Mufasa: The Lion King Review: Royalty Without A Roar

mufasa-the-lion-king-movie-review-royalty-without-a-roar

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Cast/ Actors: Shah Rukh Khan as mufasa, Aryan Khan as simba, AbRam Khan as young mufasa, Shreyas Talpade as timon, Sanjay Mishra as pumbaa, Makarand Deshpande as rafiki, Meiyang Chang as taka

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Director: Barry Jenkins

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Release Date: December 20, 2024

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Available On: Theatrical Release and (likely to be released on Disney+ Hotstar)

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Released/ Available In Languages: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, English

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Runtime: 120 Minutes

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Critic Review:

We were charmed in 1994.

By the story of Simba the lion cub, son of Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands. Scar, the evil force, had provided dramatic confrontation.

The freshness of the animated number Circle of Life and the energetic camaraderie of Hakuna Matata have remained on the charts since then.

Director Barry Jenkins’ prequel therefore comes with high expectations of a heartwarming, musical entertainer.

The screenplay by Jeff Nathanson gives a backstory to Mufasa who died early in the 1994 blockbuster. Who was Simba’s dad?

When the narration takes off with a variety of animals romping around, it is a visual delight, especially for the incredibly young. Rafiki (voiced by Makarand Deshpande), Pumbaa the warhog (Sanjay Mishra) and Timon the meerkat (Shreyas Talpade) have to babysit Simba’s daughter Kiara. What better way to keep a kid entertained than by telling her a story about her grandfather?

Rafiki spins a long yarn about Mufasa with Pumbaa and Timon horsing around.

Mufasa was orphaned and lost after a devastating flood. Your heart goes out to him just as it did to Simba 30 years ago when he lost his dad in a fierce stampede.

And then Nathanson himself gets lost in a plot that pretty much has nothing daisy-fresh to say.

In the Hindi version, the standout features are the voices.

Shah Rukh Khan’s deep and familiar tone gives Mufasa the kingly touch, AbRam’s tender voice perfect for the earlier years. Aryan Khan colours Simba with the youthfulness of a frolicking cub while Sanjay Mishra, Shreyas Talpade and Makarand Deshpande pour mirth into their voices. Meiyang Chang voices Taka, the young lion who gives Mufasa a home and a family by welcoming him like a brother.

But alas.

There are major fault lines.

One, small kids cheering the lively animation wouldn’t understand what’s going on. Taka’s arrogant dad makes a fuss over allowing commoners and ‘ghuspitya’ into their entitled royal space. But the narration ultimately goes on to crown Mufasa as the deserving blue-blooded heir of his clan.

Two, Mufasa losing his dad, wandering on his own and slowly finding friends is a repetition of what Simba went through. Where’s the newness?

Three, Mufasa’s story being interrupted at regular intervals with the clowning around of the Rafiki-Pumbaa-Timon trio is annoying without adding much to what was said about them in the introduction.

Four, what happened to the music in a musical entertainer? Not a single tune worthy of being bracketed with Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata.

But the animation is Disney-perfect.

A thought that surfaces during and after the film: did Mufasa require a back story that doesn’t add significant value to a three-decade-old household name? It is in fact Scar the antagonist of 1994 who comes off with the better backstory.

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie – Watch or Not?: If you were captivated by The Lion King, be prepared to be underwhelmed.

Mufasa: The Lion King Review Score Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (i.e. 2.5/5)

Mufasa: The Lion King Movie Official Trailer: