Before the year comes to an end, Disney is releasing a new film – and it’s not just any movie. No, Mufasa is based on one of the biggest Disney hits ever: The Lion King. A new film adaptation of the animated classic from 1994 was released in 2019. Now the next adventure follows.
Mufasa: The Lion King, the full title of the new film, is both a sequel and a prequel – with a clear focus on the past. How did the young, helpless Mufasa become the wise, brave lion king we know from the original? Now we find out his story.
How good is Mufasa: The Lion King? This is what the reviews say about the new Disney film
Opinions on Mufasa: The Lion King vary widely. A look at the two major review aggregators shows a mixed field of reviews – with a positive trend. The film is currently appearing on Metacritic 58 out of 100 points on average. Rotten Tomatoes listed 59 percent positive reviews.
We’ve picked out a few passages to give you a better idea of the film, starting with Kevin Maher’s review for The Times:
Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) really delves deep into a story about orphans, family conflict and the reluctant fight for a throne. It’s often exciting to watch this filmwhich features only anthropomorphic animals and the main characters are rounder than most of their human counterparts in mainstream cinema (yes, that means you, Gladiator II).
Robert Daniels’ criticism also speaks of enthusiasm. He wrote down what he likes about the film for the online magazine IGN:
Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa is a strong, straightforward work that should delight children. The Moonlight director’s involvement in a CGI-heavy Disney prequel left film lovers wringing their hands, but the result speaks for itself: This is simply a beautiful film.
The film critic Matt Zoller Seitz also had a lot to say about Mufasa: The Lion King and notes with Roger Ebert:
These and other aspects make the film vibrate with personalitywhereas in other hands it might have seemed like a routine exercise in intellectual property management. Mufasa never completely frees himself from the constraints placed on him, but these constraints hinder him [den Film] never thinking of moving or being moving. He has a style that is executed with a steady hand.
Alison Foreman from IndieWire, on the other hand, left the film with very mixed feelings, but in the end she admits it has its own charm:
The ending makes our titular hero look so outrageously foolish that you may never see him the same way again. But if you [Jon] If you loved Favreau’s 2019 film (and are still largely untroubled by eye pain), then this deeply flawed expansion is worth a look. Watch it in theaters when the Natural History Museum is closed – or wait until it comes out on Disney+. Mufasa has a hidden charm that can best be described as ‘Jenkins released straight to VHS’.
At our sister site FILMSTARTS, editor-in-chief Christoph Peterson comes to the following conclusion in his detailed review:
The animations – especially in terms of facial expressions and action staging – are still there a clear improvement over the Lion King remake from 2019. The prequel always proves to be a breathtakingly spectacular screen adventure, even if Mufasa and Scar have been such iconic characters since their first cinema appearance that the subsequent narrative of their childhood and youth is actually almost disappointing can.Is Mufasa: The Lion King suitable for the whole family? This is the age rating of the FSK
The FSK age rating reveals that nothing has changed compared to its predecessor. Just like the Disney remake from 2019, Mufasa: The Lion King is here released for ages 6 and up. “Threat” and “stressful scenes” are given as a very brief justification by the FSK.
What does that mean specifically? The film features dramatic (action) scenes in which various characters find their lives in danger, for example because the animals are chasing each other or have to survive against the pitfalls of nature. Mufasa: The Lion King also deals with serious themes such as loss, betrayal and jealousy.
However, it doesn’t get too gloomy. The new film is very much based on the tone of its predecessor and focuses on family and friendship as the central motif. The animals have more human features on their faces and move through digitally created but photorealistically depicted worlds.
Mufasa: The Lion King opens on December 19, 2024 in the cinema.