MUFASA – THE LION KING: THE ONCE AND FUTURE PREQUEL

By Harrison J. Bahe

Mufasa – The Lion King enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka–the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny–their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.

The one thing that The Lion King “live action” remake had going against it was that it was literally a moment-by-moment remake of the legendary Disney animated classic. It didn’t bring anything new to the table story wise and we ended up paying for tickets to a movie we already saw way back in 1994. So, what does Mufasa – The Lion King bring to the table? Well, the answer is somewhat similar to the first remake.

While still introducing an epic Shakespearean/Dickensian-esque backstory to the character of Mufasa, the real show stealers are again Timon and Pumbaa. The only reason why Timon and Pumbaa worked in the remake was because Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen distanced themselves from Nathan Lane’s and Ernie Sabella’s take on the characters so much that, when something new happened in an all too familiar story, we instantly latched onto it. Disney seems to know this and included them in this prequel as the comic relief characters during the unfurling of the once and future king Mufasa.

The irony of a 100% computer generated film like The Lion King remake is that despite its captivating visuals, the film fell flat because the lion characters were almost too photo realistic and bereft of any facial movements to convey the emotion of a scene. I recall a Twitter post in which someone played side-by-side Simba’s reaction to the oncoming stampede from both the 1994 and 2019 film; the results were night and day with the 1994 animated film showcasing shock and terror and the 2019 remake showcasing a stagnant expression. Director Barry Jenkins seems to have taken a few notes on this matter and fixed that with Mufasa – The Lion King. Now, a majority of the characters, while still remaining photo realistic, emote way more than they did in the 2019 remake. Another improvement with this prequel are the visuals of the African setting. They are quite simply breathtaking and add a lot to the overall look and feel of the film.

The Lion King, both original and remake, were musicals, so Mufasa – The Lion King is a musical. Unfortunately, you won’t find me humming or singing any of the new songs long after I’ve left the theater. While they were produced and performed quite well, they just weren’t memorable or catchy. The orchestral score however did have the classic Hans Zimmer themes stored away in its pockets to pull out whenever the film needed some epic nostalgic fuel for the proverbial fire.

Mufasa – The Lion King is a visual stunner of a film with far improved lion animations when it comes to emoting. It benefits greatly from an original story but still relies too heavily on the pre-established property of The Lion King to draw audiences in. The mere presence of Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa are proof of that. Unfortunately, the lyrical songs aren’t as memorable or as catchy as say Hakuna Matata or Can You Feel the Love Tonight, despite them being produced and performed well. Plus, we already had an amazing follow up in The Lion King 2 – Simba’s Pride. That’s just the unfortunate nature of living in the shadow of such a legendary film as 1994’s The Lion King which is why I give Mufasa – The Lion King—

3.5 Boulders out of 5

Mufasa – The Lion King is Rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements. It is currently playing in theaters nationwide.