Black is King: Beyonce visual album inspired by The Lion King streams on Disney+

Visual album tells the story of ‘a young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity’

Beyonce‘s new visual album, Black is King, has landed on Disney+, a month after the artist announced the news with a trailer on her website.

The surprise project was inspired by Beyonce’s work on The Lion King and was written, directed and executive-produced by her.

The album is based on the music from The Gift, the album Beyonce created with features from Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Pharrell, and Blue Ivy Carter.

The first trailer for the album said it would highlight “the voyages of Black families, throughout time” and tell the story of “a young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity”.

“Black is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture,” it said.

Ahead of the film’s Disney+ premiere on Friday (31 July), Beyonce shared a new teaser trailer to her Instagram.

In one clip, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter is seen smiling at the camera.

The eight-year-old recently became the youngest ever BET Award winner after she appeared on the song “Brown Skin Girl”, alongside her parents as well as Wizkid and SAINT JHN.

The visual album aims to “highlight the beauty of tradition and Black excellence”, while re-imagining lessons from The Lion King “for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns”.