Disney’s 2024 movie, Mufasa: The Lion King, is a poor attempt for a cheap money-grab, creating a plot-lacking prequel in which Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical numbers are the only aspect clawing to keep the film’s viewers from leaving theaters.
My first of many issues with the movie is the continuous interruptions of the subplot, featuring Simba’s daughter, Kiara, who is listening to a story—the main plot—from Rafiki. It is apparent that yet again Disney is falling back to older tropes to try to rekindle their more popular times, but since then, the storytelling trope has become overused, causing me to question the importance of the subplot entirely.
But don’t fret, luckily Kiara and Rafiki are joined by Pumba and Timon, two of Disney's most beloved characters. Surely they will be able to bring some life and humor to this lacking movie, right? Wrong. Despite their best attempts, in typical Disney fashion, they ruin the two characters by making them completely insufferable and humorless.
Moving on to the main plot, while nothing was directly wrong, it was lifeless and stale. Instead of making it feel realistic, the life-like animation style took away the expressiveness you could find in the original The Lion King. Additionally, the one-dimensional villain and conflict took it down to a more simplified level, one that did not warrant the nearly two hour runtime.
The film's pacing is also problematic, with important moments seemingly glossed over, causing their impact to shrink. This made major character decisions, such as Scar's choice to betray Mufasa, shocking and inconsistent with the rest of the plot. If the directors had cut back on the nonstop action and spent more time developing the characters, the film would have felt much more balanced and engaging.
What is most disappointing is the wasted potential of Mufasa’s backstory. As such a famous face of Disney, he deserved a compelling origin story that added complexity to his character. Instead, the film offers a rushed and uninspired narrative, leaving audiences to wonder if there was a reason to tell the story in the first place.
Even the musical numbers, while inspired by Miranda’s undeniable talent, fail to match the grandeur of Elton John and Hans Dimmer’s contributions to the original film. Despite some catchy lyrics, it is hard not to see them as another attempt to lengthen the runtime rather than enhance the storytelling.
Ultimately, Mufasa: The Lion King feels like a half-hearted attempt to capitalize on the enduring popularity of its predecessor without offering anything new or meaningful. It is yet another reminder that Disney’s obsession with live-action remakes, prequels and sequels often come at the expense of originality.