Prequels, especially of tales that are so well known, are usually quite a strange beast. It is a real challenge to be able to maintain the narrative thrust and tension of a story when you know how it’s all going to end up. But Mufasa: The Lion King does it better than most, resisting the temptation to throw a whole lot of nostalgia at the audience, hoping that it will stick. While Mufasa: The Lion King has some narrative wobbles, it still is an entertaining family flick with stunningly rendered CGI landscapes and characters.  

 

Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe. 

 

It was a great touch to have the most mystical character in The Lion King universe, Rafiki, to tell the origin story of Mufasa. It helps the story to carry an almost mystical weight to it, a tale that maybe slightly embellished along the way, adding to the mythos figure of Mufasa. Narratively, Mufasa takes some interesting turns, expanding the world of The Lion King along the way. At the heart of it all the theme that runs strongly throughout is that of found family and the joy and heartbreak that that can bring. 

 

However, the motivations of the characters, especially Taka (aka Scar), seem to take a bit of a jump with him wanting nothing more than a brother and loving Mufasa, then turning on him with very little reason. 

 

Mufasa: The Lion King is gorgeous to look at. You have to pinch yourself that you’re not actually watching real lions talking or that you're drinking in real footage of stunning African pride lands instead of it being produced by a computer. Sometimes there can be the sense that it's just a little too real; lions are really talking?! 

 

While Mufasa: The Lion King has some narrative wobbles, it still is an entertaining family flick with stunningly rendered CGI landscapes and characters.