MUFASA: THE LION KING – A Review by Cynthia Flores
It was Disney’s choice to switch from Jon Favreau, who directed the 2019 Iconic animation The Lion King, to director Barry Jenkins, who is best known for his amazing Academy Award-winning 2016 film Moonlight and his brilliant 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk. Both films are very adult, with layered storytelling magic. His name would not be the first to pop up in my mind for a PG-rated family film like this. I am so glad that Disney made this choice. Not casting shade on the great John Favreau, but Barry Jenkins brings a depth and complexity to what could have just been another live-action money grab from Disney for the intellectual property they already own.
This new film tells the origin story of Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), the king and father of the iconic Simba from The Lion King. The mystical mandrill, Rafiki (John Kani), tells the story of two cubs from different lands. The first is Mufasa, a cub who is the son of the king of the Pride Lands and is separated from his family. Lost and alone, he meets the second cub, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) who is the prince of a royal bloodline in this distant land. Their chance meeting initiates a journey of a group of mismatched survivors searching for a place known only as Milele.
Some favorites besides Rafiki are back from the first film, such as the loveable Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner). The score for the film was done by Dave Metzger, and Lin-Manuel Miranda did the original songs. Who, at this point, should have a big corner office on the Disney studio lot for all the hits he has cranked out for their films. I left the theater humming one of the songs myself.
Disney’s sweet touch at the very beginning of the film is memorable. I love that the audience sees in big letters that the film is dedicated to the memory of James Earl Jones, the legendary actor who was the original voice of Mufasa as an adult in the original Lion King. Seeing those words on the big screen, the audience I was with broke into applause, and somebody yelled out, “We love you, James!”
With all that this movie has going for it, the main issue I had was choosing to use a photorealistic animation style for the film. Sometimes, it looked great and wowed the audience with its grandeur. But the times that it missed a beat or just looked like something out of a video game was distracting to the storyline. It would have been better as a traditional animation. Or as Disney did in 1993 with their film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, which used real animals and just did voiceovers. Anything other than this technology that can’t make it look real for the entire length of the film.
I give Mufasa, The Lion King, 4 stars. Even with its choice of animation style, it’s a solid origin story with fresh songs that kids will be singing on repeat for a while. It does justice to the original classic’s storyline. If you can catch it on IMAX while it is in theaters, it will be worth the extra cost of the ticket.
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Written by: Jeff Nathanson, Linda Woolverton, Irene Mecchi
Rated: PG
Selig Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 2 hrs
Live-action computer animation
Wide Release: In Theaters only on December 20th
Starring the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kevin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boon, Kagiso Lediga, John Kani, Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Thandiwe Newton, and Beyoncé
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
