Taking on an adaptation from Disney’s Lion King, released in 2019 as a photo realistically animated remake, Mufasa is considered both the prequel and the sequel to the original movie. Mufasa was released in December of 2024, highlighting the backstory of Simba’s father, Mufasa.
The young cub finds himself orphaned and alone, until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka. Taka is the heir to the royal bloodline of the local lion pride. The two embark on a thrilling journey, encountering various misfits, searching for their destinies. The film explores the discovery of the Pride Lands and the relationships between Mufasa, Scar, and other key characters including Sarabi, Rafiki, and Zazu.
But what did viewers think about Mufasa after its release in theaters? The reviews are controversial, with varying opinions on the movie. NovaStream Network features a review from children, as this tends to be an audience of interest. The children claim to have really enjoyed the storytelling aspect of the film. They did not realize Mufasa and Scar were not bloodline brothers and they enjoyed watching them grow up together. They said the antagonist, Kiros, had “the best song in the movie.” Seeing the lions in what looked like real life, two children really enjoyed and connected their experience to being at the zoo.
Despite the positive reviews from young children, the New York Post fired shots at the new Mufasa movie calling it a “totally unnecessary, boring sequel.” When discussing the music in the movie and the CGI effects, it was said that, “‘The numbers ‘I Always Wanted a Brother’ and ‘Bye Bye’ are cutesy, watered-down copycats of ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ and ‘Be Prepared.’ And since ‘Mufasa’ is once again animated in that awful photorealistic style, we watch what appear to be actual, expressionless lions awkwardly sing these little ditties.” It is then further mentioned that the scene with Pumba and Timon singing “Hakana Mufasa” is simply cracking jokes at the Broadway show and makes the movie a “bloated two hours.” The Post overall did not feel that people cared to hear the backstory and said it made viewers crave the 2D original movie from 1994.
Despite the difference in views between the NY Post and children, the film tried to draw attention to an older generation that grew up with the original, animated, Lion King, while still producing a new movie for a younger generation to understand the backstory to a recent adaptation. Personally, I found the new Mufasa movie to be incredibly sweet and wholesome. I watched the movie in 3D in theaters and really enjoyed seeing what looked like real life lions up close. The songs were catchy and it was very cool to see how the ending pieced together the pieces from the original Lion King.
Mufasa is now available to watch on Disney Plus, Apple TV, Amazon Video, or Fandango at Home.