Film Review: Mufasa: The Lion King
2 min read“Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, 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. “ – DISNEY
Snapshot Review: Mufasa the Lion king is the latest addition to the Disney’s Long running Lion King franchise. It is a prequel to the original 1994 Lion King and features many of the voices from the 2019 photorealistic remake. While the latter film was seen as an unnecessary copy, this one at least provides the back story on some of its main characters. Golden boy Mufasa (literally golden compared to the greys and ghostly hues of the film’s more misunderstood lions) has to find his way back to his homeland accompanied by Taka, his treacherous adopted brother, his future wife Sarabi as well as Baboon Rafiki and Hornbill Zazu. They are pursued by a pride of villainous corpse-coloured Lions headed by Kiros (voiced by Bond baddie Mads Mikelsen).
The lighter moments are provided by the original’s comedy duo Pumbaa and Timon, shoehorned into the film as co-narrators. The stand out moment being Timon the Meerkat’s fourth-wall-breaking disgust at being portrayed by a sock puppet in the stage musical. Lin Manuel Miranda’s songs are catchy and well performed although unlikely to be enduring as Elton John’s originals. The plot is simple and well paced with genuine moments of excitement and tension.
The animation is incredible with hyper realistic CGI as you could literally see every animal muscle twitching beneath the skin. This is undoubtedly a solid contribution to the rich world of Disney’s Lion King!
Release Date: 19/12/2024
Genre: Adventure/Musical
Cast:Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., John Kani, Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Blue Ivy Carter, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, Dominique Jennings and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
