'Mufasa: The Lion King' Reviews: Origin Story of Disney Icon Divides Critics

         On December 20, 2024, the world of 'The Lion King' roars back onto the big screen with the origin story of Mufasa in 'Mufasa: The Lion King'. In the film from Walt Disney Pictures, Kiara is told of her grandfather's rise to power from the wise Rafiki as Timon and Pumbaa provide their signature humor in color commentary. The ensemble cast includes Aaron Pierre, Preston Nyman, Thandiwe Newton, Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover, Keith David, Tiffany Boone, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lennie James, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Beyoncé, Billy Eichner, Anika Noni Rose, Mads Mikkelsen, and Kagiso Lediga. With a score of 59% on Rotten Tomtaoes at the time of this writing, critics are currently divided over the film, but predominantly impressed. But what did they say?

        Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews says, "Director Barry Jenkins ("Moonlight," "If Beale Street Could Talk") takes the reins from Jon Favreau for one of the more convincing computer generated 'live action' films from Disney yet. Jeff Nathanson's (2019's "The Lion King," "Young Woman and the Sea") screenplay is not only a prequel, but an original story for such characters as Rafiki, Sarabi (voice of Tiffany Boone), hornbill Zazu (voice of Preston Nyman) and Scar. Themes of blended families continue, but brotherhood is at the heart of this one as well as providing an emotional explanation for Kiara's parents' absence. Lin-Manuel Miranda provides the songs, but there is nothing as memorable as 'Hakuna Matata' here and several could have been excised for a leaner run time." Adding, "While I'm no fan of Disney's 'live action' remakes, only "The Jungle Book" having really delivered, "Mufasa" is a step up from its predecessor and good programming for families during the holiday season."

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

           Nicholas Barber of BBC.com notes, "Yes, we're talking about a prequel to a remake. And, yes, it's as pointless as that description makes it sound. This contrived cash-in may be worth sitting through on Disney+ if you're a Lion King superfan, but, like so many prequels, it devotes tremendous amounts of thought and energy to answering questions that nobody was asking in the first place. When did Simba's dad Mufasa meet his wife Sarabi? Where did Rafiki the mandrill get his walking stick? How did Zazu the hornbill become Mufasa's right-hand man (or, I suppose, right-paw bird)? The film is directed by Barry Jenkins, who made the Oscar-winning Moonlight, and the songs are by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the most feted Hollywood and Broadway songwriter of his generation, so a more pressing question might be: don't the supremely talented artists involved have anything better to do with their time?"

        Robert Daniels of IGN Movies praises the film, stating, "Mufasa: The Lion King is the best version of a Barry Jenkins-directed children’s film imaginable. That compliment might read as backhanded, but considering many were afraid the Disney machine would chop and screw the visual and storytelling splendor of the director behind Moonlight, such an astonishing result is a mighty win. This photorealistic prequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 remake of The Lion King is a major technical achievement and an emotional leap forward from its predecessor. And while the story of Mufasa and Taka, two brothers turned enemies, isn’t altogether new, Jenkins adds enough twists and turns across varied terrains for their predictable sibling rivalry to have some bite. Seeing Jenkins guiding this material, no matter how assured, will surely rattle many who’d rather he make an original film. But there isn’t the sense Jenkins made Mufasa to satisfy only adult filmgoers (though there is an aching tribute to James Earl Jones that’ll touch many older viewers). This movie is aimed at a younger audience. There's mischievous humour and jaunty show tunes to accompany the campfire-story mood. Sometimes the desire to keep the audience engaged – accomplished through a framing device that sees Mufasa’s story told to his granddaughter, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), by the sage mandril Rafiki (John Kani) – restricts us from fully immersing ourselves in this digital world. By the end, however, Jenkins works enough enchantment for Mufasa to conjure real joy and urgent poignancy." Concluding, "It helps that unlike Favreau, Jenkins isn’t restricted to making a shot-for-shot remake. As related by Rafiki – and frequently, annoyingly interrupted by asides from sidekicks Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner) – Jeff Nathanson’s script finds young Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins) living in a cracked, drought-stricken land and dreaming of a far away verdant paradise called Milele (a Swahili word meaning “forever”). After a sudden violent flood (which mirrors both the action and emotional impact of the animated original's wildebeest stampede) rips the cub away from his mother and father, he drifts miles down river, where he’s saved by the prince of another pride, Taka (Theo Somolu). Thematically, you can already see why Jenkins would be attracted to this material. His miniseries adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad previously demonstrated his keen interest in kinship, ancestry, oral storytelling, and maternal love. The last of those themes takes shape through Taka’s mother, Eshe (Thandiwe Newton), who raises Mufasa despite the grumblings of her husband Obasi (Lennie Jones), who sees outsiders as a plague to be purged. As portrayed by a commanding Aaron Pierre, the orphan grows to become more like Eshe, learning empathy, imagination, and sensitivity; Taka (a cagey Kelvin Harrison Jr.), on the other hand, learns deceit and laziness from his father."

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures