Mufasa: The Lion King it was shown on the big screen to critics ahead of its December 2024 theatrical debut.
Bring back nearly a dozen characters from 2019 The Lion King, Mufasa is meant to offer a unique take on the story before the most famous King of Pride Rock. It highlights Mufasa’s origin story long before Simba was born and his relationship with his brother Taka (who eventually becomes Scar).
After The Lion King Disney brought in nearly $1.7 billion worldwide at the box office, and Disney is hoping to repeat that success with a third billion-dollar outing this calendar year. With so little time until its arrival, fans are anxiously waiting to see how the prequel fares with critics before its public debut.
First reviews for Mufasa: The Lion King
Critics divided the initial reactions to the Disney films Mufasa: The Lion King after its first official screenings.
Coming Soon’s Jonathan Sim saw a lot of improvements from 2019 The Lion King thanks to “deeper expressions and an original story” although he was not impressed with the soundtrack or the feel of the film:
“”MUFASA: THE LION KING” manages to improve on 2019’s “The Lion King” with deeper visuals and an original story, but it doesn’t impress with a new soundtrack or the emotional weight of the story. Breathtaking technology that makes you miss the charm of 2D animation.”
Critics Michael J. Lee praised the film “An Unexpected Bloodthirsty Prequel” with great visuals, but he complained that the songs don’t move the story forward:
“‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is an unexpected bloodthirsty prequel with great visuals and cinematography, but contains inferior songs that do not contribute to the contrived story. It is suitable for those interested in learning about the origin of Mufasa and Taka. At least humor. Provides laughs and lightness.”
“Mufasa: The Lion King is the perfect prequel” According to Variety’s Jazz Tangcay, as the critic particularly praised Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music and score:
“‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is the perfect prequel. So beautifully crafted. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs and score are absolutely divine and music to the ears. Pure joy”
DisInsider editor-in-chief Dempsey Pillot held the film “really good” expect no less from director Barry Jenkins as he teases “biblical study of destiny” in the story:
“I’m pleased to say that ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is really good! But what else would you expect from Barry Jenkins? A biblical exploration of destiny brilliantly disguised as the origin story of Mufasa and Scar. Entertaining, visually stunning and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music did not disappoint!”
Movie “occasionally suffers from prequelitis” as Laughing Place stated, but it’s also true “Enough drama, adventure and laughter” lasts while driving:
“Get ready! Mufasa: The Lion King occasionally suffers from pre-inflammation, but otherwise this movie serves as a pleasantly diverting (if semi-tragic) family meal for the holiday season, with just enough drama, adventure and laughs to fill its slightly overlong runtime.”
The coalition’s Dana Abercrombie remained “speechless” author Mufasanote how it “add more dimension to the characters” who are already so dear:
“Mufasa: The Lion King left me speechless. It’s a story that deserves to be told and makes you question what fate is. Expertly written and crafted, it adds to The Lion King series by adding dimension to our characters. Love and thought we knew the visual effects.”
Although ComicBook’s Chris Killian didn’t Mufasa as “something (he) asked for” he lavished praise on the songs and animations while teasing the original’s better vocal performances:
“I’ll be the first to admit that the ‘Lion King’ prequel wasn’t what I asked for, but the animation is incredible, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs are catchy, and the vocal performances make ‘Mufasa’ – dare I say it – better than the 2019 version of The Lion King.”
Killian went on to credit the cast, noting Aaron Pierre in particular “The Perfect Young Mufasa” while being shocked by her singing skills:
“The entire Cast is fantastic and Aaron Pierre is absolutely perfect as young Mufasa. Didn’t know my dude could sing like that. I also have to mention how much better the animals feel in this movie compared to the 2019 version. A huge improvement.”
Killian’s only criticism was that “Timon & Pumba’s lightness felt a bit annoying” with the story, but despite him, the movie was much better than he expected it to be:
“My one criticism is that the lightheartedness of Timon & Pumbaa felt a little distracting to the overall story (except for one particularly fun episode they share with Scar, which doesn’t spoil it) In the end, Mufasa is a much better prequel than I expected
Is Mufasa Disney’s latest theatrical hit?
Disney is having an impressive year, thank you From the inside out 2 becoming one of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time Deadpool & Wolverine broke countless records and ended up being the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. Disney has high expectations Mufasa to be just as big a hit.
These reviews show that Disney is well on its way to another big hit with some invitations Mufasa a better film than its live-action predecessor. This film can also be the next step in conversion The Lion King into the latest world of cinema to compete with the big guns of Hollywood.
Currently, Disney has no confirmed plans to develop any more live-action The Lion King stories after Mufasa arrives in theaters. However, that could change if it becomes the hit Disney expects.
The original animated film spawned a direct-to-video sequel, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pridein 1998, as well as an interlude in 2004 titled The Lion King 1-1/2. While the details of the new movies are unclear, Disney has no intention of stopping this winning streak on the savannah.
Mufasa: The Lion King opens in theaters on Friday, December 20.
