Director Barry Jenkins finds echoes from his past in the new Lion King

Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins says he nearly turned down the chance to direct Disney's new blockbuster, a prequel to "The Lion King" before realizing it contained many of the themes that helped make his name.

Only when his agents insisted that he read the script did he accept the role in Mufasa: The Lion King, which will be released next week in the United States and Europe.

At first sight, it seems a far cry from the poignant drama of "Moonlight", his triple Oscar-winning 2016 breakthrough exploring identity, race and poverty, but he says it's not as far as it seems.

"It wasn't until I read the script that I realized," he told AFP in a pre-release interview. "There were so many of the themes, so many of the character dynamics, so much of the journey that felt directly related to all the things I've been doing."

The ultra-realist animation, available in 3D, tells the origin story of Mufasa, father of Simba, the cub star of the 1994 film.

As a young lion, Mufasa finds himself alone and separated from his parents before being adopted by the family of Taka, the compassionate heir of a different pride.

"In the first film, it's about family dynamics and this sort of thing, like revenge and betrayal," explained Jenkins.

"This film is about those things as well... But it's also about the quality of parenting, the nature of parenting, this idea of nature versus nurture, and how those things can impact so much."

He uses the example of Taka, who becomes Scar, the infamous villain of the first film.

"Villains aren't born. They're created out of circumstances," Jenkins said.

Family dynamics

Parenting and the emotional complexity wrought by a troubled childhood are intensely personal subjects for the 45-year-old Miami native, who grew up in the same crime-infested neighborhood that is the setting for "Moonlight."

He never knew his father and his mother were addicted to crack cocaine, meaning he was brought up mainly by a surrogate grandmother figure.

"I didn't realize it when I started the film. But at some point, while making it, I did realize that there were quite a few similarities (with my own life)," he explained.

He says he's built his family from the cinematographers, editors, producers, and fellow film school students he's known for the last 25 years.

"They've become my family... That's a family I've created, not a family I was born with. And this family has changed my life," he said.

The original Lion King is one of the best-known films in cinema history and one of all-time biggest successes at the box office, with worldwide sales of nearly a billion dollars, according to the IMBD website.

The prequel features voices by British actor Aaron Pierre as Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr as Taka.

Beyonce has a minor role as the voice of Nala, while her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, makes her feature film debut as the voice of Simba's daughter, Kiara.