'Mufasa: The Lion King' Sets the Stage

Mufasa: The Lion King has some big shoes to fill, as its predecessor, The Lion King, stands as one of Disney's all-time most beloved animated classics. Having already undergone a CGI-centric remake in 2019, The Lion King franchise doesn't necessarily seem ripe for another installment at this point, but the studio has moved forward with a CGI prequel that tells the story of Simba's father, Mufasa, and the elder king's rise to power. Read on for details.

Via Variety.

Early in “The Lion King,” the adorable yet spoiled African prince Simba goes gallivanting around his father Mufasa’s lands, taunting his future subjects with the song “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” In Broadway terms, it’s a classic “I want” number, telling audiences what’s in the character’s heart at that point in the film, before tragedy, exile, love and responsibility shape this carefree cub into a worthy successor.

Flash forward to “Mufasa: The Lion King”¬¬ — or rewind, since “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins’ impressive, emotionally satisfying contribution to the Disney canon serves as a prequel to one of the studio’s most beloved franchises — and we find Mufasa in a very different mindset. Faster than you can say “little orphan Bambi,” this once and future king loses his parents in a dramatic flood, one that washes him far from home and into the lands of an altogether different pride. There, he’s not seen as royalty, but rather as an “outsider” and a threat to the existing hierarchy.

King Obasi (Lennie James) and his son Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) needn’t be concerned, as the exhausted new arrival has no such ambitions. If young Mufasa had a solo, it might be called “Being King Is the Last Thing I Want,” which turns out to be the quality that will make him such a good one when the time comes.

Presented in a more stylized — but in no way “cartoony” — approach than director Jon Favreau’s 2019 “Lion King” remake, Jenkins’ “Mufasa” deepens our understanding of and appreciation for the noble father figure who once bellowed, “Remember who you are,” in the reassuring baritone of James Earl Jones. (The film opens with a dedication to the great “The Great White Hope” star, who died in September.)

Here, Mufasa is embodied by Braelyn Rankins as a cub, later followed by Aaron Pierre in juvenile form. Neither voice can really compete with Jones’, but how could we expect them to? Mufasa is hardly the sage old leader at this point, as Jenkins and returning screenwriter Jeff Nathanson imagine him in a more humble — yet instinctively heroic — mold, which means the actors must convey a degree of uncertainty nowhere to be found in Jones’ performance.

Rather than fix what ain’t broke, the film opens with another “Circle of Life”-style sequence, as dozens of species gather to celebrate the presentation of Simba’s firstborn, Kiara (played by Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter), who will almost surely get a feature of her own one day. In that sense, “Mufasa” is doing double duty, providing rich emotional context for the original story while paving the way for future sequels.

Get the rest of the story at Variety.