Despite playing fast and loose with canon, Barry Jenkins' Mufasa: The Lion King tells a moving story about the legendary king of the Pride Lands, with beautiful visuals, a powerful score, and emoting lions.
Mufasa Review
The first movie I ever saw as a kid in theaters was The Lion King. It had everything my little heart could want, a story about lions (cats are my favorite animals), music that was catchy and fun, and animation that leaped off the screen. Immediately after watching it I knew it would forever be my favorite film. I needed anything and everything that featured The Lion King: Little Golden Books, toys, those Burger King cups, you name it I own it. So when I say I'm an expert on Lion King lore, you gotta believe me. I was probably one of the only kids who outright disliked The Lion King 2 because in the original books, Simba and Nala had a son not Kiara (they added a son to the pride in the Disney Jr. show The Lion Guard). The Lion King 1 1/2 was a hilarious Timon and Pumbaa centered romp that told a story within the story, but from the POV of our two lovable besties. Then there was the 2019 remake, which could never reach the bar that was set for it. Overall, the film wasn't awful but it definitely had some misses.
Fast forward to 2024 and Mufasa: The Lion King is about to take its place in the Circle of Life Films. As someone well versed in this world I was curious how they would tackle the origin of the legendary King of the Pride Lands. When the trailers dropped, it was immediately noted the lions were emoting (thank the great kings of the past), something that was lacking in the previous remake. The visuals also popped and felt fun, since they weren't merely shot for shots of the original animation. However, the story of Mufasa and Scar's brotherhood seemed off. You're telling me they aren't really brothers? Scar has a name? Rafiki is not old? All of this raised my eyebrows as high as Timon's when he's trying to figure out why Pumbaa and Simba are suddenly cool with Nala trying to attack them. This was going to be interesting to say the least.
Viewed outside of Lion King canon, Mufasa is a moving story about the legendary king of the Pride Lands. It's a story about believing in yourself and the power of togetherness. The visuals are beautiful, showing off the varying terrain of Africa as the lions dance, sing, and prowl their way to Milele (the future home of Mufasa and his pride). The score is powerful as it calls back to Hans Zimmer's iconic work while the new songs are okay. Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. have their own spin on the brothers while also staying true to the performances of the late James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons. Overall, it is an improvement on the 2017 remake even if I wish it was more in line with the stories already told about these two lions.
Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala's (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) are about the have another cub so they leave their daughter Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) in the care of Timon (Billy Eichner), Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), and Rafiki (John Kani). When she gets scared during a storm, Rafiki decides to tell her a story about her grandfather. A young Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins) was separated from his parents after a massive flood swept across the land. Struggling to survive, he eventually meets Taka (Theo Somolu) and is adopted into a new family. When they got older, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) and Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) are forced from their home thanks to Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), an albino lion who is hellbent on killing every other pride out there until his is the only one left. With nowhere else to go, Mufasa suggests they journey to Milele (a Swahili word meaning “forever”), a place his parents often talked about. Along the way they will meet Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), Rafiki (Kagiso Lediga), and Zazu (Preston Nyman). One brother will become the king he was meant to be while the other will become scarred both physically and mentally.
I'm happy to report that Mufasa is leaps and bounds a better movie visually than the remake. As mentioned, the animals are expressive, a major win after the plastic, dead eyed ones that populated Jon Favreau's remake. Jenkins and his long time cinematographer James Laxton capture the majesty of Africa as the camera sweeps over the grasslands, lush forests, and snow capped mountains. They take time showing off the beautiful world they've created, making it hard to believe this was all done via special effects. It's just gorgeous to look at and if you're like me it will rekindle the urge to travel to Africa to see it all for yourself.
Jenkins also gets creative with the musical numbers, using surreal shots that work to infuse the scenes with some of the joy and wonder that the original animated film did so well. Instead of working on the soundtrack for Moana 2, Lin-Manuel Miranda signed on for Mufasa, landing him with the humungous task of living up to Elton John and Tim Rice's iconic songs. The songs themselves are solid with playful visuals enhancing each number. I don't believe any will have the staying power or earworm quality of the originals, but they are sure to engage the audience and delight the younger ones watching. One standout is the R&B ballad “Tell Me It's You,” the “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” of Mufasa. It felt like a throwback to the 90s when singers would record their own versions of hit Disney songs that would go on to become just as memorable. Equally tasked with something impossible, Dave Metzger puts out a decent score but it only really grabs you when it evokes Zimmer's 1994 masterwork.
Mufasa isn't just an origin story for Simba's dad, it also serves as one for his Uncle Scar with some nods to Rafiki, Sarabi, and Zazu's upbringings as well. Here is where I took the biggest issue with the film. Looking at it from established canon, Mufasa and Scar were always brothers, born from a long line of royalty. Mufasa wasn't a stray and he certainly was raised to be king. Scar's name has been both Taka (from the non-canon book A Tale of Two Brothers) and Askari (the name given to him in the Disney Jr. show The Lion Guard). The history of how Scar got his scar has also varied. The aforementioned book had a Cape buffalo scarring his face. In the show, he was given his scar by a snake attack. The original director of The Lion King, Rob Minkoff said Mufasa was the one that gave him his scar. Side note: Taka is the Swahili word for “waste” so maybe that's why they went with it instead of the established name of Askari which is Swahili for “solider,” “police,” or “guard.” It has always been known that Scar was jealous of Mufasa because he believed he should be king over his brother.
From that standpoint I was disappointed by Jeff Nathanson's story. However, viewing it outside of all of that, I found it to be moving and soulful. A furry take on brotherhood, community, and how we let our parents and upbringing influence our actions. Pierre and Harrison Jr. are perfectly cast, something I could not say about Scar in the remake. Pierre is the reluctant leader, steadfast in being a good lion and brother to Scar, even putting aside his own growing feelings in order to “do the right thing.” Harrison Jr. is wickedly fun when he switches from lovable, awkward brother to the conniving lion we know him to be. He embodies Irons' Scar far better than any other who has come along in the last 30 years.
Mads Mikkelsen, Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, and John Kani are all well suited for their roles, with Lediga's younger Rafiki being one of the standout performances in the supporting roles. The film takes breaks from the origin story to bring us back to Rafiki answering Kiara's questions. Unfortunately that means we are also subjected to Timon and Pumbaa. This duo should be a welcome sight, but they end up being a nuisance mainly because their schtick takes away from the seriousness of the deteriorating relationship between the two brothers. They break the 4th wall, attempt to joke like Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella, and all-in-all you just wish they were cut out entirely.
Verdict
Viewed outside of canon, I can say that Mufasa is overall a solid film. Jenkins has crafted a moving and soulful story about two brothers trying to find their place in the great Circle of Life. The visuals are wholly upgraded from the remake, giving us imaginative and meticulously created environments to explore while the lions travel to their future home. Sure the very obvious self-aware winks at the audience can get distracting, but Jenkins knows how to steer the focus back on the deep emotions playing out between Pierre's Mufasa and Harrison Jr.'s Scar. Their performances coupled with the visuals, powerful presence of Zimmer's score, and nostalgia make Mufasa: The Lion King one to watch with the family this holiday season.
Mufasa: The Lion King comes to theaters on December 20. It is rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements with a runtime of 2 hours.
