The photorealistically animated “The Lion King” remake divided audiences in 2019: While some celebrated the film by “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau as a quantum leap in terms of trick technology, it left others completely cold, also because of the lack of facial expressions of the animal characters . The question always lingered: Why should the timeless Disney classic be reissued again – apart from the vile Mammon? But none of this apparently had any influence on the success at the box office: with worldwide box office receipts of more than 1.6 billion dollars, the remake became the highest-grossing animated film of all time – an absolute fabulous record that was only broken this summer by “Everything is Upside Down 2” could be surpassed again.
Five years later the sequel follows “Mufasa: The Lion King” – and at least the two main criticisms of the predecessor can hardly be maintained this time: On the one hand, Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) tells a completely new story in his prequel – and on the other hand, the two- and four-legged protagonists have theirs Facial muscles MUCH better under control this time. In addition, there are always staging ideas that give the action scenes in particular a completely different dynamic: Even without another quantum leap in technology, there are really incredibly spectacular sequences. The only problem is with the story, because the origin story of one of the greatest screen villains of all time lacks a bit of bite.
Kiara listens spellbound as Rafiki tells her the story of her grandfather Mufasa.
Because the royal couple Simba (original voice: Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé) need time for themselves, it falls to the royal security team Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) to take care of their daughter Kiara ( Blue Ivy Carter). The trio soon listens spellbound to the story of Rafiki (John Kani), who remembers out loud how Kiara's grandfather became the king of the animals of the savannah in the first place: While still a puppy, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) is swept away by a spring tide until he is killed Saves Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who is the same age, from approaching crocodiles at the last moment.
The two become best friends, even though Taka's father Obasi (Lennie James) dislikes all outsiders and would therefore like to kill Mufasa. Years later, when a pride of powerful white lions attacks, Mufasa and Taka only manage to escape at the last second. But the revenge-thirsty leader Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) gives chase. On their strenuous journey, Mufasa and Taka meet, among others. on the young lioness Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) with her feathered scout Zazu (Preston Nyman) – and suddenly jealousy threatens to drive a wedge between the brotherly friends…
There's no Lion King without Timon and Pumbaa
A “Lion King” film (almost) without the popular characters from the original? Of course that doesn't work – and so there is the framework story in which Timon and Pumbaa repeatedly interrupt Rafiki's narrative with pointed (meta) comments. It actually has humor and bite, for example when Timon immediately calls for “less childhood trauma, more meerkats” after the first act or is upset about his role as a “sock puppet” in the “Lion King” musical. Especially at the beginning, the fan favorites even steal the show a little from the actual plot: you're almost more waiting to see whether they'll sing the sensational catchy tune “Hakuna Matata”, which is only played briefly, again in its entirety than you are wanting to know how it continues with Mufasa, who is still very young at this point.
But fortunately that changes over the course of the film – and that has a lot to do with the fact that the animation department has made a massive improvement, at least when it comes to facial expressions: This time it's actually much easier to empathize with the photorealistic CGI animals – And the lip synchronization that was sometimes lacking in the predecessor is no longer a problem this time. Added to this is the directing talent of Barry Jenkins, who continually surprises with unexpected shots – including shots that appear as if the fleeing lion cubs were wearing a helmet with a GoPro camera aimed at their faces. “Mufasa: The Lion King” therefore seems less like a nature documentary with voiceovers, but quickly develops into an involving adventure epic full of spectacular set pieces.
There is no “Lion King” film without Timon and Pumbaa, even if the meerkat and the warthog are forced to babysit this time.
Before he grows up to become Scar, possibly the best Disney villain of all time, Taka first saves Mufasa – by ramming his claws into the paws of the lion cub as it struggles helplessly in the water. It is an almost exact reflection of what is probably the most dramatic scene from “The Lion King,” when Scar lets his brother fall to his death with the unbridled tragic force of a Shakespearean royal drama. The path from point A (inseparable childhood friends) to point B (hateful competitors) in “Mufasa: The Lion King” is lined with magnificent panoramas – from the lush steppe to the snow-covered mountain peak – but does not develop any dramatic depth beyond that , as one of the giants of the villains gallery actually deserves: a disappointed teenage crush with a little toxic masculinity instilled by her father – the antagonist cocktail is ready, which rather disenchants Scar than adds any new facets to him.
Of course, a pride of lions is a perfect metaphor for (toxic) masculinity – the males sleep while the females do all the work. At one point, the xenocritical pack king Obasi states without even a shred of insight: “We protect the honor of the pack with our naps.” Before Taka betrays his best friend, this time Kiros plays the role of the villain – terrific in the original -intimidatingly spoken by Mads Mikkelsen (“Indiana Jones 5”). His dramaturgical task is largely limited to driving Mufasa and Taka ahead of him, but at least he has the best of the songs written by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Moana”): “The Eternal Circle” from Elton John's mega-hit soundtrack of the 1994 original revealed to be a mere euphemism so as not to have to talk about robbers and their prey. Not the only approach to counteract certain African-kitsch elements of the original.
Conclusion: The animations – especially in terms of facial expressions and action staging – are a clear improvement compared to the “Lion King” remake from 2019. The prequel always proves to be a breathtakingly spectacular screen adventure, even if Mufasa and Scar have been such iconic characters since their first cinematic appearance that the subsequent narrative of their childhood and youth can only be disappointing.