Atlanta actor roars to stardom in 'Mufasa: The Lion King'

Atlanta actor roars to stardom in 'Mufasa'

Atlanta actor Braelyn Rankins stars as the young Mufasa is Disney's new prequel to ''The Lion King,'' and he and Paul Milliken had a experience checking out the real-life African animals at Zoo Atlanta.

ATLANTA - You know the story of "The Lion King." But do you know what came long before young Simba ascended to his rightful place as king of the Pride Lands?

That origin story is now being told in "Mufasa: The Lion King," opening in theaters on Dec. 20 from Disney. The film is essentially a prequel to "The Lion King," using flashbacks to tell the story of Mufasa’s rise from an orphaned lion cub to the throne. 

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, "Mufasa: The Lion King" was made using a mix of live film-making techniques and photorealistic computer-generated imagery, and features the voices of Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Blue Ivy Carter, Billy Eichner, and Seth Rogen.

Voicing the young version of the title character is Atlanta’s own Braelyn Rankins, who has also appeared in the Peacock Original "Take Note" and in Max’s "Doom Patrol." And Monday morning on Good Day Atlanta, we took the young actor on an exclusive visit to Zoo Atlanta, where we chatted about "Mufasa: The Lion King" while getting a tour of the zoo’s African Savanna habitat!

Click the video player in this article to hear more from Braelyn Rankins — and click here for more information on Disney’s "Mufasa: The Lion King."