Jay-Z, Beyoncé present a united front with Blue Ivy at 'Mufasa' premiere amid lawsuit

LOS ANGELES − The Knowles-Carters sent a message loud and clear at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King" amid potential legal issues for Jay-Z: The family that sticks together, stays together.

Mother-daughter duo Beyoncé and 12-year-old Blue Ivy Carter posed for photos on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre, home of the Oscars, on Monday night. The two dazzled in metallic gold gowns and were later joined by Jay-Z, clad in a chocolate brown suit.

The family arrived without much fanfare among hundreds of guests and staff roaming the tented red carpet that took over a block of Hollywood Boulevard. Following the step and repeat, the Carters disappeared as quickly as they came − without walking the rest of the carpet or speaking to the media.

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Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, also joined the trio for a red-carpet photo. Beyoncé and Jay-Z were not listed as expected guests for the premiere of the film, which arrives in theaters Dec. 20.

Other "Mufasa" stars spotted on the red carpet were Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka, aka Scar), Tiffany Boone (Sarabi, Mufasa's love interest), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), director Barry Jenkins and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Inside the theater, the "Beautiful Liar" singer and Blue Ivy joined Jenkins, Miranda and the rest of the cast onstage to introduce the film. As the group returned to their seats, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy exited side stage while holding hands.

When the credits rolled following the nearly two-hour film, Beyoncé (as Nala) and Blue Ivy (Kiara) received special billing, with Blue spotlighted as "introducing Blue Ivy Carter."

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Billy Eichner shouts out Blue Ivy as co-star he most wanted to meet

Speaking with USA TODAY on the red carpet, Eichner gave Blue Ivy a shout-out when asked about co-stars he was looking forward to meeting.

"I think she's wonderful in the movie," he said. "I just haven't met her in real life."

With voice roles, performers often don't work together in person. Though the dynamic meercat-and-warthog duo of Eichner and Seth Rogen share all their scenes with Kiara in the film, the comedians were never in the same room as Blue Ivy.

"Seth and I get to improvise a lot, and a shocking amount of the improv was kept in the movie," he said.

"Lion King" director Jenkins acknowledged there was "pressure" working with cherished characters for a new story and added, "It feels like a great responsibility."

"You just know that you're walking in the shadows of the 1994 film, Jon's film and the Broadway musical," Jenkins said. "You know, the energy and the spirit of that ... You have to acknowledge it and channel that same spirit and the same energy.

"So creating a new story, maybe there's a bit more freedom, but you're dealing with the same legacy that you always want to honor."

Preston Nyman, who voices the hornbill Zazu, also allowed it was "terrifying" to embody Mufasa and Sarabi's right-hand man.

"I watched the original with Rowan Atkinson (as Zazu) – obviously amazing. I watched the 2019 one with John Oliver, who's also just amazing. I went to see the show. I listened to the soundtrack. I just absorbed everything," Nyman said. "There's no point in me doing an impression; you have to go and try something new."

Beyoncé keeps the spotlight on daughter Blue Ivy

On Instagram, following their red-carpet appearance, Beyoncé gushed over her "gorgeous baby girl."

She wrote, "This is your night. You worked hard and you did such a beautiful job as the voice of Kiara. Your family could not be prouder. Keep shining."

"Mufasa," the prequel to 2019's "The Lion King," tells the backstory of Mufasa and Scar: how they befriended each other as cubs and grew up together, then faced down a foe. Rafiki (John Kani, and voiced by Kagiso Lediga for young Rafiki) narrates the saga to Kiara (Blue Ivy), who is Mufasa's granddaughter.

Beyoncé and Donald Glover briefly reprise their roles as Kiara's parents, Nala and Simba..

The Carters were pulled into legal drama this weekend when a woman, who anonymously filed a lawsuit claiming Sean "Diddy" Combs raped her at a MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000, amended her complaint to allege Jay-Z was the other celebrity who'd raped her. Jay-Z responded with a scathing statement calling the allegations "heinous in nature" as well as "a blackmail attempt."

He emphasized the "heartbreak" this has caused his family of five: "My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jay-Z, Beyoncé appear on 'Mufasa' red carpet amid rape lawsuit