Mufasa: The Lion King, directed by Barry Jenkins, has grown to be one of the year’s best movies. Using well-known characters like Mufasa and Rafiki to tell a new story was a wonderful idea that I loved. Using such nostalgic characters allowed viewers to feel more inclined to watch the movie, which was a strong move from Jenkins. I loved the movie and it had great CGI, Plot, and a wonderful cast. All of this considered, the film has enough potential to be one of the best movies of 2024.
The plot starts with Rifiki helping Timon and Pumba babysit Kiara (Simba’s daughter). Rafiki begins to talk about Mufasa’s life story from when he was a child to when he traveled to “the land past the light.” The story is based on Mufasa being orphaned and trying to find his way back home. Throughout the film, Timon and Pumbaa interrupt the story adding a layer of humor to the emotional joyride. While they are babysitting, Simba and Nala are going to the mating grounds. We do not see either of them until the movie’s end when they come back with a surprise. Even though it’s a Disney movie and it’s to be expected, I still despise breaking into a musical number every 10 minutes.
The character building is nothing but perfect, especially with Scar. Scar and Mufasa were best friends growing up. The only thing that separated them was status. Scar was a prince and Mufasa was a stray. Unlike Mufasa, Scar’s status got him everything he needed like food, fame and power. Mufasa had to work for everything he needed and that’s what true character development is. The change seen within Mufasa over time is what truly helps the plot flow.
The visuals and CGI (Computer-generated intelligence) should be praised for their detail and immersive quality, showing Disney’s technological advancements. For example, the underwater scene during a flood. The close attention and detail in the water’s movements are super realistic. However some may feel that the realistic animation wanders away from the “Disney style” of the characters, making the storytelling feel less impactful compared to the original hand-drawn version. For instance, when Rifiki has a vision or is mediating the story feels more linear and overall less appealing to children due to the realistic art style. The CGI was great but something that improved upon it was the cinematography. The brilliant usage of low shots captured not only emotion but the setting. The film camera techniques allowed for lifelike animals and immersive landscapes improving upon the seemingly perfect story.
Besides the A-grade CGI, cinematography and plot, the cast doesn’t disappoint. With Blue Ivy Carter as Kira, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogan as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Tiimon, Donald Glover as Simba and Beyoncé as Nala, the cast doesn’t disappoint, and even though Beyoncé fans wanted her to get more screen time. This was a great opportunity for other actors like Blue Ivy Carter who was debuting in the film to show what they got.
All of this creates one of the greatest films of 2024. Not only does the film have wonderful cinematography, Plot, one of the best Disney villains and Cast but some of the best character development I’ve seen in any film. Not only is this nostalgic but just a great movie overall. Even though I hate the constant musical numbers, that’s just what Disney is all about.
“Mufasa:” ★★★★★
