Mufasa: The Lion Kinganimation

Disney+ 03/25/2025

Mufasa: The Lion King

2024

Barry Jenkins

Animation, Voice: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen ...

6.1

7,305

Animation. Adventure. Drama. Comedy

Animation. Adventure. Drama. Comedy

Rafiki must pass on the legend of Mufasa to the young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumba contributing their signature style. The story is told in flashbacks and features Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a friendly lion named Taka, heir to a royal lineage. This chance encounter sets in motion a journey of an extraordinary group of misfits seeking their destiny. And their bonds will be ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Peter Debruge Variety	"The 'Moonlight' director's thoughtful and mostly satisfying 'Lion King' prequel reveals hidden depths to familiar characters."
		Tim Grierson Screendaily	"The CG images still impress, and there are gripping moments during the film’s second half as the insecure Mufasa embraces his destiny. But like too many origin stories, 'Mufasa' often rehashes what was once stirring"
		Brian Truitt USA Today	"The photorealistic landscapes and animals feel more natural here in a fresh exploration of identity, friendship, empathy and found family – in short, a Barry Jenkins movie. (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Robbie Collin Telegraph	"Simba’s father as a working-class lion? This cash-grab prequel undermines everything that made the original animated classic great (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"This heartfelt prequel to the 1994 classic recounts the dramatic backstory of King Mufasa but is scarred by a forgettable musical score (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times	"Not everyone loves realistic-looking animals talking and singing, but those who do are in for some glorious visuals. (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter	"Though the film isn’t completely saved by Jenkins and his team of regular co-conspirators, it’s certainly made better by their efforts.
		Bilge Ebiri Vulture	"There’s zero inspiration or danger (...) The movie itself fails to give us anything resembling an actual cinematic experience of them"
		Johnny Oleksinski New York Post	"Totally unnecessary, boring sequel shows the repetitive Circle of Life at Disney (...) Rating: ★½ (out of 4)"
		Wendy Ide The Guardian	"Moonlight director Barry Jenkins’s all-action tale boasts uncanny CGI effects and songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but the screenplay is schmaltzy and derivative (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		David Fear Rolling Stone	"Barry Jenkins’ CGI prequel can’t escape the shadow of the Disney animated classic, but it does prove that you can extend a brand with heart, soul, and some catchy songs"
		Kevin Harley Radio Times	"Barry Jenkins adds currents of personality and style, but there's still a weird cognitive disconnect seeing photoreal big cats talking (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		William Bibbiani The Wrap	"It’s in little danger of becoming a classic but it’s gratifying to know that Barry Jenkins made this film his own, telling a fine story with genuine emotion and visual aplomb"
		Asher Luberto LA Weekly	"The film’s deeper emotions are truly what set this prequel apart from the pack of Disney remakes"
		Mel Valentin Screen Anarchy	"Offers few narrative or thematic surprises, desperately embracing the found family idea (...) to create the hint of an emotional connection between audiences and the moving images onscreen"
		Chris Bumbray JoBlo	"While Jenkins’s film is conventional, it’s still relatively entertaining. The CGI is exquisite, and the voice cast is good (...) Rating: 7 (out of 10)"
		Matt Zoller Seitz rogerebert.com	"It walks its own version of a path laid out by other big-budget franchise prequels dating back to George Lucas’s early-aughts “Star Wars” trilogy, alternating wrenching personal drama with fan service touches (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Clarisse Loughrey The Independent	"Finding the Jenkins in 'Mufasa' is like putting a blindfold on in the Louvre and trying to feel your way to the Mona Lisa (...) All it has done is force Jenkins to be ordinary (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Nicholas Barber BBC	"[It] is all about lions talking to other lions while being pursued by yet more lions, so it can be visually monotonous. It can also be challenging to keep track of which lion is which. (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Aidan Kelley Collider	"Fans of the franchise and younger generations will find a lot to like about 'Mufasa: The Lion King', but it's hard to imagine it will have a legacy comparable to the original animated classic that started it all. (...) Rating: 5 (out of 10)"
		Robert Daniels IGN	"An inventive, entertaining and charming continuation of a Disney favorite (...) [It] is the best version of a Barry Jenkins-directed children’s film imaginable (...) Rating: 8 (out of 10)"
		Alison Foreman IndieWire	'Mufasa' is a story-within-a-story that reframes 'The Lion King' within a sprawling map that’s not much fun to actually explore."
		G. Allen Johnson San Francisco Chronicle	"Children will love it, and hopefully its message of loyalty, family bonds, working together and appreciating those who are different from yourself will sink in."
		Jesse Hassenger Paste Magazine	"It spits out the same lifeless talking-animal dross, while demanding further victims to fuel the creation of sequels, prequels, and, presumably, eventually higher-tech remakes of high-tech remakes"
		Andrew Parker The Gate	"While there are some disappointing elements to 'Mufasa: The Lion King', the end results are preferable to the regurgitation Favreau provided with his remake."
		Kevin Maher The Times	"Disney has gone back to the drawing board with this dazzling animated musical, a film that matches photorealistic spectacle with hummable earworms and, mostly, a genuinely mythic sense of story. (...) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Witney Seibold SlashFilm	"Seeing how Mufasa grew up is little more than pop filler. It's a Silmarillion for Disney Adults. It's ultimately kind of useless. (...) Rating: 5½ (out of 10)"
		Matt Singer Screen Crush	"It is just another cog in the Disney live-action (or “live-action”) remake machine, and not particularly engaging one at that (...) Rating: 4 (out of 10)"
		Dan Jolin Empire	"Barry Jenkins’ verve only faintly shines through in an origin story that is mildly, not wildly, entertaining. (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Rodrigo Perez The Playlist	"[It] could have been a very great and worthy ‘Lion King’ successor, but thanks to the perceived requirements of what this franchise demands, it’s only just a good one, which is a shame, given its regal potential.
		Meredith G. White Arizona Republic	"'Mufasa: The Lion King' offers audiences a look into how Mufasa became king of the Pride Lands, which is conceptually interesting, but ultimately unnecessary."
		Petrana Radulovic Polygon	"'Mufasa' would’ve been a banger DTV prequel, but on the big screen, it’s a dud (...) Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins takes over the franchise for a prequel that feels small and stiff"
		Pete Hammond Deadline	"Jenkins is not trying to replicate the legendary versions of this world that dazzled moviegoers (...) Rather he’s steering it into a nonstop action adventure that barely slows down to breathe"
		Kelechi Ehenulo Total Film	"It's no Hakuna Matata, that's for sure (...) Thankfully there are some stellar vocal performances and VFX – but it could have been so much better (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Rachel Labonte Screen Rant	"At times, the movie is eager to do too much, but when it hones in on its central character, it becomes something special in its own right. (...) Rating: 7 (out of 10)"

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