'The Lion King' Is Getting a TV Series Spinoff Focused on 'Conservation Education'

On Tuesday, Disney announced that The Lion King is coming back ... as a TV series spinoff focused on "conservation education." The series will be called The Lion Guard and tell the story of Kion, the second child of Simba and Nala. (Real Lion King fans know that the couple already have a daughter, Kiara, who was the focus of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride.)

20 years ago, The Lion King roared to life in theatres. Disney Junior has now put a twist on this classic coming-of-age film with a new series for the next generation of audiences.

The Lion Guard will premiere in Fall 2015 as a television movie, with a subsequent series to debut in early 2016 on Disney Junior and Disney Channel. The story begins in the heart of the African savannah, as Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, assembles a team of his close friends to preserve the Pride Lands. The show will also include special appearances by Mufasa, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu and Kion’s older sister, Kiara, the future Queen of the Pride Lands. The show will focus on conservation education, the importance of family and community, while also highlighting creative problem-solving skills and diversity.

No. No. No no no no. No.

C'mon, Disney, you're really going to take one of the greatest animated films of all time and turn it into this? Yes, you've already milked The Lion King for a direct-to-video sequel, a midquel and a TV series focused on Timon and Pumbaa, but wasn't that the old Disney? The Disney that was squashed when Pixar and John Lasseter rode into town and saved the studio? If you really, really want to do another Lion King, do what Pixar did with Toy Story 3 and make it worth it. Put it in theaters. The Lion Guard? C'mon. Be better than that.