Disney’s latest movie, Mufasa: The Lion King, takes its audience back to the Pride Lands of the Lion King saga, only this time, the movie is not about Simba but it’s about his father Mufasa and his journey with his adoptive brother Taka aka Scar. Directed by Barry Jenkins, this film brings its audience breathtaking photorealistic animations, emotional storytelling, stunning visuals, and powerful music. With all of this blended together Mufasa offers nostalgia and a fresh depth for those who love the franchise as it delves into Mufasa’s journey as a vulnerable orphan to the great king we all remember him to be.
Mufasa: The Lion King carves its own path from the first two movies in the saga. This film explores the journey of young Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierce) and his extremely complex relationship with his adoptive brother, Taka later known as Scar (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.). New characters like the brave Afia, Mufasa’s mother (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), and the wise mandrill Rafiki (voiced by John Kani) add richness to the storyline whereas characters such as Pumba and Timon provide comedic relief from time to time. This movie portrays the rise of Mufasa both as personal and epic by balancing and blending heartwarming moments with profound drama. This narrative does an amazing job at using its characters to bring the movie to life. The movie has also done a good job of developing its main character Mufasa and Lucas Wolf agrees with this, he says “I really enjoyed the development of Mufasa as a character, because at first he was starting as this person that was abandoned or not abandoned but was separated from his family. He never finds his family again, and he finds like family with Scar like he’s still rejected from the pride as a whole. And it’s just like a really good thing.”
Each frame in this movie brings intricate detail–from the savannahs to the animals everything feels real and alive which is necessary for a live-action movie. The film’s breathtaking animations completely immerses its viewers into the world of The Lion King. The film is further enhanced by the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music giving the film a blend of classic grandeur and unprocessed energy. Songs like Remember and The Path of Honor excel in grabbing the basics of the original while addings its own emotional depth to the film. Just like almost every Disney movie, film is a sight for the eyes and feast for the ears.
However well the animations and the music is, it does not cover the flaws in the movie. Despite being a well deserved addition to the Lion King saga, this movie fails to give us the impact of the 1994 classic or the 2019 remake. Some scenes in the second half of the movie feel rushed and certain characters like Afia, Mufasa’s mother, and Sarabi, Mufasa’s love interest, are not well developed. Wolf believes that this might be a result of par or maybe even below par direction, he said “I think it really depends how the movie director goes about it and everything. I think just different directors bring different things to movies and stories and everything so I think there was just like a difference in views on the directors and they just came out with different things for different stories.”
Mufasa: The Lion King engages its audience emotionally and it’s a visual spectacle. While it does not exactly honor the legacy of the original movie it tells a unique story that is refreshing. Even though the movie is imperfect, it delivers a heartfelt exploration of one of Disney’s most beloved characters. Whether you are a die-hard Lion King fan or just an admirer of animation, this movie is worth watching.