The Stream: Different cubs, same story.

The Big Screen: Better effects and new songs.

The Final Bill: This movie would have gone straight to DVD in the pre-streaming era.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Barry Jenkins
Writers: Jeff Nathanson
Stars: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Thandiwe Newton, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Blue Ivy Carter
Genre: Adventure, Musical, Animation, Fantasy, Family, Drama
Rating: PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements.
Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes
Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures
Platform: In theaters December 20, 2024
Notable Trailers: Elio, Snow White, How to Train Your Dragon, Paddington in Peru, The Unbreakable Boy, Superman

What’s up, Streamers! It’s post-Christmastime, which means we had to catch up on the glut of new movies in the theaters. There was a diverse set of movies released including highly anticipated family films like Mufasa: The Lion King.  This movie is a prequel to the “live-action” remake of The Lion King (2019), which uses photorealistic animation to bring the wildlife to life. In this prequel, Mufasa has been separated from his family by a calamitous circumstance and struggles to find himself and his place in the world. Mufasa, voiced by Aaron Pierre, gets taken in by a pride including a royal cub, Taka (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), and his parents. When a white lion pride attacks Mufasa and Taka’s home, they set off to find Milele, a paradise that Mufasa’s parents told him about as a young cub. Circle of life hijinks ensue.

While Mufasa: The Lion King is an unnecessary prequel, it does tell a new story unlike the live-action remake from 2019. Many of the story beats in this movie are similar to those from its predecessors. Unfortunately, Mufasa never gets to be as charismatic a character as we would hope. I can’t say he’s as memorable as the Simba or Mufasa from the 1994 original. Taka is also a pretty weak character, especially considering who he becomes.  The story around these two main characters feels rote and uninspired. There is also a lame framing device where Rafiki is telling Mufasa’s story to Simba’s daughter Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), which is only used to inject some comic relief from Timon and Pumba, but they are really just annoying and halt the action of the main story. These scenes should have been edited out, and the story would have had more momentum.

Now, the photorealistic effects are good – probably better than those in The Lion King (2019). These are very realistic-looking lions, and they are decently expressive. However, it is difficult at times to tell one lion from the other. There are songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which are okay attempts to infuse life into the movie. These are not iconic songs like those from The Lion King (1994), but they will do.

Ultimately, Mufasa: The Lion King is a fine addition to the overall Lion King story. The effects are good and will capture your attention. The story is okay, but there could have been more inspiring things done to emphasize Mufasa and Taka, especially since we already know how the story ends.  This movie is a decent escape with the family in the theaters, but I’d suggest waiting for it to show up on Disney+ with a handful of popcorn.