Barry Jenkins directs Mufasa: The Lion King as a photorealistic animated prequel and sequel to the 2019 remake, and the result is a film that tries to do two jobs at once. It wants to be a coming-of-age adventure for a young lion named Mufasa, and it wants to set up the conflict between Mufasa and Scar that defines the 1994 original. Neither goal gets the room it needs.
The film runs 118 minutes and stars Aaron Pierre as Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, with Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner returning as Pumbaa and Timon. It is dedicated to James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa in both the 1994 original and the 2019 remake, who died three months before the film’s release.
Trailer, via Disney.
Mufasa’s Early Days
The story opens years before Simba becomes king. Mufasa is a cub living in a coastal desert with his parents, Masego and Afia, while dreaming of the legendary Milele, a lush oasis. A flash flood sweeps through, seeming to kill both parents, and Mufasa is swept into a wetland where he meets Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline.
Taka’s mother, Queen Eshe, accepts Mufasa, but King Obasi tests him by racing Taka and Mufasa to decide his fate. Taka deliberately loses so Mufasa can stay. As the two grow closer, Obasi treats outsiders with prejudice, and the bond between the cubs becomes the film’s emotional center.
The problem is that the film spends too little time on the actual stakes. The race, the prejudice, the bond — none of it gets enough space to land. The audience is told these events matter, but the film moves past them before they can feel like consequences.
The Outsiders Arrive
Years later, Mufasa and Taka face a threat from the Outsiders, a pride of lions led by King Kiros. The Outsiders seek revenge for the death of Kiros’ son Shaju, and they lead an assault on Obasi’s pride, massacring Obasi, Eshe, and their lions.
After escaping the Outsiders, Mufasa, Taka, Sarabi, Zazu, and a young Rafiki meet up. Rafiki guides them toward Milele, driven by visions of reuniting with a brother. Sarabi causes an elephant stampede to escape the pursuing Outsiders, and Taka falls for Sarabi while growing jealous when Mufasa saves her during the stampede.
The jealousy is a promising thread. It gives the film a reason to show friction between the two brothers, and it hints at the rivalry that will define the 1994 story. But the film rushes through it, and the resolution — Mufasa crediting Taka with Sarabi’s rescue — feels like a concession rather than a payoff.
Voices and New Faces
The cast brings real weight to their roles. Pierre plays Mufasa with warmth, and Harrison Jr. plays Taka with a mix of charm and menace that suggests the man Scar will become. Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner return as Pumbaa and Timon, adding color commentary as Rafiki recounts the story to Kiara, Simba and Nala’s daughter.
The new faces round out the world. Kagiso Lediga voices Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman voices Zazu, and Mads Mikkelsen voices Kiros. Thandiwe Newton voices Eshe, Lennie James voices Obasi, and Blue Ivy Carter voices Kiara in her feature film debut.
Jenkins considered casting Blue Ivy as Kiara after hearing her read the audiobook version of Matthew A. Cherry’s Hair Love (2019) short film. He worried that having mother and daughter act opposite each other might hit “too close to home,” but both Beyoncé and Blue Ivy were enthusiastic when he proposed the idea.
Where the Film Falls Short
The biggest issue is pacing. A 118-minute film should have room to breathe, but the story keeps accelerating. The flash flood, the race, the massacre, the stampede — all of these events happen within a compressed stretch of runtime, and none of them get the time they need to land emotionally.
The film also leans heavily on Rafiki recounting the story to Kiara, which removes the immediacy of the events themselves. We see Mufasa’s youth as a memory, not as a lived experience. That framing is a deliberate choice, but it flattens the stakes. The audience watches a story being told, not a story unfolding.
The animation is technically impressive. The animals look lifelike, and the landscapes are rendered with care. But the photorealism can’t fix the underlying problem: the film doesn’t know what story it wants to tell.
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Voice Cast | Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. bring warmth and menace | Too many voices, too little time |
| Story Structure | Tries to be both a prequel and a sequel | Rushes through key events |
| Animation | Lifelike, detailed backgrounds | Can’t fix weak pacing |
| Emotional Core | Bond between Mufasa and Taka | Not developed enough |
What Works
There are moments that work. The bond between Mufasa and Taka is genuinely touching, and Harrison Jr.’s performance sells the mix of sweetness and danger in young Scar. The elephant stampede is a tense sequence, and the film builds real suspense around it.
But the film’s ambitions are larger than its execution can handle. It wants to be a family adventure, a historical epic, and a setup for a future conflict all at once. It can’t hold that weight.
The film leaves the audience waiting for the story it could have been.
- Aaron Pierre gives Mufasa warmth and strength
- Kelvin Harrison Jr. captures the early seeds of Scar’s menace
- Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner add color commentary as usual
- The stampede sequence builds real tension
None of these elements save the film from its structural problems.
Final Word
Mufasa: The Lion King is a competently made film with a strong cast and some genuine emotional moments. But it is also a film that never quite commits to what it wants to be. It rushes through its own story, and it leaves the audience waiting for the film it could have been.
The film earns a score of 5.6 out of 10.
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