“Mufasa: The Lion King” - Film Review
When it was announced that the indie-darling director behind the Oscar-winning Moonlight would helm the prequel to the beloved animated classic The Lion King, there was broad uproar. The art house cinema lovers were upset that director Barry Jenkins would be, in their words, “selling out.” Disney fans were up in arms that another movie in the world of The Lion King was on the horizon after the almost shot-by-shot remake of the original film that was released in 2019. It seemed that no matter how Mufasa: The Lion King turned out, a large portion of the audience would be upset. While Mufasa doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of the 1994 animated original, Jenkins has managed to create a film with far more nuance and heart than anyone likely expected.
Mufasa begins with the arrival of Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the newly born child of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter). The couple leaves Kiara in the somewhat capable hands of Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) while they leave for an oasis to await the arrival of another child. Rafiki (John Kani) arrives to help Timon and Pumbaa and tells Kiara the story of her grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre). Unbeknownst to Kiara, Mufasa was orphaned as a child and found his way to a pride of lions who were initially wary of strays. He is adopted by Queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) against the wishes of King Obasi (Lennie James). Mufasa grows up alongside Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), heir to the throne of this pride of lions. When a group of white lions attacks the pride, Mufasa and Taka are forced on a journey of their own to find a new home.
Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Lion King is one the movies of the Disney Renaissance era that many want to fiercely protect. There’s simply no way for Jenkins and Mufasa to please these intense fans, as they likely come into the new film having already judged it. Mufasa doesn’t have the magic of The Lion King, but that’s not an inherently negative quality. Part of the discrepancy between the two films comes from the songs. There’s a reason “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata” have permeated our consciousness in the way they have, and it’s hard to imagine Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Mufasa songs reaching a similar popularity. After his success with Hamilton, Miranda worked on numerous Disney films, with Moana being his most successful. The songs for Mufasa work well enough within the frame of the film, but none of them have that distinct earworm quality that matches Elton John and Tim Rice’s work on the original. Dave Metzger’s score, on the other hand, transports one back in time. It has the classic, sweepingly emotional melodies that are reinvented for a new era and a new generation.
Like all prequels that are made after the fact, Mufasa stumbles as it tries to explain the origin story of The Lion King’s main villain, Scar. On the one hand, Mufasa feels as though it’s trying to right the wrongs of the Star Wars sequels. Where Star Wars was adamant that the only people who can make lasting change are those who are connected through an important bloodline, Mufasa makes the argument that blood means nothing. That an individual’s worth is earned through their actions and not simply bestowed upon them by their parents. Mufasa came from nothing and found himself the king of Pride Rock because of his actions. That’s all well and good, but what about Scar? It’s not a spoiler to say that Taka becomes Scar, because viewers of The Lion King know they’re brothers, but the way their relationship fractures is the plot of Mufasa. Unfortunately, the reasons presented are flimsy. Taka’s transformation to become Scar is born out of a jealousy that springs up fairly quickly, without being given space to breathe and develop.
Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Prior to the release of Mufasa, Jenkins said he wasn’t interested in making more films in the photorealistic animated style. Some people took that to mean that Jenkins was trying to jump off a sinking ship, but to those who actually saw Mufasa, it’s clear he was able to imbue so much heart into these animated creatures. In the same breath, though, it’s easy to understand why a naturalistic, human-focused director would struggle with a film that’s done entirely on a computer. So much of Jenkins’ work is in the close-ups of his actors, and while he does that as masterfully as one can with a photorealistic lion, there’s something inherently lacking. Compared to the 2019 photorealistic remake of The Lion King, Mufasa is as emotive as the animation style can allow.
Ultimately, Mufasa struggles to ride the fine line of being accessible to both adults and kids. The runtime and long stretches without physical comedy or musical selections speak more toward the adults, while the interludes with Timon and Pumbaa clearly exist for the kids. The jokes with Timon and Pumbaa don’t land, so these departures are more tedious than they are levity-inducing. Mufasa cannot match The Lion King, but the same can be said about many of Disney’s latest offerings. Within Mufasa, there’s clear passion and dedication to the past while trying to make sense of the future, even if the path forward is uneven.
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