Warning: Spoilers ahead!
If you happen to be alone on a Friday night — contemplating all your life decisions and wishing you were five years old again with no worry in the world other than wanting that one toy you saw in the store the other day — I recommend taking a seat, cozying up with some popcorn, bringing out the tissues, and turning on Mufasa: The Lion King.
A complete tear-jerker and a film that will surely fill you with nostalgia for your childhood, Mufasa: The Lion King does not disappoint. Following the original Lion King cartoon produced in 1994 and the Lion King live-action produced in 2019, this 2024 live-action prequel of the story of Mufasa will leave a lasting impression.
The film begins with Simba, yes Simba, the lion everyone has come to know and love, venturing off to find Nala, his mate. To do this, he must leave their daughter, Kiara, at home under the careful watch of Timon and Pumba. While awaiting his extended return, their good friend Rafiki visits the three and provides a story.
His story follows the life of Mufasa, Simba’s father, whom we learned very little about as children in the original Lion King, where the audience gets some insight into his scarring childhood. Born to his parents, Masego and Afia, the family ventures toward a utopian land called Milele. However, Mufasa quickly separates from his family as a massive flood washes him to an unknown area.
The cinematography of this flood is a masterwork, as it can be compared to the stampede of animals that kill Mufasa in The Lion King (1994). This scene showcases how the director replicated and built upon the original stampede scene to create a sense of fear in the audience in the memory of Mufasa’s imminent death.
Lost in strange waters, Taka is then introduced to the story. Thanks to this new cub and his mother, Queen Eshe, Mufasa’s hide is saved, and Taka and Eshe take him to King Obasi, who is disgusted by the outsider stray. Obasi eventually agrees to let Mufasa stay with the Pride on the condition he is raised with the females as a hunter.
Throughout the years, Taka and Mufasa’s brotherly bond grows. I’m sure everyone can figure out who Taka is, but how do the two cubs go from loving brothers to traitorous enemies?
While Eshe and Mufasa are out on a hunt, they become surrounded by hostile white lions. The two fight them off, and Mufasa kills one of the lions, who incidentally is the prince of a different lion Pride.
This is when the conflict begins. Mufasa and Eshe return to their territory to convey the incident, and Obasi forces Mufasa and Taka to run, as Taka is the blood prince and must survive so that their Pride does not die out. Unfortunately, because no modern Walt Disney film can ever be entirely happy, the King of the rival lions, Kiros, brings his pack to their Pride territory and kills Taka’s family.
Meanwhile, on Mufasa and Taka’s journey to find Milele, a place Mufasa knows they will be safe, they meet lioness Sarabi and her guard Zazu, and then later the beloved Rafiki, as they all travel through hardships to reach their destination.
However, during their adventure, Taka develops a crush on Sarabi and asks for Mufasa’s help to talk to her. In the end, as we all know, love is the one thing that can tear the brothers apart.
It is evident to everyone except Mufasa that he is a much better match for Sarabi than Taka. While trapped in the snowy mountains, Sarabi and Mufasa have a heart-to-heart, and the two share a kiss. Unbeknownst to them, however, Taka watches their entire interaction. Filled with rage, he finds Kiros and his pack and helps them track their Pride to Milele.
Kiros and his pride quickly invade the Oasis, and as Mufasa tries to fight him off, he tells him that Taka betrayed him. Mufasa refuses to let this heartbreaking news stop him, and he unites all of Milele’s animals to fight the white lions. Feeling guilty and with remorse for the traitorous thing he has done, Taka helps Mufasa fight Kiros, earning him the infamous scar across his eye. Mufasa and the other animals successfully fight off Kiros and his Pride, and the animals celebrate their triumph.
However, one last happy surprise occurs before the end of the film. While Rafiki names Mufasa their new King, Mufasa gets a scent from the wind. His mother, Afia, ends up finding Milele, and she and Mufasa share a joyous reunion. Unfortunately, Mufasa’s father, Masego, passes away before reaching the promised land. Taka apologizes for his betrayal and asks Mufasa to refer to him as Scar. The story ends with Mufasa above Pride Rock, roaring, and transfers over to Kiara, standing upon the same rock and roaring, feeling the spirit of her grandfather. Just after that, Mufasa and Nala return, revealing their second cub and Kiara’s new brother, Kion.
Despite being a wholesome and nostalgic film, Mufasa: The Lion King does have its faults. For instance, it was a slight letdown that the brotherly bond that Taka and Mufasa had spent the entire first half of the movie building was torn apart for a girl they’d known for a week. It was too much of an overused conflict. However, the film has superb aspects that cancel out the cons. For example, Screen Rant reports that the animals are “more visually emotive, which may make it easier to emotionally connect with these versions of the iconic characters.”, highlighting the fact that the CGI work on this film, without a doubt, trumps the poor animation on its predecessors. Mufasa: The Lion King deserves 9/10 stars for its in-depth characters, terrific plot, and impressive CGI.
