There is no other group of movies that is as divisive right now as modern live-action Disney adaptations. While they dominated the box office throughout the 2010s, despite varying levels of critical acclaim, both general audiences and critics are becoming increasingly more vocal about how “unnecessary” some of these live-action remakes or sequels may feel. Gone are the days when films like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast, and Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin could easily gross over $1 billion worldwide. Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to 2019’s The Lion King remake, is the next in line, and due to the current bleak state of Disney affairs, it faces a steep uphill climb to success.
Oscar-winning writer-director Barry Jenkins, known for 2017 Best Picture-winner Moonlight as well as If Beale Street Could Talk and Prime Video’s The Underground Railroad miniseries, has had to push through heavy criticism from the online film community for choosing to helm Mufasa: The Lion King. Now, admittedly, it’s understandable to be taken aback by such a prolific artist jumping from indie filmmaking to Disney blockbusters. Moreover, it’s twice as shocking to see Jenkins dive into such a CGI-driven project without any prior experience. But for those fans who are “ashamed” or “disappointed” to see Jenkins direct Mufasa, please get a grip. He hasn’t betrayed his audience, and he frankly doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for his creative decisions.
It’s been really telling to see so-called film enthusiasts turn on a beloved storyteller just because he decided to direct a Disney movie. Barry Jenkins isn’t the first to make the huge leap into blockbusters; many prevalent filmmakers have done so in the past to help fund their next passion projects. However, the reaction to Jenkins’ involvement in Mufasa: The Lion King has only been so loud because most previous live-action Disney remakes have truly been, well… lifeless. There’s no question that Jon Favreau’s The Lion King is the worst of the bunch, which is something to actually be extremely disappointed by, considering that Favreau himself pioneered Disney’s photorealistic filmmaking technology in his vastly superior reimagining of The Jungle Book.
Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King is leagues above its predecessor, though that bar was on the floor, to begin with. Whereas Jon Favreau’s The Lion King is an uninspired, often shot-for-shot remake of the original 1994 animated Disney classic, Mufasa: The Lion King tells a new story that ditches the rules of photorealism in favor of the whimsical, dream-like fantasy that comes with telling an old fable. This works hand in hand with the script, penned by returning screenwriter Jeff Nathanson. Catching up with Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) sometime after the events of the first film, the royal couple now have a young daughter named Kiara, voiced by Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s own first-born, Blue Ivy Carter.
Simba and a pregnant Nala are preparing to welcome yet another cub to the Pride Lands of Tanzania, leaving Kiara at home while they go to the sacred lion birthing grounds. Rafiki the mandrill (John Kani) is left with babysitting duties, yet Timon the meerkat (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa the warthog (Seth Rogen) can’t help but get involved as well. With plenty of time to kill, Rafiki enlightens Kiara with the story of her grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), an orphaned lion who fell down the royal ladder and rose back to the top thanks to his integrity and selflessness. Surprisingly, Mufasa’s origin story works and is quite character-focused, justifying this movie’s existence at a base level.
Look, did fans really need to learn how Mufasa became king of the Pride Lands? No. Does this film diminish anything about Mufasa’s character or the classic Lion King story? Also, no, which is a sigh of relief considering Disney’s current track record. Thus, viewers are left with a prequel that further enriches the franchise’s lore, but only to a certain degree because of many other jarring elements holding it back. To address the elephant in the room (pun intended), Mufasa: The Lion King isn’t going to win over moviegoers who don’t like photorealism. Although there’s a clear effort to make the animals more expressive this time around, watching them sing in musical numbers is still as uncanny as ever.
Barry Jenkins and his go-to cinematographer, James Laxton, were challenged with adapting to the virtual worldbuilding technology Disney uses for their photorealistic adaptations. Again, rather than taking Jon Favreau’s naturalistic and “make it look like National Geographic” approach, Mufasa: The Lion King leans into magical realism. From vast African savannahs to unexplored snowy mountain tops, real beautiful locations are accentuated with flourishing colors and dreamy lighting to make Mufasa’s origins feel mythic, like an old legend that’s now being passed down to a new generation in Simba’s daughter. Furthermore, Jenkins shoots the animals just like he does with humans, implementing his signature close-ups to find the love and compassion in their eyes — albeit to mixed results, given the wonky photorealism.
It’s harder to knock down Mufasa: The Lion King than its predecessor when Barry Jenkins is clearly trying to build a unique cinematic language with the technology he was given. Sweeping, tracking shots that float around the animals and zoom in and out with ease also give a much-needed boost to the musical sequences. The award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, who’s proven to be Disney’s strongest musical asset with his contributions to Moana, Encanto, and 2023’s The Little Mermaid, wrote 7 new original songs for Mufasa, one of which features the iconic opening voice of the franchise, Lebo M. While some of these songs certainly flow smoother than others, they help Jenkins elevate his film above lesser Disney adaptations, nonetheless.
The true saving grace of this prequel is the brotherly camaraderie shared between Mufasa and his adopted brother Taka, voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Chevalier). Fans see how Taka actually saved Mufasa’s life when the two were cubs, vouching to adopt the orphaned Mufasa into their pride when he would otherwise be left for dead. When a horrifying, massive white lion named Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) starts a brutal takeover of the grasslands, Mufasa and Taka must flee from their clan as teens in search of a promised land called Milele. It’s here when a tragic love triangle is formed with another young survivor, Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), planting the seeds for Taka’s turn to becoming the Lion known as Scar.
As silly as giving Scar his own villain origin may seem, it’s one of the better parts of Mufasa: The Lion King, thanks to the vocal performances. Aaron Pierre, most famously known for Rebel Ridge and his recent casting as the DCU’s John Stewart/Green Lantern, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. have risen in the industry as modern contemporaries, the two previously sharing the screen together as Malcolm X and MLK, respectively, in the Genius anthology series. The two sell the heart and soul of their characters despite them being fully CGI lions. It’s an admirable dual act that carries the prequel through its weaker parts, like when it gives unneeded, if not laughable, explanations of original Lion King lore.
Mufasa: The Lion King doesn’t beat all of the “unnecessary prequel” allegations. However, it’s no lazy effort. When compared to recent Disney remakes that were dead on arrival, like Peter Pan & Wendy, 2022’s Pinocchio, or 2020’s Mulan, Barry Jenkins showing great effort with inspired visual storytelling, even if hindered by uncanny photorealism, still feels like a short breath of fresh air. Maybe that just speaks to the poor state of Disney’s output, but at least Jenkins got a big check out of the experience! Credit where credit is due: Jenkins and his team deserve a nice Disney check for simply bringing their photorealistic animal flick alive with vibrant color. This is far from the worst-looking movies of the year.
Mufasa: The Lion King hits theaters on December 20!
Directed by Barry Jenkins.
Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson.
Based on Disney’s The Lion King by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, & Linda Woolverton.
Produced by Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, & Genevieve Hofmeyr.
Executive Producer: Peter Tobyansen.
Main Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., John Kani, Kagiso Lediga, Blue Ivy Carter, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Preston Nyman, Donald Glover, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Joanna Jones, Folake Olowofoyeku, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, & Dominique Jennings.
Cinematographer: James Laxton.
Composers: Dave Metzger & Nicholas Britell.
Original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures.
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Runtime: 118 minutes.
Rated PG.
