When The Lion King remake was released in cinemas back in 2019, the film was a huge hit at the worldwide box office. Produced on a budget of $260 million, the movie went on to rake in a colossal $1.657 billion, making it one of the biggest success stories of the year.
In fact, The Lion King was so successful, it was second only to Avengers: Endgame in terms of cash. Audiences wanted to see it, they ponied up for the tickets, Disney made pots of money, and everyone went home happy.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of The Lion King, a follow-up was pretty much a forgone conclusion. Heck, if your movie makes over $1 billion, there’s no way you’re letting that slide, and Disney acted accordingly, putting another entry into production.
Fast forward five years to the present day and this second entry is now a fully formed picture which is playing in UK and US cinemas. The movie is titled Mufasa: The Lion King, it is directed by Barry Jenkins, and it features the voice talents of Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Picking up a short while after the events of The Lion King, but largely centring its story around the past, Mufasa: The Lion King is a sequel-cum-prequel focusing on the early years of a young Mufasa (aka Simba’s dad). In the film, Rafiki sits down with Simba’s daughter, Kiara, to tell her a story about her grandfather’s early years, resulting in an extensive flashback.
This flashback takes audiences back to Mufasa’s childhood, to an early tragedy, and to his initial meeting with a young royal cub named Taka. From here, the film details how Mufasa and Taka form a brotherly bond and how this bond ultimately sours over time.
Along the way, Rafiki’s story zips back and forth to the present day, where Timon and Pumbaa provide some light hearted commentary. Meanwhile, back in the past, a few familiar faces pop up to continue Mufasa’s journey and there’s a bit of singing and dancing too.
OK, so let’s cut to the chase here: As with the recently released Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King exists because the first film was a hit and NOT because audiences were necessarily calling out for another entry. That said, it’s here, a lot of time and money has been spent on it (around $200 million), and as many people went to see the first film, there should be plenty of interest in this second one.
Will that interest be rewarded? For some, maybe; for others, less so.
Mufasa: The Lion King is OK, but not spectacular and quite forgettable. Similar to the aforementioned Moana 2, parts work, parts don’t, but it’s mostly middle-of-the-road stuff.
The film starts off fine, but it runs out of steam pretty quickly. And while it does pick up toward the end, there is a lot of bloat and floundering in between.
If you can get through it all without your mind wandering midway, congratulations. However, even if you do become somewhat invested, it’s certainly not edge of the seat stuff.
Where Mufasa: The Lion King is at its best is when it is focusing on the developing relationship between Mufasa and Taka. If you have already watched The Lion King (and who hasn’t?), you’ll know who Taka is, and it’s interesting to see where this brotherhood goes.
If Mufasa: The Lion King plumbed a little more depth here, it could be a much stronger film. However, what it offers up with Mufasa and Taka is fine, and this is where the film is at its strongest.
Where the movie stumbles, is when it becomes too derivative. All the way through Mufasa: The Lion King, it feels like the picture is hanging off the bones of its predecessor, rather than doing its own thing, and it’s difficult to overlook the first film’s shadow.
The movie also suffers from pacing issues and it serves up a collection of underwhelming songs. With the exception of the enjoyable ‘I Always Wanted a Brother’, most of the tunes either fall short or fall flat.
And in a rather odd turn, despite various characters constantly uttering the phrase “He lives in you”, Mufasa: The Lion King doesn’t shoehorn in the song, ‘He Lives in You’ from the animated movie, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. This in itself is odd, as it’s a great (and often overlooked) track that would have been a welcome addition and could have added some gravitas to the soundtrack.
While Mufasa: The Lion King is OK at times, and the photorealistic animation is tip-top, the story just isn’t quite there, nor is the magic. Sure, it’s fine to watch, but I expect it’ll be a one-time only viewing which will eventually just become ‘content’ on Disney+ when it eventually makes the transition to streaming.
As with Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King is an example of Disney making more of something to simply extend an IP. But then, if this film makes lots of cash like Moana 2 is inexplicably doing, then it’s not difficult to see why.
If you wish to catch Mufasa: The Lion King during its theatrical run, the movie will be screening at all major cinemas over the Christmas period.
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