Mufasa: The Lion King

Grade: B

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel that borders on overzealousness in the way it goes around giving us individual origin story moments for how this thing became that thing we’ve known and loved for 30 years. Wanna know how Rafiki got his staff, or how Zazu came into play, or how Scar got that nickname? It’s all here. It’s, for the most part, not a criticism, but an observation. It is funny when there’s a scene with young Mufasa in life-threatening peril, and I guess there’s supposed to be suspense, but we know he’ll be ok.

Most of the film is a flashback. Timon and Pumbaa are babysitting Simba and Nala’s son Kiara, and they tell him the story of his “only brave when he has to be” grandfather’s younger years. It’s odd that they would know it so well, considering they weren’t there, but it’s a thinly-veiled way to include the beloved characters. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, who provided the voices in the 2019 movie, return for this one. In-jokes include references to seeing a play version, and being disappointed at having been made into sock puppets.

We follow the epic journey of young Mufasa. A vicious flood washes him away from his family, and he finds himself among another pride of lions, who dismiss him as a “stray” and make him “stay with the females.” It’s here that he meets Taka – the cub who he eventually considers an adoptive brother. No points for guessing who Taka becomes known as, but there are at least two familiar callbacks, where Taka digs his claws into Mufasa’s paws while he dangles above potential death. The voice talent includes nice work from Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Foe, Old) as Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (the title character in Chevalier) as Taka.

I don’t know that it needed to be a musical. I get why it is one, but the songs are forgettable, derivative, and the forward momentum of the story is stunted every time one begins. It’s a rich, involving tale when it is allowed to breathe. The themes of jealousy, betrayal, psychological manipulation and the like reminded me of some of the great Shakespeare tragedies. The Lion King (1994) has been compared to Hamlet, after all.

It’s the richness of the story that kept me watching and interested. Director Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight) has so much he wants to tell us. Young Kiara certainly soaked it all in. I bet he can’t wait to be king.

Grade: B