Disney’s The Lion King (2019) isn’t quite the live-action adaptation of the animated classics we’ve come to know. Instead, it is a reimagined version that takes the lessons learned from The Jungle Book and uses new tools and technologies to tell a beloved story in an all-new way. Director Jon Favreau takes the helm of what is essentially an old story told from a different technological lens. Using photorealistic technologies, animals in the film come to life. So much so this new Lion King looks like a DisneyNature title.

We sat down with our fellow journalists at the global press conference for The Lion King, where Favreau talked about his three-year journey making the film, how he wanted to pay homage to the animated original, and more. Check out what he had to say below.

We were invited recently to see a presentation of Disney’s upcoming film The Jungle Book, at the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, California. The venue was the perfect spot for director Jon Favreau and Visual Effects Supervisor Rob Legato to talk about the upcoming live-action film, the technical aspects, how their live-action Jungle Book will compare to 1967 animated original, and the research and casting process that went into the new film.

Since the first bits of footage debuted during the D23 Expo back in August 2015, anticipation for The Jungle Book has been growing. We’ve already seen two trailers that hopefully brought out the inner child in you and the exciting joy that the newer generation will get to see when watching the film in its entirety. The combination of music, nostalgia, and high-quality visual effects have made this one of the most anticipated films of 2016.