Mufasa: Le Roi lion

In a time when Disney has been struggling to recapture its golden era magic, Mufasa: The Lion King stands out as a welcome surprise. Directed by Barry Jenkins, this prequel to the 2019 photorealistic remake offers a refreshing take, not just rehashing the familiar story, but expanding the mythology in a way that feels both purposeful and entertaining.

Narrated by Rafiki to Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara (voiced by Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut), the film journeys back to explore Mufasa's origin story. We follow him from his beginnings as an orphaned cub to his rise as king, with Aaron Pierre voicing a younger, more vulnerable Mufasa. Kelvin Harrison Jr. Brings emotional depth to Taka, Mufasa's brother, who is destined to become Scar.

The casting is solid, with returning voices like Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, and Beyoncé giving the film a sense of continuity, while new voices breathe life into the backstory. Lin Manuel Miranda contributes original songs, which, alongside Dave Metzger's score and Hans Zimmer's familiar themes, create a soundtrack that is rich but never overbearing.

Visually, the film continues the photorealistic style of its predecessor, sometimes to its emotional detriment, but it's undeniably stunning to watch. More importantly, the story offers something new. Unlike recent Disney efforts that feel more like copy-paste nostalgia grabs (looking at you, remake fatigue), Mufasa justifies its existence. It's not a "1.5" spinoff or a cash-in; it's a true prequel that fills in meaningful gaps.

Is it perfect? No. The story can feel a bit predictable, and it may not have the same emotional punch for adult audiences as the original. But in a landscape of recent Disney flops, Mufasa earns its stripes simply by being a coherent, heartfelt, and engaging addition to the Lion King legacy.

All in all, I'd give it a solid 7 out of 10. It's a movie that didn't need to be made, but I'm glad it was.

Mufasa: The Lion King is so much better than the soulless remake it has to act as a prequel to. All of the biggest issues have been rectified instantly and it has a greater purpose by telling a new story, even with some classic prequel issues. Everything set after the events of the first film could've been easily cut out to let the main story breathe however they are thankfully brief whenever they do interrupt and it comes to a nice conclusion.

Aaron Pierre makes the role of Mufasa his own with a strong performance that has him feeling reluctant to accept his destiny and becoming more stoic as it goes along. Similarly, Kelvin Harrison Jr. Gets more deceitful throughout and chooses to make his voice work sound closer to Jeremy Irons than Chiwetel Ejiofor. The only occasionally distracting element is some of the line readings sounding rushed.

Director Barry Jenkins is massively over qualified for this and held back by the photo real animation that comes with this but his direction is still more ambitious and exciting than Jon Favreau's was. He isn't afraid to sacrifice a pointless commitment to realism to create a beautiful looking film where the locations are more varied, the visuals are more creative and the cinematography is infinitely more dynamic.

The CGI is always faultless and thankfully all the lions now show a much wider range of emotions, enhanced by the massive increase in close ups. The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are definitely some of his weakest, they're very repetitive without his usual level of catchiness and it's a testament to how strong everything else is that this isn't a major issue. Dave Metzger's score only stands out when referencing Hans Zimmer's work, which it does constantly.

Man these 2 were unnecessary and NOT funny. Annoyed every time they cut to them. Havent seen the first live action and now i definitely wont if I have to see more of these two. Could've used less cutting back and forth maybe a voiceover would have been more effective. Villains didnt really have a lot of depth. Nothing interesting about them. They just wanted to wipe out all other prides? I dont know. WhyOtherwise enjoyable movie. Casting of Rafiki was a good choice. Truly brought the essence of Rafiki from the original movie. Won't repeat what already has been said. Songs were catchy visuals were stunning.

I quite liked the story in this movie, the forced connection to the lion king and every forced location dragged it down. The music was very forgetable. The sad parts didnt hit home as it should but oh well.

Byebye.

And now i need to write 360 more characters so that i can submit this review. So here it goes. Have you ever heard the story of darth plageuis the wise? Its not a story common for the jedi. He was a baddie yes bananakin. Obi one and two dont know about it and qui and thri gon jin doesnt either. Its not a pleasant story but a story nonetheless. I wish you had heard it so that we could discussed it.

The score always delivers emotionally. What I noticed is that Disney is losing, with the latest products, that double layer, the message under the surface that only adults can decipher. Maybe it's because of the story and the circumstances, but I found it too exclusive for children, especially from a director like Jenkins.

Everything else is okay. Nothing big, nothing great. You get what you go in for, emotion, fun, something that could make you feel again the feelings that you felt the first time you watched the original thing. I don't know if they're going to expand the cinematic universe.

Italian dubbing sucked. Singers can't dub. Period.