[Report]Travis Japan Genta Matsuda sings a song from the movie “The Lion King: Mufasa” solo for the first time with the “Mufa-buri” performance of Ukon Onoe, who plays the role of Mufasa

■“It was so much fun!” (Travis Japan Genta Matsuda)

Genta Matsuda (Travis Japan), who plays the role of main character Mufasa’s brother Taka (young Scar) in the super live-action premium dubbed version of the movie “The Lion King: Mufasa” (released on December 20th), will appear on November 28th. Appeared at an event held on.

The venue for this event was the spacious open space stage of Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Fukuoka’s Central Media Park. Many people of all ages and genders gathered at the venue, looking forward to the event by Matsuda, who plays the role of Taka, and some of them even carried fans to cheer them on.

When Matsuda, wearing a lion-colored costume, took to the stage, there was a huge round of applause and cheers from the venue. After visiting Fukuoka for the first time during the 2024 Travis Japan tour, he said, “The fans in Fukuoka were really warm, and the concerts were really exciting together as one team.It was really warm and had a family feeling, so I loved it.” The audience at the venue, filled with local love, burst into cheers and smiles as Matsuda called out, “Fukuoka!” “Fukuoka has food stalls and I love ramen.We also have a lot of kaedama, and the best kaedama is 5 bowls!” The audience was excited.

Regarding his first challenge as a voice actor for this work, he said, “As a Disney fan, I grew up watching Disney works, so I was really happy to be involved in this work.・I was happy to be able to voice Taka, who would later become Scar! When the voice actors were announced, the members also said “Yes”! “I was happy because he was happy,” he said, recounting the story of when the decision was made.

Regarding “The Lion King: Mufasa,” he said, “It’s the warmest and truly heartbreaking story of “brotherly bonds” in Disney history.The real “The Lion King” is incomplete without seeing Mufasa, so I definitely recommend it. I want everyone to see it!” he said enthusiastically. Regarding the role of Taka that he plays, “Scar has scars as you know from the original work.He has a villainous and slightly frightening image, but this time Taka has a cute past, and he is innocent and innocent, and even to himself. I felt like we had something in common.”

Regarding preparing for the role, he said, “I practiced barking when no one was around!Also, I was touring Asia at the time when it was announced that I had passed the exam during my world tour, but I heard about it an hour before the actual performance. The fan service that day was all in the hands of a lion!”, he said with a smile, and the audience shouted, “I noticed!”.

My impression of Ukon Onoue, who played the role of Mufasa, who we co-starred with for the first time in this work and who were bonded by “brotherly bonds”, was “When we first met, he said, “Call me Kenken! I’ll call you Gengen!” He’s like a big brother to me, and I respect him!” There are also episodes where you can feel how close they are, just like real brothers.

The song “Brother/Brother Like You,” which is sung in the movie with Ukon, “There’s a scene where two lions, Mufasa and Taka, sing, and each lion’s thoughts are carefully incorporated into the lyrics, and the melody is… The line or the harmonious part Mufasa sings as if he is supporting Taka with a solid foundation, and Taka is now singing freely, making it a song that is really linked to the story and makes you feel the bond between brothers. ”, he said, talking about the appeal of the song.

■Ukon Onoue, who plays the role of Mufasa, sings the song from the movie about the bond between brothers for the first time as a solo performer!
At an event held in Tokyo the other day, he and Ukon Onoe, who plays Mufasa, performed for the first time with their wonderful, breathy singing voices. The song from the movie, “Brother/It’s Like You,” elicited an unexpected encore from the audience, with voices of emotion and sympathy aroused by Mufasa’s powerful singing voice and the song that expresses the bond of brotherhood that goes beyond blood ties between Mufasa and Taka. Brother.” Onoue Mizu and Matsuda are co-starring for the first time in this work, but they are as close as real brothers, calling each other “Kenken” (Ukon’s nickname) and “Gengen”.

At the event, a surprise message arrived from Ukon, who plays Mufasa. In response to Ukon’s unreasonable behavior, Matsuda decided to perform the song “Brother/Kimi ni na ni na bro” as a solo performer for the first time in Fukuoka. Matsuda, who performed the song for the first time in front of an audience of about 1,500 people, was a little nervous as it was his first time singing alone, but he commented with satisfaction, “It was fun for the first time in Mufa! I’m glad I was able to sing!” A huge round of applause broke out in the venue.

While the excitement of Matsuda’s talk and his first solo performance did not let up the excitement in the venue, Matsuda himself, who couldn’t wait for the film to be released, concluded his work by saying, “I hope to cherish the warmest and saddest sibling bond in Disney history.” “The Lion King” is not complete until you see “The Lion King: Mufasa.” Please watch it in theaters on December 20th! Thank you very much for coming today!”, he sent a message to the fans waiting for the movie to be released, and the event ended with a huge round of applause.

Movie information

“The Lion King: Mufasa”
Released at theaters nationwide on Friday, December 20th

Director: Barry Jenkins
Subtitled voice actors: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Mads Mikkelsen, Blue Ivy Carter
Super live-action premium dubbed version voice actors: Ukon Onoe, Genta Matsuda (Travis Japan), Ken Watanabe
Distribution: Walt Disney Japan
(C)2024 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Movie site of “The Lion King: Mufasa”
https://www.disney.co.jp/movie/lionking-mufasa