Despite Barry Jenkins’ admirable efforts as a director, Mufasa: The Lion King is another forgettable, yet passable, entry into the Disney Live Action adaptations series.

To many, Disney’s 1994 film, The Lion King, is one of the studio’s best films of all time. The stunning hand-drawn animation results in a sense of nostalgia for many viewers that grew up watching this on a VHS tape. Combine that with a plot inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” animal characters with more personality and depth than some non-animated films, and classic songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, the film has stood the test of time 30 years later as not only being a peak of family cinema, but respecting the intelligence of its younger audiences.

Amidst the early era of Disney producing financially successful live-action adaptations of their animated classics, after Jon Favreau’s 2019 film, The Lion King, made more than one billion dollars, a second installment was almost imminent. When Disney announced that the prequel Mufasa: The Lion King would be directed by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins, many film goers, especially those familiar with his previous works were left wondering, “Why?” With independent films touching subjects of intimacy and sensuality like If Beale Street Could Talk and Moonlight (which won the Academy Award for Best Picture) in his filmography, directing this big budget prequel associated with a major studio seemed completely out of left field for Jenkins. 

Given the bigger budget, Jenkins is given plenty of room to get creative with the visual elements of the film and it is certainly noticeable. There are plenty of shots that are gorgeous to look at, such as seeing animals underwater with the glow of the moonlight, sweeping views of the Savannah, and starlight glistening on a fleet of snow. Unfortunately, Jenkins’ direction is one of the saving graces and allows Mufasa: The Lion King to be passable and even enjoyable at times despite its flaws. The biggest detriment is Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay, which feels way too on-the-nose with lessons for children that are often found in a Disney Channel afterschool special. The dialogue is clunky and inconsistent that might result in some parents rolling their eyes. Jenkins’ does the best he can with directing the talented voice actors to deliver their lines as impactful as possible, but the script’s flaws are noticeable particularly with how sloppy the organization of this plot is. 

The film opens with Simba (Donald Glover) leaving his daughter Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) in the hands of Timon and Pumbaa (Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen) as he goes to be with  Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) as she gives birth. Rafiki (John Kani) joins Kiara and her two lackluster caretakers as a thunderstorm approaches and tells her a story to help ease her nerves. The story is of her grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), who was separated from his parents (Anika Noni Rose and Keith David) as a cub due to an accident involving a river dam breaking and flooding a watering hole. 

Mufasa is forced miles upon miles down river and is eventually saved by another lion cub named Taka (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), son of Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) and Obasi (Lennie James), a lion king who despises strays joining their pack. Obasi challenges Mufasa to race Taka, with the penalty of death if he loses. Taka lets Mufasa win, causing Obasi to allow him to live with his pack but must stay with the women. Eshe becomes an adoptive mother to Mufasa and teaches him how to be a hunter and strengthens his senses, allowing him to see things from miles away. On the contrary, Obasi teaches Taka that a king’s true role is to nap all day and that deceit is a sign of a great king. 

When a group of white lions, led by evil Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) attacks the tribe, Obasi sends Mufasa and Taka away, leaving Mufasa in charge of protecting his son in order to preserve the bloodline. Mufasa and Taka then come across a lion princess named Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) and her bird scout Zazu (Preston Nyman), and eventually young Rafiki (Kagiso Lediga) who was recently exiled from his tribe due to having frequent visions. Rafiki leads them all to Milele, a legendary place past the horizon that Mufasa’s parents told him about. 

While the plot is pretty distinctly divided into three acts, there is way too much going on that makes it hard to keep track of all the characters and their significance. That doesn’t mean it lacks any enjoyment. Fortunately, there is a shocking amount of humor to keep adults and children alike invested, partly due to Pierre and Harrison Jr’s vocal performances and their chemistry as Mufasa and Taka. It is as much fun to watch the two lion brothers interact as it is watching their voice actors mess around on their press tour. The drama that comes from the white lions chasing Mufasa and Taka is tense, and Jenkins handles the resulting action scenes with grace. However, the suspense and subsequently, any momentum this film sets up is ultimately cut because it constantly jumps back and forth between the thrilling flashback scenes and the pointless commentary and cringe-worthy meta references from Timon and Pumbaa in the present day. All of the time spent with them is time away from the most interesting part of the film. Why the script chose to focus on Timon and Pumbaa in those scenes instead of Rafiki and Kiara is truly a mystery. It doesn’t help that Kiara on paper is a very forgettable, typical child character despite Carter giving her as much charisma as she can in a pretty solid vocal performance for a film debut.  

Grade: C-

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: Best Visual Effects

Where to Watch: In Theaters

Sarah Abraham 
she/her @sarsaraaaaah
Lives in Orlando with her mom & dog. Clarinetist that loves movies, EDM, yoga, hot girl walks, and tzatziki.
Favorite Actor(s): Omar Sharif, Danielle Deadwyler, Hiam Abbass, and Daniel Day-Lewis
Sign: stereotypical Taurus