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‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ Review: If Real Beasts Could Talk … Barry Jenkins Pushes Virtual Performances in Impactful Origin Story
With 'Mufasa,' 'Moonlight' director Barry Jenkins' thoughtful and mostly satisfying 'Lion King' prequel reveals hidden depths to familiar characters.
Early in “ The Lion King,” the adorable yet spoiled African prince Simba goes gallivanting around his father Mufasa ’s lands, taunting his future subjects with the song “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” In Broadway terms, it’s a classic “I want” number, telling audiences what’s in the character’s heart at that point in the film, before tragedy, exile, love and responsibility shape this carefree cub into a worthy successor. Presented in a more stylized — but in no way “cartoony” — approach than director Jon Favreau’s 2019 “Lion King” remake, Jenkins’ “Mufasa” deepens our understanding of and appreciation for the noble father figure who once bellowed, “Remember who you are,” in the reassuring baritone of James Earl Jones. Recent Disney films have sought to find alternatives to traditional villains, even doing away with them altogether in “Encanto” and “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Not so “Mufasa,” which follows the lead set by Scar, introducing the vicious Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), head of the pack of outsider “white lions” (read into that what you will) on whom Obasi’s fears were based.
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