The most striking aspect of ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, Disney’s prequel to ‘The Lion King’ circa 2019, is the photorealistic animation, unlike the 2014 conventionally animated film about Simba, Mufasa, Scar and the Pride Lands of Tanzania that launched a hit soundtrack.
In the 2024 film, written by Jeff Nathanson and directed by Barry Jenkins, animals convey even more emotions. The animation takes animal features and movements, but the faces of the lions (in particular) incorporate human expressions from wonder to fear, sadness, love and awe.
The film unfolds as a tale told to Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala’s (Beyonce Knowles-Carter) little cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter). On a stormy night, Kiara is being cared for by warthog Pumbaa (voiced by Seth Rogen), Timon (Billy Eichner) the meerkat, and mandrill Rafiki (John Kani). The wise shaman Rafiki regales Kiara with a sweeping story about her legendary grandfather, from the time Mufasa was dramatically separated from his parents, fostered by a nurturing lioness Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) and befriended by her son, the lion prince Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). In some ways this is also Scar’s origin story, establishing the conflict between him and Mufasa, and between Taka and his father, pride king Obasi, who has one of the film’s best lines. When his napping habit is questioned by Taka, his father says, “We protect the pride as we nap. That’s power.”
All over the land, prides are being attacked by a pack of white lions called the ‘outsiders’, led by the vicious Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen). As Taka and Mufasa try to get away from the attackers, they meet lioness Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), a hornbill called Zazu (Preston Nyman) and the young Rafiki (Kagiso Lediga). This motley crew tries to stay one step ahead of the white lions while journeying on to find the fabled idyll known as Milele. Along the way, a love triangle develops, becoming the catalyst for Taka’s character-flip, marked by Harrison dialling up a malicious tone to his voice. Depicting these four-legged animated creatures with human expression and emotions, disconnects the viewer from the jungle and wonder that accompanies animal kingdom.
As Disney movies are wont to do, this one is not short of messages and life lessons. However, unlike its predecessors, it is lacking in tuneful songs we have come to love, such as ‘Circle of life’ and ‘Hakuna Matata’. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack is surprisingly bland accompanied by simple lyrics and fatuous rhymes. The script is safe and unoriginal, the voice talent is passable and while the scenes of the creatures racing through fields and prancing through canyons are fine, the drama peaks in the water bodies and on snow-capped mountains. That’s where you sense director Jenkins’ stamp.
The film pays tribute to James Earl Jones, who voiced Mufasa in the previous Lion King films. He passed away in September 2024. Aaron Pierre takes over as the voice of Mufasa, the lion who goes through a rite of passage, overcomes his indebtedness to Taka, and accepts the position of king. The screenplay regularly cuts back to the cave in which Kiara is hanging onto Rafiki’s words while Pumbaa and Timon interject with their witty one-liners, infusing a flattened musical drama with a shot of vigor and irreverence.
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