Exploring the Earth

Exploring the Earth (or simply known as Exploring the Earth: Circle of Life) is an upcoming 2019 live action/animated short documentary film included on the release of The Lion King Reborn. It features David Attenborough in a documentary film he is trying to make about wildlife on Earth, but several Pride Landers (including Simba, Timon and Pumbaa) keep interrupting him.

Plot
David Attenborough is narrating about the wildlife of Earth. As he starts talking about meerkats, Timon and Pumbaa start bothering him by entering the frame. The scene then cuts to an pride of lions that Simba, Nala, Kiara and Kion appear and Attenborough sighs for not being able to do his documentary. The scene cuts to a real drongo tricking a meerkat colony, which Cheezi and Chungu tries to speak to. When Cousteau tells them and Janja to stop it, the scene cuts to three live cheetahs hunting for a ostrich. This makes Bunga think of Fuli competing them in a race. This infuriates Attenborough so much that he yells, "Stop!", and proceeds to make a quick yet angry rant about the Earth cycle. Timon expresses amazement and at first, Cousteau is satisfied, but when it is revealed that he was drinking coconut milk, Attenborough loses his temper and starts ranting. For about six seconds, a cartoon still image of Attenborough in a safari costume appears while Musak-style music plays, on a title card which reads "Please Stand By".

When Attenborough comes back, however, he has calmed down and talks with the Pride Landers a journey around the globe and reveals the effect of gradual climatic change and seasonal transitions en route. Suddenly, Kion and the other creatures interrupt him, inadvertently summarizing the message of the entire documentary film during their arguing. David gets mad again and the camera cuts to him aboard his set by night. Humiliated that he has been "up-staged by creatures", Attenborough mutters that "this would have never happened to Richard."

In a before-credits scene, a long and drawn out (mostly satirical) disclaimer is shown asking children to stay away from wild animals, while Timon and Pumbaa stand in front of it and try to remove it, urging the audience to ignore the warning and complaining about freedom of speech and lack of food, respectively. Kion then tells the viewer about David Attenborough's website: bbc.org.

Cast
The film's guide and host. A lion, son of Mufasa and Sarabi, who is the crown prince of the Pride Lands, Nala's husband, and Kiara and Kion's overprotective father. A comedic meerkat, who is Pumbaa's best friend and one of Simba's adoptive parents and Bunga's adoptive uncles. Though somewhat selfish, arrogant, and withdrawn, Timon shows courageous loyalty towards his friends. A naïve, but hearten warthog, who is Timon's "bestest best friend" and one of Simba's adoptive parents and Bunga's adoptive uncles. Though slow-witted, Pumbaa is very empathetic and willing to trust and befriend anyone. He is also claustrophobic and passes gas in crowds. A lioness, who is Simba's mate. A pre-teen lioness cub, the daughter of Simba and Nala and Kion's older sister, who grows up to become future Queen of the Pride Lands. A hornbill, who serves as the lion king's majordomo and advisor. A wise mandrill, who serves as shaman of the lion king. An anti-heroic lion cub, who is Simba and Nala's son, Mufasa's grandson, Kiara's younger brother, the Prince of the Pride Lands, and the leader of the Lion Guard as well as its fiercest member. As leader of the Lion Guard, Kion possesses an intensely powerful ability known as the Roar of the Elders bestowed by the great lions of the past. A dimwitted honey badger, who is the bravest member of the Lion Guard. He is also Timon and Pumbaa's adoptive nephew and Kion's best friend. A cheetah, who is the fastest member of the Lion Guard, the only female member, Kion's friend and second-in-command. She also dislikes baboons and getting wet. A happy-go-lucky and enthusiastic hippopotamus, who is the strongest member of the Lion Guard and Kion's friend. A nerdy, but brainy egret, who is the keenest of sight of the Lion Guard and Kion's friend. A cunning and ruthless hyena, who is the leader of the clan. Janja's excitable hyena. Janja's unintelligible hyena. A fork-tailed drongo bird. A flea ringmaster of the circus bugs troupe from Pixar Animation Studios' A Bug's Life, who makes a brief cameo appearance. A miserable red elephant from the Tarzan franchise, who also makes a brief cameo appearance. A fast-talking, self-absorbed Chinese dragon and the self-appointed guardian of Fa Mulan from the Mulan franchise, who also makes a brief cameo appearance.
 * David Attenborough as Himself
 * Matthew Broderick as Simba
 * Nathan Lane as Timon
 * Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa
 * Gabrielle Union as Nala
 * Eden Riegel as Kiara
 * Rowan Atkinson as Zazu
 * Khary Payton as Rafiki
 * Max Charles as Kion
 * Joshua Rush as Bunga
 * Diamond White as Fuli
 * Dusan Brown as Beshte
 * Atticus Shaffer as Ono
 * Andrew Kishino as Janja
 * Vargus Mason as Cheezi
 * Kevin Schon as Chungu
 * C. J. Byrnes as Tamaa
 * John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea
 * Wayne Knight as Tantor the Elephant
 * Eddie Murphy as Mushu

Production
TBA

Release
The short is set to be released at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26th, and July 19th with the release of The Lion King Reborn.