Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Written by: Jeff Nathanson
Starring: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Keith David, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, and Mads Mikkelsen
Runtime: 118 minutes
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is an unnecessary prequel, but the music and ambitious production should please devoted fans
During the first hour of “Mufasa: The Lion King”, Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) exclaims, “This story is killing me.”
In a few ways, he’s not wrong.
Now, hold on.
To be fair, director Barry Jenkins’ prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King” didn’t kill this critic, but with a runtime of nearly two hours and several surprisingly violent and visceral lion-on-lion brawls, with claws swiping and jaws snapping, one might wonder if children will embrace this latest PG-rated incarnation of Disney’s famed circle-of-life tale.
The animation style is like the one used in 2019’s “The Lion King”. It’s called “a photorealistic style using 3D computer-generated imagery” to mimic live-action (and admittedly, I don’t have the foggiest of how it works) as the animals roam about an African setting. In a December 20, 2024 “CNTraveller.com” article by Graeme Green, Jenkins and production designer Mark Friedberg looked to the landscapes of “Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya…as well as the iconic Victoria Falls” as backdrops for their film, and the varied surroundings are impressive on the big screen.
“Mufasa: The Lion King”, a family drama, is also a musical, so the lions and other wildlife sing on occasion and also volley back and forth from their natural roars, grunts, barks, and chirps to speak English. So, it’s all a little disconcerting at first, especially because an authentic-looking warthog Pumbaa isn’t nearly as cute and cuddly as the animated 1994 original, and it looks and sounds a bit forced when a flock of ostriches suddenly burst in song while scampering across the prairie.
However, Lin-Manuel Miranda offers his original songs to the Jenkins film, and a few of them stick with you afterward, including “I Always Wanted a Brother” (co-written by Nicholas Britell) and “Bye Bye”. Miranda, who wrote the original songs in “Moana” (2016), was not involved with “Moana 2”, and his presence is noticeably missed in that 2024 production.
Jenkins and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson celebrate the “The Lion King” lore as the movie begins in the present day. Rafiki (John Kani) tells Simba’s cub, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the story of her grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre). Pumbaa and Timon (Billy Eichner) are there for comic relief, but unfortunately, their jokes do not land any riotous blows. Still, this duo is on-site due to tradition.
Anyway, Rafiki reaches into the past, as we see cub Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins) living happily with his parents, who talk about someday reaching paradise, a place called Milele.
“Imagine a kingdom. The water flows. The grass is high. It’s not a dream. Someday, we’ll go.”
This triad’s dream suddenly becomes a nightmare. Mufasa is separated from his parents and is lost. He finds himself with a brand-new pride. A cub about his age, Taka (Theo Somolu), befriends him, and they become BFFs.
Better yet, brothers.
On the other hand, Taka’s father, Obasi (Lennie James), doesn’t accept this “stray” as his own, so Mufasa lives and works with the lionesses, including Taka’s mother, Eshe (Thandiwe Newton). Rather than helping protect the pride, which includes sleeping the days away, Mufasa learns the craft of hunting with Eshe. This makes Mufasa a unique asset, as he’s physically built for battle against potential foes, and as a skillful hunter, he can also tell if antelopes are upwind due to the nature of their horns and their ever-so-slight impact on the said wind.
Impressive, as Darth Vader once said.
Speaking of which, the movie’s introduction states, “In Remembrance of James Earl Jones” on the silver screen, a beautiful touch.
The beauty of Mufasa’s new living arrangements soon turns ugly. A white lion pride, led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), looks to seize Obasi’s land and take lethal revenge. This new danger pairs up a “teenage” Mufasa and Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) to trek on a lengthy journey, which leads to – spoiler alert – Mufasa’s future reign as King because “Mufasa: The Lion King” is a prequel and all.
Does the world need another “Lion King” movie, especially one where audiences already know the eventual ending? The answer is no, but the prideful Mufasa’s odyssey towards his pride carries twists and turns. He copes with being lost, dealing with loss, feeling adversity, facing (seemingly) unwinnable odds, and confronting jealousy. He, Taka, and Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) also trek across severe, unforgiving landscapes, including treacherous snowy mountains, rushing rivers, and deep wells.
It’s a lengthy excursion with pacing issues at times, and the frequent cutaways back to Rafiki, Pumbaa, Timon, and Kiara act more as distractions than effective cinematic diversions. By the end, Pumbaa voices a 180-degree different opinion on Rafiki’s take on Mufasa’s origin story! Devoted “The Lion King” fans will probably feel the same. The famous warthog is more enthusiastic than this critic, but – as mentioned earlier – “Mufasa: The Lion King” didn’t kill me either.
Jeff’s ranking
2/4 stars
