Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Review: Many questions surround the recent version of The Lion King, which hit theaters in 2019. Is it animated? Is it live-action? Is it necessary? Well, the answers depend on each person's opinion, but profitably speaking, it's not strange that the film gained a sequel. Worldwide box office receipts of over a billion dollars do just that. In reality, it's a prequel: Mufasa, following the origin story of Simba's father - and straying from the canon established by the original animations.
Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Story:
When Simba and Nala must be away for a while, their daughter Kiara is left in the care of Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki. Faced with a storm that scares the little lioness, the wise character begins to tell the story of Mufasa who, despite being a lion without noble blood, ends up becoming the beloved king of the jungle. But before achieving this status, he was a lost young man from his family who crossed paths with Taka - destined to one day become the villain Scar.
In turn, in the past, Taka is the prince of a pride of lions but is excited to gain an adopted brother in Mufasa. However, Taka's father never accepted Mufasa, who was raised by the queen, Eshe. When the ambitious villain Kiros attacks his family, Mufasa and Taka set out on an adventure for survival, in search of a better land. Along the way, they meet familiar faces such as Sarabi, Zazu, and Rafiki.
Mufasa Movie Analysis:
Visually, the visual effects of Mufasa should impress. But, unlike its predecessor, which had to follow the formula of an already established classic, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson had more freedom this time to follow a different path. In this sense, two names are fundamental to bringing a certain personality to the work.
To begin with, the direction is by Barry Jenkins, acclaimed Oscar winner for Moonlight. You can see glimpses of the director's style in the story, told in a more creative way than its predecessor, even without being able to rely much on the power of facial expressions. This is a sensitivity that the filmmaker draws out so well from his actors, but he can't achieve it so easily through a story hampered by digital technology.
Something to note: we checked out the original version of the dubbing, with the voices of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Tiffany Boone as the protagonists, and overall everyone does a good job, but the search for a realistic style still limits the emotional delivery of the lions and other animals. And, yes, Beyoncé participates in the film, but in a very limited way. Her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, has a more important and acceptable debut in the cinema as Kiara.
Another aspect that brings some vitality to Mufasa is the soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Following in the footsteps of Elton John and Beyoncé is no easy task, so it makes sense that he was chosen as the franchise's new composer. However, unlike his work on original Disney works like Moana and Encanto, here we have slightly more modest melodies - literally, they take up only 16 minutes of the two-hour film.
“Milele” is the song with the most luxurious visuals, while the connecting duet between Mufasa and Taka, “I Always Wanted a Brother”, will leave you with the chorus stuck in your head. The villain's song, “Bye Bye”, on the other hand, seems wasted on such a generic antagonist as Kiros, because with a bolder personality, it would have the potential to be something like “Be Prepared”. In the same way that "Tell Me It's You" doesn't reach the power of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
In a way, it's reminiscent of the work Lin did on the live-action version of The Little Mermaid: nice new songs, but nothing that resembles "How Far I'll Go" and "We Don't Talk About Bruno" (both songs that were unfairly nominated at the Oscars, this man deserved an EGOT, I really do).
Mufasa: The Lion King fails to find the right ending:
Overall, Mufasa delivers good entertainment, especially in the small insertions of Timon and Pumbaa - who continue to be the best characters in this digitally reimagined universe. Even Kiara, who would normally be used only as a narrative device, has moments of emotion that stand out.
The problem really arises in the second half of Mufasa. Okay, he's the title character, so he deserves more attention, of course. However, Taka and Sarabi are very important figures in his life, but their connections with the protagonist are transformed very quickly. On the one hand, Sarabi isn't developed enough to see how she makes the perfect couple with Mufasa and barely has an origin story.
Together since childhood, the partnership between Taka and Mufasa really works, but Taka was not introduced in a way that he would give up everything for just one “wrong” decision. His downfall to Scar happens in a scene that lasts less than two minutes. And because of Sarabi, not because he stopped being the prince he always believed was in his destiny. Even so, you can see that the film tries to cover up… For a villain who will later kill his own brother.
Is Mufasa: The Lion King worth watching?
Curiously, Mufasa is a film that ends up trying to reject precisely its greatest attributes. Barry Jenkins' visual styles and Lin-Manuel Miranda's animated soundtrack seem to contrast with the realistic and darker aspects that technology makes possible. The studio definitely tried to make the characters more expressive, but there is still a lack of humanity in key moments.
Despite this, the film presents some interesting risks, even with the confusing pace of the narrative at certain moments. Between Mufasa and the recent version of The Lion King, I prefer the film that brings something new to the cinema. After all, isn't that what we expect from the endless remakes that Hollywood produces? To give a different angle to something we already love: Whether modernizing or subverting? Mufasa is not the most creative film in the world, but at least it tries to do something more.
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