Like many critics, I despised the 2019 CGI version of “The Lion King.” The new animation was ugly and the rehashing of the story from the 1994 classic without many changes made the whole thing seem unnecessary. But unlike many critics, I’m not ready to throw prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King” away just because of the sins of its predecessor. I’m not saying that it’s not still inextricably tied to the 2019 film, especially with its still-terrible CGI animation, but the story and characters can do some roaming on their own that makes for a breath of fresh air.
The film opens with Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) going away on some adult lion business and leaving their cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) in the care of comic relief meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen). A storm is approaching, Kiara is scared, and Timon and Pumbaa’s danger-fraught stories aren’t helping. Wizened mandril Rafiki (John Kani), an old friend of the family, steps in and tells Kiara a story about her grandfather Mufasa’s bravery so that she won’t just be soothed, she’ll be inspired to be brave herself going forward. The framing device isn’t a bad idea in and of itself, and Kiara is important to the future of this world with the Circle of Life and all that, but Timon and Pumbaa are nothing but grating here. Their tired, lowbrow schtick gets the movie off to such a bad start and causes so many unwelcome interruptions that frankly I can understand why some people think they’re a deal-breaker for the entire film.
Fortunately, things pick up once the movie commits to the story of Mufasa (voiced as a cub by Braelyn and Brielle Rankins). A flood took him away from his parents (Anika Noni Rose and Keith David – because of course it took two of the greatest voices in the world to sire a character that would eventually have the all-time great voice of James Earl Jones) and he was rescued by Taka (Theo Somolu), an unblemished prince from a faraway pride who is quick to consider him a brother. King Obasi (Lennie James) allows Mufasa to live with the pride on the condition that he mostly live with the lionesses, led by Queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton). This is supposed to be humiliation, but while Taka grows up learning rotten lessons from his jerk father, Mufasa picks up useful practical skills. He’s even able to protect Taka and Eshe from the son of evil lion Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), who sets his sights on wiping out the entire pride, sending Taka and Mufasa fleeing toward a sanctuary called Milele.
Along the way, Mufasa (now Aaron Pierre) and Taka (now Kelvin Harrison Jr.) make friends with Rafiki, as well as fellow lion Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) and her guide-bird Zazu (Preston Nyman), and they form an unlikely pack. Both Taka and Mufasa develop feelings for Sarabi, but Mufasa is bound by his honor to defer to Taka. Sarabi falls for Mufasa anyway, and Taka considers it a betrayal. The team has to not only worry about making it to Milele with Kiros in pursuit, but dissention between two lions that were, for all intents and purposes, brothers.
Yes, it’s easy to see where the story is going when you consider that certain characters have to end up in certain places by the time “The Lion King” rolls around. Yes, the animation still isn’t great, but it’s only obnoxiously bad in close-ups, which admittedly the film does far too often. And yes, the songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (which sometimes invoke “Moana” more than the actual “Moana” sequel from a few weeks back) aren’t as memorable as the Elton John songs from 1994. But sorry, no, none of that ruins the movie for me. I still found myself invested in these characters, Timon and Pumbaa aside. I see enough effort and passion here that I’m willing to give “Mufasa: The Lion King” a very shaky recommendation.
Grade: B-
“Mufasa: The Lion King” is rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements. Its running time is 118 minutes.
Robert R. Garver is a graduate of the Cinema Studies program at New York University. His weekly movie reviews have been published since 2006.
Last Update: Dec 30, 2024 10:49 am CST
