “She's just like, on the edge of always being in tears. She's covering it with confidence, so I related to that a lot.” 

Although the film is a prequel about Mufasa’s journey, the film will also feature the return of Timon and Pumba (played by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan), who provide comedic relief throughout the film. 

“We heard it was about Mufasa's origin story, so I didn't think Timon and Pumba would be in that,” Eichner said. “We worked our way in there through brute force,” Rogan added. 

Just in time for the holidays, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ will roar its way onto the big screen on Friday, Dec. 20.