‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ review: the curse of the prequel
Director: Barry Jenkins | Script: Jeff Nathanson | Cast (voices): Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Thandiwe Newton (Eshe), Mads Mikkelsen (Kiros), John Kani (Rafiki), each | Playing time: 118 minutes | Year: 2024
The art of computer animators of bringing animals to life realistically and beautifully, both in appearance and behavior, is no longer new. You can get used to it, but it’s still impressive. But this technical perfection also brings with it a challenge: a drawn animal can have all kinds of human facial expressions, but a realistic digital animal has limitations when it comes to conveying emotions. This problem also influences Mufasa: The Lion Kingbut that is not the biggest defect.
Little Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter, has to be left alone with Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa as a big thunderstorm approaches. To keep her busy, Rafiki tells her the story of his grandfather Mufasa and how he once became king.
The problem is that this prequel tries to take the tension out of the chases and death threats, but that seems pretty pointless when the outcome is already certain. All those who The Lion King If you’ve seen either the original cartoon or the CGI remake, you know how the story ends: Mufasa becomes king, Brother Scar becomes his enemy, and the fate of the savannah is decided.
The poorly posed scenario focuses on three issues. Can Mufasa avoid the clutches of a group of murderous lions? Will Mufasa manage to find that mythical area where everything is green and rich? Is the “circle of life” ideal, in which animals can live together in peace, feasible? Of course, the answer is always yes. However, a prequel shouldn’t revolve around the question of whether something will succeed if that is already clear beforehand.
However, it has Mufasa: The Lion King They are strong moments. The failed plot itself is well told, especially the relationship between Mufasa and his brother. From their first meeting they wait for the moment when the two no longer get along. The growing tension maintains interest and attention well.
This subplot is much more interesting than the frame story, because it consists mostly of fan service. The film begins with a sunrise and African songs reminiscent of The Lion King. All the animals advance towards Pride Rock and Timon and Pumbaa do their best to make their masterpiece. The countless nods to the original may evoke nostalgia, but they feel artificial and lazy.
Visually the film is a pleasure to behold. The South African landscape, part authentic and part digital, is beautifully rendered. The animation is impressive, even with the limitations on facial expressions. The voice actors do an excellent job. Newcomers like Mads Mikkelsen bring strength and nuance, although the influences of Jeremy Irons’ Scar remain clearly noticeable. A nice touch is that Beyoncé’s daughter (Nala in the 2019 version) can be heard as Nala’s daughter Kiara.
Disney once again turned to Lin-Manuel Miranda for the music. The songs aren’t very memorable at first. The villain Kiros’s song endures, but not in a positive way: it starts off nice and sinister, but derails into a children’s chorus that wants to be catchy with lyrics like ‘you’re going to go goodbye’.
Despite the lack of real tension (there is nothing substantial at stake, after all), the film is still fascinating. However, it is disappointing for mythology as a whole that the prequel subverts the idea of a kingdom of lions established over centuries. The original, loosely based on Hamlet, presented Mufasa’s kingdom as a stable, timeless and powerful dynasty. The prequel belies this image and therefore does not fit well. For new viewers, it may be best to start with this movie and then move on. The Lion King.