By Continuing in the tradition of The Circle of Life; Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” cleverly mixes both sequel and prequel elements to craft a new chapter in the franchise.
The film centers on young cub that is told the story of Mufasa while Simba (Donald Glover) is away. Frightened by a storm; Rafiki (John Kani), along with Pumba (Seth Rogan) and Timon (Billy Eichner), tell the story of how Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), was separated from his parents by a flood and found himself in the company of a pride of lions thanks to a cub named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.).
Mufasa is seen as a stray and is forced to stay with the females of the pride but displays advanced hunting skills and a keen sense of smell which endears him to some and when he defends the mate of the pride’s king from a rival pride attack; Mufasa finds himself gaining favor.
When the rival pride of white lions encroaches on the group, Mufasa and Taka are sent away as Take represents the last of the royal line from his group and his father is eager to see it continue with the looming threat.
As the duo flee from the pride that stalks them across the vast distances; they gain new members of their group such as Rafiki and Sarabi (Tiffani Boone) and her companion Zazu (Preston Nyman).
The group seeks a bountiful area that some think is simply a myth but they press on through all manner of challenges with the deadly threats close behind.
Along the way we are treated to their stories as well as new musical numbers from Lin-Manuel Miranda and some simply amazing CGI effects which had me pausing frequently to remind myself that those were digital creations and not real lions on the screen as the level of detail was amazing and the animators were clearly enjoying bringing the lavish world to life. The cast is great and Rogan and Eichner provide great comic relief along the way.
The film does drag in a few parts and there is some intensity in the conflicts which might be a bit much for some younger viewers, but the film is a charming and enjoyable adventure and a welcome addition to the franchise which provides a welcome touch of Disney family magic for the holiday season.
4 stars out of 5
