- MUFASA: THE LION KING
- Starring the voices of: Aaron Pierre, Tiffany Boone and Mads Mikkelsen
- Directed by: Barry Jenkins
- Rated: PG
- Running time: 1 hr 58 mins
- Walt Disney Pictures
Our score: 5 out of 5
When the animated film “The Lion King” was released in 1994, it was another example of the amazing second golden age of Disney Animation, grossing almost $1 billion around the world. So popular was the film that it spawned both a highly successful Broadway show (still running both in New York and around the world) and a live-action version, released in 2019 which, until this past year’s “Inside Out 2,” was the highest grossing animated feature film ever released, earing more than $1.6 billion. So it’s safe to say that the story of Simba is pretty well known. But what about his father, Mustafa? Wonder no more.
The film begins with the now adult Simba (Donald Glover…I guess Matthew Broderick was busy) departing his kingdom to welcome a new cub into the family. He leaves his young cub in the very suspect hands (paws? Hooves/) of Timon and Pumba (Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen), who are quickly assisted by Rafiki (John Kani). In order to bide their time together, the trio decide to tell the story of Simba’s father, Mustafa. And a grand story it is.
Beautifully rendered (this is by far the best live-action/animated film I’ve ever seen), “Mufasa: The Lion King” does a great job of introducing new characters while letting the audience reconnect with familiar ones.
We meet Mustafa (Braelyn Rankins) as a young cub who finds himself lost and taken in by a kindly lioness. The leader of the pride is not happy with this outsider and banishes him to live with “the women,” meaning he will have to learn to hunt to provide for the rest of the pride. Mufasa is befriended by Taka (Theo Somolu), the son of the leader, and the two grow up as brothers. But, as in the original film, when jealousy rears its ugly head, even brotherly love is not enough.
Thanks to the voice actors, and the amazingly realistic visuals, the film is a most welcome addition to the “Lion King” lineage. Ostensibly a musical, the songs – by the great Lin-Manuel Miranda – are almost secondary to the film. Tim Rice and Elton John are a hard act for anyone to follow but the tunes here are quite hummable.
Of course, for many, the voice of Mustafa is and always will be, the late James Earl Jones. Jones was asked to reprise the role but declined. The film is dedicated to his amazing and endering memory.
On a scale of zero to five, “Mustafa: The Lion King” receives ★★★★★.