Photo: Larry Busacca/PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment.

Even with all of the new music releases expected this summer, Beyoncé’s Black Is King is the most anticipated project of the season, and a new full-length trailer for the visual album teases an epic experience that is absolutely worth your Disney+ subscription.

The official announcement for Black Is King broke last month after members of the Beyhive leaked the teaser for the project online. Equal parts film and visual album — think Lemonade — Black Is King is inspired by the 2019 live action reboot of The Lion King and the sounds of its accompanying album The Lion King: The Gift.

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Taking cues from the various sonic genres Beyoncé pulled from (including Afrobeats and South African house) for the album, Black Is King centres itself in the superstar's reimagined Africa. In the fantasy film, a young man embarks on a supernatural journey to self-discovery and self-realisation, with his rich history and heritage guiding his path every step of the way.

"You were formed by the heat of the galaxy," narrates Beyoncé in the new trailer. "What a thing to be both unique and familiar...to be one and the same and still unlike any other."

"Life is a set of choices," she continues. "Lead or be led astray."

Beyoncé recruited several members of her celebrity circle to appear in the visual album; Tina Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Lupita Nyong'o, and Naomi Campbell all make an appearance in the official trailer. And of course, Jay-Z shows up, too — you know she's always bringing him around.

Black Is King's release comes exactly a year after the release of The Gift. Beyoncé spent that time researching different African cultures, writing its script, directing each shot, and producing the project. It's a labour of love for the world, but specifically for the Black community worldwide — a reminder that Black history and Black culture are as powerful as they are beautiful.

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I typically keep comments short and sweet, but I just watched the trailer with my family and I’m excited. 🎶please don’t get me hype🎶🤪 “Black Is King” is a labor of love. It is my passion project that I have been filming, researching and editing day and night for the past year. I’ve given it my all and now it’s yours. It was originally filmed as a companion piece to “The Lion King: The Gift” soundtrack and meant to celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry. I could never have imagined that a year later, all the hard work that went into this production would serve a greater purpose. The events of 2020 have made the film’s vision and message even more relevant, as people across the world embark on a historic journey. We are all in search of safety and light. Many of us want change. I believe that when Black people tell our own stories, we can shift the axis of the world and tell our REAL history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books. With this visual album, I wanted to present elements of Black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy. I spent a lot of time exploring and absorbing the lessons of past generations and the rich history of different African customs. While working on this film, there were moments where I’ve felt overwhelmed, like many others on my creative team, but it was important to create a film that instills pride and knowledge. I only hope that from watching, you leave feeling inspired to continue building a legacy that impacts the world in an immeasurable way. I pray that everyone sees the beauty and resilience of our people. This is a story of how the people left MOST BROKEN have EXTRAORDINARY gifts.❤️✊🏾 Thank you to Blitz, Emmanuel, Ibra, Jenn, Pierre, Dikayl, Kwasi and all the brilliant creatives. Thank you to all at Disney for giving this Black woman the opportunity to tell this story. This experience has been an affirmation of a grander purpose. My only goal is that you watch it with your family and that it gives you pride. Love y’all, B

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jun 28, 2020 at 8:06pm PDT

"I believe that when Black people tell our own stories, we can shift the axis of the world and tell our REAL history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books," she captioned the first teaser of Black Is King on her Instagram. "I pray that everyone sees the beauty and resilience of our people. This is a story of how the people left MOST BROKEN have EXTRAORDINARY gifts."

Black Is King hits Disney+ on 31st July.

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