Mufasa: The Lion King movie review

MOVIE TITLE:   Mufasa: The Lion King

This animated prequel by Disney is now playing in theaters, celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the original movie The Lion King

RATING:    PG

LENGTH:  1 hour 58 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE:   B- (script), A (visuals)

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review:

To better enjoy this new movie, watch the original on Amazon Prime at: https://amzn.to/4gw5Zrg

IN A NUTSHELL:

The original Lion King movie was incredible and groundbreaking, even becoming a Broadway smash hit.  My kids and I watched it a million times while they were growing up. In this prequel, Mufasa is a cub who gets lots from his parents.  He meets a sympathetic friend, Taka, who is heir to a royal bloodline.  The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny.

The film was directed by Barry Jenkins.  Writing credits go to Jeff Nathanson, Linda Woolverton, and Irene Mecchi.

Already, the film has been nominated for 6 awards, including Outstanding Achievement in Casting, Best Visual Effects, Outstanding Soundtrack, and Outstanding Voice Performance.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Kids who haven’t seen The Lion King might be confused in the beginning.
• Animals are in dangerous situations
• Animal fighting
• Talk of animals that have died
• We see a creature drown 

THEMES:

•  Courage
• Home
• Family
• Brotherhood
• Power
• Betrayal
• Outsiders trying to fit in: acceptance and belonging
• Leadership
• Fathers and sons

THINGS I LIKED:

•  I love that the film was dedicated to the legendary James Earl Jones who, sadly, passed away recently in September 2024 at the age of 93.  He had been offered the role but gracefully declined. His voice was truly epic.
• The film is gorgeous to look at.  Some of the vistas are truly stunning.
• Extremely impressive visual effects.There are some cute “camera shots” that make the photorealistic movie look like it was filmed, rather than animated. This technique allows for detailed expressions on all of the animals’ faces.
• The cast includes Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Keith David, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner, Anika Noni Rose, John Kani, and even Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy!  This is Blue Ivy’s acting debut.
• Aaron Pierre voices the growing Mufasa. Braelyn Rankins voices the young Mufasa, who first acted as Simba when he was only 7 years old in an elementary school play!
• It’s great to hear the musical talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music in this. The recent release of the Moana sequel suffered without his magical touch.
• One of the songs teaches a popular African lesson:  “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”
• I loved what Mufasa said to Taka who wanted advice on how to talk to a girl: “Here’s the most important thing: listen when she speaks. Males have trouble with that one.”
• The director almost didn’t make this movie.  Disney sent him the script during the pandemic, but he wasn’t interested until he started reading and was impressed with the ideas in the story.
• Have you ever noticed Mads Mikkelsen’s teeth?  They kind of look like a vampire’s fangs!  The animators used that feature in the villain he voices in this movie: Kiros. The director calls Mads “the villain of all villains”, so he really wanted him to voice the albino lion. Mads admits he was frightened when he learned he would have to sing in this movie. He voices the same character in the Danish release of this movie.  One of my sons is dating a girl from Denmark!
• Aaron Pierre was also concerned about his singing role as Mufasa, but gave credit to Lin-Manuel Miranda for writing such great songs and helping them.
• There’s a funny reference to the stage-play musical when Timon says he has seen the “play” and didn’t like that he was represented as a “sock puppet.”

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

•  It definitely helps to have seen the movie The Lion King before watching this film.
• The voices for Timon & Pumba sound way too different from the original ones.
•  Some fans have expressed anger at the revelation that Scar and Mufasa were not actually related, as was thought in the original movie The Lion King.
• Sometimes, it gets confusing to distinguish between lions.
• Some viewers have criticized the movie for being a soul-less cash grab. It’s true that it doesn’t have the heart and charm of The Lion King, but it’s still good in other ways.
• The story is told as a series of flashbacks, which might confuse younger children.

FUNNY LINES:

•   “It makes sense that he lives alone.” – Timon  (Billy Eichner)
• “Sleeping again?” – Taka  (Kelvin Harrison Jr.)   “That is what males do.  We protect the pride as we nap.  That’s our power.” – Obasi  (Lennie James)
• “So just to be clear, we’re not in this story?” – Timon  (Billy Eichner)
• “Less childhood drama…more meerkat.” – Timon  (Billy Eichner)

INTERESTING LINES:

•  “Look at the stars.  Whenever you feel alone, the great kings of the past will always be there to carry you.” – Mufasa (the father from the first The Lion King)
• “Be brave.” – Simba  (Donald Glover)
• “We can also be there right now. We can close our eyes, let our dreams take us.” –  Nala  (Beyonce)
• “To be lost is to learn the way.” – Eshe  (Thandiwe Newton)
• “To be a true king, he must earn it.” – Eshe  (Thandiwe Newton)
• “Without you, I have no home.” – Obasi  (Lennie James)
• “The only true bond is blood.” – Obasi  (Lennie James)
• “The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” – Rafiki  (John Kani)
• “Every being has a place in the circle of life.” – Mufasa  (Aaron Pierre)
• “It is not what you were but what you have become.” – Rafiki  (John Kani)
• “Where’s father?” – Mufasa (Aaron Pierre)    “He lives in you now.” – Nala  (Beyonce)

MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE:

• The Lion King:   https://amzn.to/4gw5Zrg
• Hamlet: https://amzn.to/3Pgcym1   (Mel Gibson & Glen Close)
• The Prince of Egypt:  https://amzn.to/3BO7TEL

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