Carlos Rivera is the head of the pride…

The 33-year-old Mexican singer/actor is set to voice the character of Simba in the Spanish-dubbed version of Disney’s computer-animated remake of the 1994 classic movie, The Lion King.

Rivera, who rose to fame by becoming the winner of the third generation of La Academia, will be heard in the Spanish-dubbed version of the film in Latin America.

 “The Lion King returns to surprise my life, it is my beautiful ‘Endless Cycle,’” wrote Rivera on social media. 

This isn’t the first time Rivera has channeled his inner Simba. In 2011, he portrayed the beloved lion character in a musical of the same name. 

“My dream was to play Simba in The Lion King. It was one of my good choices in life,” Rivera previously told Billboard. “It made me learn English, in case I was ever offered the role in English. Doing musical theater helped me a lot. I knew it would generate credibility and respect. There’s no cut-and-paste there.”

Rivera also starred in the Beauty and the Beast musical, the first major Broadway-like production produced by Disney in Mexico and formed part of the soundtrack for Disney’s Coco with his heartwarming track “Recuerdame.”

Donald Glover is the voice of Simba in the English version of the film, which will be released on July 19.