In 2019, we had the unnecessary live-action/computer-generated version of Disney’s massive hit, The Lion King. A remake that wasn’t asked for. Now we get Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 2019 film that, once again, no one seemed to ask for. Disney isn’t using the title as a cash cow, are they? On board and behind the camera is an Oscar-nominated director who, considering his past movies, is an enormous surprise to be helming something like this. Can a director with such importance add his mark? The answer is absolutely no. This is a film that, no doubt, looks amazing, and we are forced to notice that for the whole running time. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time, money and talent.

As the Lion King, Simba, and his mate, Nala, leave their son in the hands of Timon and Pumbaa, Rafiki tells how the cub’s grandfather, Mufasa, was lost and alone and became adopted and meets Taka. The two young lions become almost like brothers, but when the Pride is attacked, the pair must escape across the country to find sanctuary. One shows his true colours as a leader, while the other starts to turn through jealousy and weakness.

Barry Jenkins is the man who was responsible for Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk, two of the most highly respected films of the past twenty years. So why would a filmmaker trying to find a distinct voice be moved to make an animated feature for a major film company? A question that, after watching the film, you do ask yourself. This isn’t a terrible film; it just leaves you feeling nothing, something that Moonlight could never be accused of.

The animation is spectacular. They captured the plains of Africa in incredible detail, and you wouldn’t expect anything else from Disney. Even the characters look more realistic than in the first film. However, the sweeping camerawork over the vast areas of land is continuous. I mean, they never stop sweeping and slowly moving. It soon becomes apparent that the movement there isn’t a moment throughout the long running time of two hours that it will ever stop. We get close-ups, gentle movement around each character as they speak, another moving longshot of mountains and woodlands, then more slow tracking shots, close-ups. Enough to make you feel motion sickness.

Maybe the movement of the camerawork is there to distract from the fact that the story is so thin. It is predominantly a two-hour chase film, as Mufasa and Taka (who I thought they were calling Tucker and kept getting Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther in my head every time they said it) escaping from the villainous pack following them through rivers, sand dunes and mountain ranges. It never gives you more than that. The odd moment of peril doesn’t connect, considering this is a prequel, and we already know the characters’ fate.

Throw new songs from Lin Manuel Miranda, a composer who has already scored highly with the musical Hamilton, and songs from the original Moana and Encanto that are instant earworms. These sound uninspired this time, and unlike the Elton John/Tim Rice collaboration on The Lion King, these are just bland. It just feels as if Miranda’s heart wasn’t in this project. It also looks creepy when the characters start singing. We can believe that animated creatures like in The Jungle Book or the original Lion King sing. Still, you are watching photo-realistic lions doing musical numbers, which all look wrong.

The voice characters are a mix of old and new, with only Seth Rogan and Billy Eichner returning as Pumbaa and Timon, respectively, and the new character Kiros, the film’s villain, voiced by Mads Mikkelsen, really making a mark. The worst is Preston Nyman voicing Zuzu, trying an inferior copy of John Oliver, who drags a fun character down to just plain annoying.

Mufasa: The Lion King is a lesser imitation of a poor remake of a film that wasn’t one of my favourites in the first place. It looks lovely, but that isn’t enough to keep this above being drab, uninvolving, and a waste of talent that should be focusing on better projects.

2 out of 5

Director: Barry Jenkins

Starring: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Blue Ivy Carter, John Kani, Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter

Written by Jeff Nathanson, (based on the characters) Linda Woolverton, Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts.

Running Time: 120 mins

Cert: PG

Release date: 20th December 2024