EPs Jon Favreau & Mike Gunton on Stunning Disney Similarities in Nat Geo Docuseries

The coming of age story of a cub named Kio is told through the four-part docuseries Lion. It’s a project especially meaningful for executive producers Jon Favreau and BBC Studios Natural Studios Natural History Unit’s Mike Gunton. For Favreau, who directed the CGI remake of The Lion King, the journey unfolded organically with a tale as old as time. 

The National Geographic project is the latest for Gunton, a prolific documentarian known for the award-winning Planet Earth II, Prehistoric Planet, and other nature films. Together they were part of a team that spent four years over 1,400 filming days in Kenya to capture moments big and small. On August 19, the first two episodes introduce Kio to the world under the protection of his queen mother Summer. The crucial beginning for the young lion formulates an incredible bond that leads to a crossroads within his life where survival isn’t a given or likely in some ways. 

Lion features a score composed by Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music Group with narration from O.J. Lynch, who played Mufasa in the stage production of The Lion King. The final two installments will premiere on National Geographic on August 26. Here Favreau and Gunton break down what really makes the docuseries so powerful. 

Members of the Summer’s Pride drink and relax at a watering hole, taking a moment to quench their thirst. (National Geographic/Eric Averdung)

Usually, when you have a project of this magnitude over the course of many years you have an initial vision and that evolves over time. How would you say this one evolved from start to finish? 

Jon Favreau: Mike’s pitch to me when we were working with each other on Prehistoric Planet for several seasons on that Apple TV show with animated dinosaurs. It was a documentary set in the past with real places with animated dinosaurs. He came to me with the prospect because there was an opportunity to follow a pride of lions to the extent of what had not been done before with this type of format. Follow this pride. They had done it with Dynasties for about a year or two. Now let’s do it for four and start with a pride of lions. We thought we were following four matriarchs that ran the pride. Events unfolded pretty quickly that changed our focus on what we thought the show would be about. With documentaries, you have to follow a lot of storylines, and only over time are you focused with what emerges with the primary story. 

Mike Gunton: I think the vision did stay the same, although the story changed. The vision was to immerse an audience in the lives of a pride and the dynamics and stresses and strains and trials and tribulations those lions feel in a way you could relate and empathize with because there was so much similarity. That vision maintained all the way through. It did evolve and became more story teller in its execution. Although actually even though very from the beginning I wanted to move away from the voice of God style presentation. Like a lot of things, the initial heart of the vision evolved and evolved and evolved, partly in parallel with how the story developed as stories tend to do. The confidence I think we had. 

Ukingo sits next to a female in their territory. (National Geographic/Sophie Darlington)

I think it’s fun that you feel this underlying Lion King connection. Was that by design? 

Jon: A lot of echoes. This was not the plan. I was just fascinated with lions and lion behavior, mostly from watching documentaries Mike had worked on like Planet Earth series, Dynasties. We had to study that footage to figure out everything as a reference for what we were doing with animation and visual effects. It was only when Kio was born and ended up surviving and became such an interesting character to follow that it started to resonate that this was beginning to feel similar. I didn’t really go there in my head until a few years had past. Even in that first year, by the end of filming we started to cut the footage together with what we were using with Hans Zimmer’s music as a temp track. I called up Hans and said, “Could you look up some footage and tell me if this reminds you of anything?” 

He immediately saw it. He was very compelled by it. He has been living with Lion King since the original through the Broadway show and working with me. Exploring music from that part of the world all the way back from The Power of One. He is very sensitive and very creatively inspired by themes that emerged by what we had filmed. He joined the team and then each year it started to resemble Lion King in more story points more and more. We wanted to make sure we didn’t lean so far in that it felt literal. If you’re familiar with Lion King and watch this, you can’t help but be reminded this is similar to the dynamics. 

Mike: We’re supposed to be dispassionate documentarians, but the truth of the matter is we’re incredibly superstitious. We’re watching this and thinking, “Oh my gosh, this is turning into The Lion King.” We all knew it. Not turning into, but as Jon said so well the echoes. Every passing event in Kio’s story kept on dropping on the timeline and storyline. That was right in the story. The gods and planets aligned for this one. 

The doc really shows the vulnerability of lions. You become deeply invested in Kio’s story with the important role Summer plays in it. The third and fourth episodes bring a turning point that really tugs at the heartstrings. 

Jon: Part of what is fascinating about lions is we can relate so much to them, even though they are very far apart from us on the evolutionary tree. There are certain shared characteristics. The sense of community and cooperation because they hunt as a pride. There is a lot of social structure and bonding that goes on in that species. Particularly, this is true for the parent and child bond. It feels very relatable. When you realize this old wise lioness has to make decisions on behalf of her vulnerable young son and that it feels like decisions are made. It feels like there is wisdom with how she approaches things. But even if that is something I’m imposing as a human to anthropomorphize what is going on in their minds, it’s undeniable that there is a sense of commitment, loyalty and sacrifice the older generation has to endure to protect the next generation. It’s very inspiring and relatable from our species. We value the same qualities. 

Mike: Biologically speaking, so much of what happened in this story does not happen normally. These sorts of behaviors are not classic lion behavior. This gives you the confidence that these animals were making specific decisions related to specific situations. It wasn’t instinctive. This was cognitive. That brings relatability. They are making tough choices in their lives. They are tough choices. There is no easy choice with any of these things.

That is what makes it relatable. We see them in us and us in them. I was particularly pleased when you said vulnerability because we don’t think of lions as being vulnerable. We think of them as being the king of the beasts. They are unassailable. Actually, on many levels they are very vulnerable. Young male cubs, 50 percent, don’t make it past one year. None of the other cubs from Kio’s generation made it. This is a tough life. That is compounded by the fact that lions find themselves in an environment that has so much human encroachment. They are finding it’s tough to survive as their numbers are declining. So, they are vulnerable, particularly males. 

Summer sits relaxed on a mound in Maasai Mara, Kenya. (National Geographic/Simon Blakeney)

Conservation is an overarching message sent where education is key. Jon, you’re working on Oswald and have been part of the Marvel universe among other things. But do you find these projects getting greenlit especially important knowing they can inspire other projects like The Lion King.  

I think stories and storytelling as I get older is something I value more and more. As a parent as well, stories are the best way to transfer knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next. Much of the stories we watched growing up because they were entertaining were actually teaching us about life. We think of stories. We remember things in stories as they relate as opposed to facts. A story well told, especially with an emotional context to it, are stories that stick in your memory, especially when you’re younger. I’m really enjoying this part of my career because I feel like I am able to tell stories to all ages and collaborating on a project like this adds a whole lot of dimension to that. Some of it is about history like Oswald talking about the hundred year legacy of this character and what happened at Disney and Walt Disney since then. This one sets everything in the context of a part of the world most people haven’t visited and were fascinated by. This offers a window into that environment. 

First of all to see the beauty, magic, and relatability of these beautiful animals. Allowing you to understand the importance that these animals are still around. That even though they’ve been around for thousands of years every generation has to do its part to ensure it’s there for the next generation. Sometimes it’s having that insight into it that allows us to prioritize the value of that. It takes human intervention to protect what is still there. So, the best way to do that is through stories and for people to feel an emotional connection to it. That’s the best way to educate people as well because you’re not teaching them in a classroom. You’re inviting them into a story they can relate to and connect with. So, to me, that’s why all the projects I’m working on that you listed all feel very different, there is a unifying sense of storytelling. 

Mike: I think Jon said it. This is a story that speaks to all generations. There is also a story that could have been told at any time. I think it’s a story that could be told now, 10 years ago, a hundred years ago, a thousand of years ago. It’s a story that speaks to the fundamentals of life. There is this sense of the circle of life and that each generation does what it can to help and protect and teach and nurture the next generation. The value of that is embedded through the story here in a very entertaining way. It does also speak about what is essential about humanity: hope, the power to strive against the odds and eventually overcome. 

Lion Episodes 3 and 4, August 26, 9/8c, National Geographic (next day on Disney+ and Hulu)