Mufasa: The Lion King

Not even a filmmaker as strong as Barry Jenkins is enough to save this prequel from being utterly forgettable.

For many, the announcement of another Disney live-action remake receives an annoyed grunt or maybe a loud sigh. There have been some cases where these movies have worked. Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book” and Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella” instantly spring to mind. However, there are just as many of these so-called “reimaginings” that add nothing new to their animated counterparts. There’s usually something missing in them.

Favreau’s “The Lion King” redo was a prime example of one of these soulless retreads. Regardless, it went on to make over a billion dollars at the box office and became one of the highest-grossing movies ever. A follow-up was inevitable.

What wasn’t inevitable was the fact that Disney hired Barry Jenkins, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind “Moonlight” to direct a “Godfather 2” style sequel/prequel about the origin story of Mufasa and Scar. Complete with an original soundtrack written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has become the “it” boy of Disney over the past eight years.

“Mufasa: The Lion King” begins as Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala’s (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) daughter Kiara (Blue Knowles-Carter) is babysat by Rafiki (John Kani), Timon (Billy Eichner), and Pumpaa (Seth Rogen). As Timon and Pumbaa crack a bunch of unfunny and desperate jokes, Rafiki begins to tell Kiara the story of how a young Mufasa (Aaron Pierre as an adult and Braelyn Rankins as a cub) and Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr as an adult and Theo Somolo as a cub) first met, became brothers, and ultimately became sworn enemies.

A devastating flood causes Mufasa to become separated from his parents but it isn’t long until he is discovered by Taka, and the two become attached to the hip. When Taka’s family is threatened by the nefarious white lion Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), he and Mufasa are sent away on a quest to lay claim to a new kingdom.

There’s a genuinely great movie within “Mufasa: The Lion King” one that Barry Jenkins clearly is capable of making, or probably did make, before receiving a plethora of studio notes. There’s a strong heart and soul at the center of Mufasa and Taka’s story, and despite initially being cynical, I couldn’t help but buy into their brotherhood, even if I already knew how it was going to end.

After giving one of the year’s definitive breakout performances in “Rebel Ridge,” Aaron Pierre does a decent job stepping into the shoes left behind by the late great James Earl Jones. Pierre’s Mufasa doesn’t have his deep booming voice, but you do get hints of it, and the spirit of the character is felt.

Above everything else, Kelvin Harrison Jr leaves the biggest impression as Taka. While his turn to evil ultimately feels rushed and weak, you are still able to buy into it because of Harrison’s performance.

“Mufasa” is a massive improvement over its 2019 predecessor in just about every single way. This prequel feels much more colorful, the animals’ faces are much more expressive, and the movie doesn’t just feel like it's going through the motions of its source material. It’s clear that Jenkins has a certain reverence towards the mythos of “The Lion King” and it shows at certain moments of the movie.

Unfortunately, it's sandwiched between some excruciating present-day moments with Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen cracking jokes that never land and a young Kiara who is expressive in her face, but not her voice. While the prequel storyline in “Mufasa” does have its bits of humor, the present-day bits just go overkill on the goofiness. It’s only something that the youngest audience members might enjoy.

Arguably the most disappointing aspect of “Mufasa” is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack, which mainly consists of the characters recapping what we just saw them do mere seconds before they started singing.

Miranda is an abundantly talented songwriter, and he’s shown before that he can write some catchy Disney songs. Yet, there is no soul or personality in almost any of these songs. The rhythms are there, but the lyrics feel two-dimensional and boring. The beats are catchy, but you’ll forget most of the lyrics as soon as the singing stops.

It's the more warm-hearted moments in “Mufasa” that ultimately save it from being a bad experience. Jenkins does all that he can to elevate the material he was given, but even his talents aren’t enough to save the movie from being forgettable.