Movie Review: Mufasa: The Lion King

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uxMmrudYlOHkyH0vfcvyM?si=NVHPirqITTOEM9teV-VLjw

I've been vocal about not liking the live-action (or in this case photorealistic animated) remakes of classic Disney animated movies. It's inherently dismissive of animation as a medium, it removes something from the visuals, and there is a nostalgic baseline that is hard to beat because the audience has a preconceived expectation of what the film will be. Arguably the best of these movies have been the ones where they use the source material as a baseline to tell a new story. Unfortunately, Mufasa: The Lion King is unsuccessful on almost all fronts, even if it does make some moderate improvements on 2019's The Lion King.

Let's just start with the good before the overwhelming negative. The landscape visuals and environments are great. The early musical number where Mufasa and his parents are talking about seeking refuge in Milele (I looked up the spelling) following a series of climate catastrophes looks fantastic because it focuses entirely on this beautiful environment and the shift between where they are and the fantasy of where they're going.

Aside from that, there is not much positive to talk about. The framing device is annoying since it's usually just Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan riffing off each other under the constraints of a PG rating. It breaks up the action every time they go back to it during the narrative and is never actually worth the digression, which is a shame because if Eichner and Rogan had better material, the segments could probably have been funnier, even if it is inherently weird based on the generally terrifying realistic designs for both Timon and Pumbaa.

The other big issue with this movie is the general narrative flow. The movie is about the rise of Mufasa to become king of Pride Rock but considering that Scar is the heir-apparent to the throne, the story is about the conflict that will ensue as Mufasa takes what's his. Since the movie focuses on Mufasa primarily, Scar's symmetric fall comes a little out of left field and appears to only happen because the plot demands it. We never really see Scar grapple with the issues that come to pass by the end of the movie but they all manifest in one singular moment where he decides to turn on Mufasa. It just comes across as Scar undergoing this massive character transition only because the audience knows that Scar is the bad guy of the next movie.

If you really want to watch Mufasa: The Lion King, wait until it comes to Disney+. Stop going to the theater to watch these remakes, let Disney realize this is probably a bad idea. Considering this movie was announced as part of a series of announcements to ease investor fears, it's clear that the only reason this movie exists is because The Lion King made over a billion dollars.

★★★

Mufasa: The Lion King
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Written by: Jeff Nathanson, Linda Woolverton, Irene Mecchi
Starring: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Blue Ivy Carter
Rating: PG
Release Date: December 20th, 2024