Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

Director: Barry Jenkins

Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny.

Calling ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ an unnecessary film is an understatement. We all know how Mufasa dies (in ‘The Lion King’), so why would I be interested in his back story? I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to see this film, but my love for animated films – and my curiosity, I guess – compelled me to watch it. Maybe I shouldn’t have.

Although there is much to love about ‘Mufasa’ – especially the stunning animation – it also ruins many of the moments in ‘The Lion King’. The biggest issue I have with this story, is the reveal of Mufasa and Scar not being brothers. What made Scar such an evil and memorable villain in ‘The Lion King’, is the fact he turned against his own brother.

In ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Mufasa – as a cub – is swept away by flood waters, and saved by Taka from another pride. Taka and his mother convinces Taka’s father, King Obasi, to accept Mufasa into their tribe. Although Obasi sees Mufasa as an outsider, he agrees simply because Mufasa won Taka in a race to prove his speed. (Ok, I’m rolling my eyes here…).

The film then continues by telling us how Mufasa became king through his heroic actions. Through the characters and musical segments ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ tries so hard to capture the essence of the original ‘The Lion King’, but it lacks depth and emotion. It’s not as heartfelt, and quite honestly there’s nothing here that would make me want to watch it again. It simply isn’t memorable enough, and the villain wasn’t nearly as evil as Scar in the original film.

Speaking of Scar, with him and Mufasa not being brothers one could argue that he resented Mufasa for becoming king, and always had a grudge against him. Think about it; had Mufasa now showed up, Taka would have been king. Therefore, killing Mufasa (in The Lion King) isn’t really such a shocking act as it would have been had they been brothers. In ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Taka betrays Mufasa, and in order to forgive him for what he did, Mufasa vows to never call Taka by his name again, and names him Scar. But who says Taka ever forgave Mufasa?

Had this been a standalone film with nothing to compare it to, my opinions definitely would have been very different, but with the original being so superior, this film didn’t stir my senses. The final few minutes were good and the film almost redeemed itself, but still, next time I watch ‘The Lion King’ I will try to disregard these prequel events.

Pumbaa and Timon doesn’t really serve a purpose and merely serve as occasional comic relief. Rafiki tells Mufasa’s story to them, thus they don’t contribute to the film in any way and might as well not have been in the film at all. I think I would still prefer not to have seen ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’. I’d rather watch the original (animated) ‘The Lion King’ a hundred times over before giving this a repeat viewing.

At the time of writing this review, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ earned $549 million on a budget of $200 million. Please don’t let there be another prequel sequel!!!

Would I watch it again? No.