Mufasa : The Lion King

                   Two times now, Disney has shown us the story of Simba—one bursting with animated life, the other, not so much. It seems, though, you cannot tell the same story a third time, so Disney has decided that the origin of Mufasa is the one we need to hear. I am not always a fan of hearing stories I don’t think need to be told, but who am I to judge which stories deserve to be told? Lucky for all of us, Disney did not ask me if they should make this movie, as Mufasa is quite the story.

Way before Simba (Donald Glover) was king of everything that the light touches, there was another lion cub named Mufasa. However, he didn’t have a planned destiny. Instead, he was just an ordinary lion cub. When a storm sweeps him away from his parents, he is rescued by another cub named Taka. Mufasa is taken to Taka’s pride, but Taka’s father does not want this stray. After a friendly race, though, he agrees to let Mufasa stay. Part of the agreement is that Mufasa stays with the lionesses. This isn’t the only pride, however, and there are others who want to be king. Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), a white lion, has his eyes set on total rule. Knowing what’s coming, the king sends his son Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) away to preserve the bloodline, but they don’t stay together for long. While trying to escape, the two meet Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), a lioness on her own, and a wise mandrill named Rafiki (John Kani). Together, they try to escape the white lion pride and find the place Mufasa’s mother spoke of.

Written by Jeff Nathanson, Mufasa is an epic tale—Shakespearean and potent—that, unlike the last Lion King, actually has some heart. Where it runs into issues is with its framing devices, which can be frustrating and seem to disrupt the story being told. Just when something grips you, a song or a flashback interrupts the emotion, which can be quite distracting. Despite these issues, Mufasa is a good story when it is allowed to be told. It is about the power of community and the strength of character, all while looking phenomenal.

Mufasa: The Lion King is a very satisfying and enjoyable movie, and Barry Jenkins found a way to make it his own. While still not on the level of the animated classic, it is much, much better than the soulless remake from 2019. Of course, you can’t talk about a Lion King movie without talking about the music, and Lin-Manuel Miranda is here to give you something to enjoy. Most of the songs are pretty good. I particularly enjoyed “Bye Bye,” a great villain song about murder, but don’t worry—there are plenty of happy songs as well.

As for the film itself, it looks incredible, creating realistic environments and animals that, if they didn’t break out in song once in a while, you’d think were real. The cast is also pretty strong, with Mikkelsen and Pierre standing out, but there isn’t a weak link among them. Mufasa pleasantly surprised me, with the story really hooking me. When you add the stunning visuals, Mufasa’s strong points make up for its missteps. While it’s not on the level of classic Disney, it’s still pretty darn good.