Remembering James Earl Jones’ legacy as Mufasa and Darth Vader in Disney theme parks
James Earl Jones — a Disney Legend who provided the voice for Mufasa in “The Lion King” and Darth Vader in “Star Wars” — has died at age 93.
Iconic actor James Earl Jones passed away Sept. 9, 2024 in Dutchess County, N.Y., Deadline first reported.
Jones’ decades of accolades span stage and screen; many of our readers know him as the voice of Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King.”
James Earl Jones’ voice in Disney theme parks
James Earl Jones’ legacy lives on not only through his films, but within theme park attractions, sometimes in the form of new dialogue Jones recorded, and other times in recycled clips from his film appearances.
Perhaps most notably, Jones’ stirring performance as Mufasa in the stars (“Remember who you are…”) is part of the climax of “Happily Ever After,” the nightly fireworks/projection show at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida.
Additionally, Disney theme park guests can continue to hear Jones as Darth Vader in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, as well as Disneyland Park in both California and France.
Jones also performed the voice of Mara, the antagonist of Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland in California.
At the time of the 1994 release of “The Lion King” and continuing through 2002, Jones as Mufasa was featured in “Legend of the Lion King,” an indoor show at Magic Kingdom that combined movie clips with live puppets (as seen in the video below by our friends at MouseSteps.com). It was replaced by Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
According to D23, Jones also provided Mufasa’s voice for “Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable,” a film presented inside The Land Pavilion at Epcot from 1995 – 2018.
In the ’90s, James Earl Jones narrated Disney’s annual Candlelight Processional pageant at both Disneyland (according to D23) and Magic Kingdom (according to the Orlando Sentinel).
Bob Iger remembers an icon
In a statement shared by The Walt Disney Company, CEO Bob Iger said:
From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history. A celebrated stage actor with nearly 200 film and television credits to his name, the stories he brought to life with a uniquely commanding presence and a true richness of spirit have left an indelible mark on generations of audiences. On behalf of all of us at Disney, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
Jones, who was named a Disney Legend in 2019, appeared onscreen as himself in “Fantasia 2000” to introduce one of the film’s animated sequences, as did other Disney luminaries Angela Lansbury and Bette Midler. In 2009, Jones narrated “Earth,” the debut film of Disneynature.
James Earl Jones as Darth Vader
James Earl Jones first voiced Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” film in 1977, continuing into its sequels and various spinoff media. Actor David Prowse — and later Hayden Christensen, Spencer Wilding, and Daniel Naprous — performed Vader in person on set.
In 2022, Jones “signed off on using his archival voice recordings to keep Vader alive and vital even by artificial means,” according to Vanity Fair. This means that going forward, should Lucasfilm want to include Darth Vader in any project, the studio is allowed to do so with Jones’ voice. They’d already tested it out prior to Jones’ death. For the 2022 Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Jones’ voice as Vader was brought to screen by artist Bogdan Belyaev programming artificial intelligence software Respeecher.
James Earl Jones as Mufasa
James Earl Jones became known to a generation as Mufasa — Simba’s father and ruler of the Pride Lands — in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 1994 sensation “The Lion King.” Simba reckoning with Mufasa’s death and stepping into his own purpose as Mufasa’s son is the heartbeat of the film.
Jones voiced Mufasa again for the 1998 sequel “The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride,” the 2015 Disney Junior series “The Lion Guard,” and the 2019 remake of “The Lion King” directed by Jon Favreau.
(The upcoming follow-up “Mufasa: The Lion King” — in theaters Dec. 20, 2024 — stars Aaron Pierre, not James Earl Jones, in the titular role, as the story depicts Mufasa’s early life prior to becoming king.)
A concert at the Hollywood Bowl celebrating the 30th anniversary of “The Lion King” was filmed several months ago and will debut on Disney+ later this year.
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