Mufasa: The Lion King

Rating 5/10

Prequels are inherently unnecessary. That doesn’t mean they can’t be great. There’s The Godfather Part II, and uh, well, you get the idea. However, when you decide to undertake making a prequel to an inferior remake of a far superior original, its existence becomes even less essential. Despite this excess baggage, I approached Mufasa: The Lion King with an open mind, and expectations dialed down. This is the origin of one of Disney’s most beloved characters, and I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, even with the bar set so low, this movie still failed to clear it.

This is shockingly directed by Barry Jenkins. I say that because the talented auteur once directed Best Picture winner Moonlight in 2016. This has none of the depth and nuance of that saga. It is Disney product designed to expand on Mufasa’s humble beginnings for the sake of extending a franchise and making more money. Apparently, he was an orphaned outsider, and the evolution to becoming a unifying leader was fraught with many challenges. Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) is initially groomed to serve as a protector for his adoptive brother, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the heir to their pride. However, Taka’s growing resentment—fueled by bitter jealousy over a female lion named Sarabi (Tiffany Boone)—sets the stage for a betrayal that transforms Taka into Scar.

Mufasa’s journey will present Milele, a lush green haven for animals that will ultimately become the Pride Lands under Mufasa’s leadership. The tale also introduces Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), who leads an opposing pride of evil white lions, challenging Milele’s fragile peace. Mufasa must confront the betrayal of his initially supportive brother, Taka. A gratuitous framing device has Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter)—Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala’s (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) daughter—listening to this story, which is told by the mandrill Rafiki (John Kani). Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) are also there to take you out of the proper saga at random times to provide a meta-commentary. They acknowledge the 2019 film, Disney marketing, and the Broadway adaptation. So charming…Not!

Let’s start with the good. The photorealistic CGI animation is admittedly stunning. It surpasses the 2019 “live-action” remake from a technological standpoint. However, it can’t improve upon things that traditional 2D animation does so well. How ironic that as the animals have become more realistic, they have grown even more lifeless. The dreary countenances of the animals are more realistic but lack the expressive qualities that would make them relatable. I had absolutely no emotional connection to any of these individuals. Furthermore, just as differentiating a real pack of cats from one another in the wild would be difficult, so too is it here. Trying to figure out the relationships of so many feline predators is a frustrating experience. We meet various beasts of the African savannah who also age across different generations. Some attempts are made, but it can be difficult to distinguish who is who in a narrative that jumps around so much from the present to the past.

Mufasa: The Lion King has an all-encompashing, almost slavish, desire to tie itself back to the 2019 predecessor—and, by extension, the animated 1994 classic. This ongoing focus is more rooted in checking off boxes than telling a compelling story. Remember the iconic moment when Scar dug his claws into Mufasa to “save” him from falling off the cliff? Well, that happens several times here. The phrase “Circle of Life” is repeatedly hammered into the narrative to remind viewers of that philosophy. Stay tuned to get answers to other questions no one asked—like how Pride Rock got its angled shape, how Scar got his scar, and how Rafiki acquired his walking stick.

Rather than crafting a heartfelt tale, the movie delivers a robotic checklist of references without the emotional resonance needed to engage the audience. All of this is compacted into a runtime of just under two hours, cramming in exposition yet still feeling overly long.  Adding to the bloat are new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.  Yes it’s a musical.  They’re serviceable as rhythmic interludes in the moment, but I had forgotten them after they stopped singing.

Mufasa: The Lion King is a chore to watch. It lacks both heart and soul—and, sadly, I’m not lyin’.

12-19-24