MUFASA Review and Behind-the-Scenes Fun Facts
MUFASA: THE LION KING is an origin story of not only Mufasa, but Scar, Rafiki, and many other characters that crawled into our hearts back in 1994’s animated THE LION KING. Read on for our review, plus some insight into the making of MUFASA from director Barry Jenkins and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda.
MUFASA Synopsis
The story begins in present day – Rafiki (voiced by John Kani), along with Timon and Pumbaa (voiced by Billy Eichner and Set Rogen, respectively), are baby-sitting Simba and Nala’s young lion cub, Kiara (voiced by Blue Ivy Carter). Together, the elders tell Kiara the story of her grandfather, Mufasa. The entire film alternates between flashbacks to Mufasa as an orphaned lion cub and the three babysitters, with Timon and Pumbaa giving much-needed comic relief. Young Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) did not grow up in a privileged family, he was an orphan wandering lost and alone until he met Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) – the heir to a royal bloodline. Taka’s royal family reluctantly adopt Mufasa, only allowing him in the pride if he stays with the female lionesses. There he learns hunting and tracking skills that male lions usually don’t possess. When Mufasa and Taka have to embark upon a journey to the “promised land” of Melele, these skills come in handy, especially when an evil lion pride led by Kiros (voiced by Mads Mikkelsen) tracks them across the wilderness. As Taka and Mufasa flee from the threat, they collect a group of misfits including young Rafiki (voiced by Kagiso Lediga), Zazu (voiced by Preston Nyman), and Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone). By the end of the film, you will discover how Mufasa becomes a Lion King.
MUFASA Review
Before I continue, let me answer your pressing question: Yes, MUFASA begins with a dedication to James Earl Jones, the original voice of Mufasa. “Remember…who you are…” in Jones’ ringing baritone plays in my head whenever I look at a Lion King poster. Jones passed away on September 9 of this year, and we will always remember who he is.
MUFASA deals with several heavy themes – coming-of-age, found family, acceptance. Director Barry Jenkins wanted to tell a story of someone who had to work hard to get where he is. Says Jenkins, “I saw this film as an opportunity to really ground Mufasa-to show that this guy was not born perfect. He was not born wealthy. He was not born entitled. He was just someone with a family who lost that family. Then faith and fortune and luck gave him a new family that he learned from and built with. He wasn’t given a damn thing-he earned all of it through learning, through being one with his environment, through caring for others.”
Throughout the film we really see that journey. Mufasa has bravery in his DNA. This contrasts beautifully with Taka’s cowardly response to various situations. Taka eventually becomes Scar, so not only are we seeing the development of a hero, but also a villain. MUFASA is, above all, a prequel to THE LION KING. The film reveals how Rafiki got his staff, how Taka got his new name – Scar, and how Mufasa met his eventual wife Sarabi. We even see the formation of the Pride Lands. On that level alone, MUFASA is worth a watch.
Where the film falters a bit is with CGI lions singing. The film itself is gorgeous – sweeping vistas really stand out on an IMAX screen and you can see every hair on the lion cubs’ heads. But the choice to make this a “live-action” film with “live-action” animals fails when the animals burst into song. It was in these moments I wished they had created MUFASA in the original animated style of THE LION KING (1994).
That animated style would have allowed us to more easily distinguish Taka and Mufasa from one another. In live-action the two are hard to tell apart. Yes, Taka’s fur is slightly lighter than Mufasa, so they are easy to distinguish when they appear together on-screen. However, in moments when the brothers are playing, racing, or fighting, the director employs a handheld camera, making it difficult to understand which lion is fighting and which lion is running away. The difficulties continue when Mufasa and Taka become “teenagers” with only small tufts of fur around their neck. I began confusing them with lionesses because their manes hadn’t grown in. If you want more clarity in scenes and dialogue, I suggest asking for a Closed Caption device. This will help clear up any confusion.
Music of MUFASA
Since music is so intrinsic to the DNA of THE LION KING, let’s dive in. Lin-Manuel Miranda worked with Mark Mancina (his collaborator on MOANA) to write the songs. According to Miranda at a press conference on December 9th, his first memory of the 1994 film was the trailer, in which we see the first four minutes of THE LION KING and hear the full song, “Circle of Life”. Miranda explains, “who was the first voice you hear on that original film? Lebo M. I knew his choral arrangements and his incredible choir were going to raise whatever I wrote to the next level.” MUFASA does, indeed, begin with Lebo M.’s voice – coming in right after James Earl Jones’ dedication.
Throughout the other songs, Miranda shied away from music quotes from the first film, preferring to lend a different tone to MUFASA. “So I only allowed myself one Hans Zimmer quote, and it’s five notes, and it’s when Mufasa is alone in the middle of “I Always Wanted a Brother.” That’s all you get! Any more and we’re all going to start crying. So I just want to hit it once.”
The rest of Miranda’s songs work well with the exception of one – “Bye Bye” sung by Mads Mikkelsen. This is the typical villain song, equivalent to Scar’s “Be Prepared”. Between the performance by Mikkelsen, the uncanny valley of seeing a ghost-white live-action lion singing, and the awful callousness of each line ending in “bye! bye!”, it wins the award for “most cringeworthy.”
A stand-out song is “Tell Me Its You”, performed by Aaron Pierre and Tiffany Boone – Mufasa and Sarabi. It is the “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” equivalent, and between the music and the snowy, icy, mountain-top scenery, it’s a beautiful moment as the two lions discover their love for one another.
Despite a few drawbacks, I absolutely recommend that fans of THE LION KING see MUFASA in the theater this holiday season. It’s a beautiful film that pays homage to a beloved fan favorite among the Disney Renaissance films. Most of all, the themes invite conversation after the film is over. Lin-Manual Miranda sums it up:
“I’ve got two kids and they’re obsessed with, ‘who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy?’ And what this movie leaves you with is to be able to have a conversation – no one’s born a good guy, no one’s born a bad guy. We are good choices and bad choices. Sometimes our experiences lead us to make the wrong choices. And I think to be able to have that kind of conversation with your kids is so joyous. When a work of art allows that conversation where you can use these characters as a way to talk about the real world.”
MUFASA: THE LION KING (rated PG) releases in U.S. theaters on December 20, 2024 and has a running time of 118 minutes. Will you see the film? What is your favorite song? Let us know @skywalkingpod.
