'Mufasa' review: 'Lion King' prequel beautifully expands world with poignant themes and abundant action

In the beautifully rendered and action-jammed “Mufasa: The Lion King” from Walt Disney Pictures, we learn that the OG Lion King’s back story was more like an I’ve-Got-Your-Back-Story mixed with a Watch-Your-Back-Story. Continuing the Shakespearean themes established in the 1994 original and echoed in the 2019 remake, friendships and families are forged, bonds are strengthened but then broken, lives are forever altered, and the Circle of Life turns out to be a riddled with jagged edges.

As a prequel framed by a sequel, “Mufasa” might have benefited from a little trimming of the 118-minute running time, and at times it’s a bit difficult to distinguish one photoreal computer-generated lion from another, but acclaimed director Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight” fame is a gifted storyteller who comes up with some interesting and at times boldly creative camera angles (a few close-ups are equal parts hilarious and harrowing), and the talented veteran scribe Jeff Nathanson (“Catch Me If You Can,” the 2019 version of “The Lion King”) does fine work in expanding the stories of beloved characters while introducing some new ones as well.

The voice work from the outstanding cast is rich and warm and vibrant, and while the songs from the great Lin-Manuel Miranda (with Lebo M. making valuable contributions) might not make for a generational catalog, they’re still infectious and clever.

The 2019 “Lion King” was an enormous global hit but met with mixed reactions from critics. I loved it and thought it was a worthy companion to the almost universally beloved original animated film from 1994, but others were put off by the blend of animation, photoreal CGI and live-action filmmaking techniques. (One Twitter user reacted to publicity shots of the main characters by saying, “Those are literally just lions.”)

With “Mufasa,” the visuals are screen-popping and glorious and stunning to behold — but yes, you either go with the idea of these realistically rendered lions dialoguing in English and occasionally bursting into Broadway-esque tunes, or you don’t. If it’s not your bag, nothing that happens here is going to change your viewpoint.

Set in the Pride Lands of Tanzania in the aftermath of the events of “The Lion King,” the story kicks off with the cub lion Kiara (adorably voiced by Blue Ivy Carter) left in the care of the wise old mandrill Rafiki (John Kani) and the wisecracking duo of Pumbaa the warthog (Seth Rogen) and Timon the meerkat (Billy Eichner) as a ferocious storm is approaching. (Donald Glover’s Simba and Beyoncé Carter-Knowles’ Nala are otherwise occupied, and we’ll leave the reveal of their whereabouts to be enjoyed by viewers.) Young Kiara is terrified of the storm, and to keep her thoughts elsewhere, Rafiki tells a story, with Pumbaa and Timon providing comic-relief, meta-jokes, e.g., a reference to the “sock puppets” in the theatrical version of the Lion King’s story.

The main story reveals that the regal Mufasa wasn’t born into royal destiny at all and was in fact just a “regular” albeit super-fast and intuitive lion (voiced by Braelyn and Brielle Rankins as a cub) who was separated from his parents during a flash flood (this is the first of many water-based adventure sequences) and nearly died before he was saved by Taka (voiced by Theo Somolu as a cub) who DOES come from an esteemed royal bloodline. (This is our cue for a terrific duet titled, “I Always Wanted a Brother.”)

With Aaron Pierre taking on the voice role of the young lion Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. voicing Taka, the “brothers” are left on their own and are on the run after their pride is attacked by the ferocious and ruthless villain Kiros (Mads Mikkelson) and his snarling marauders. In a number somewhat reminiscent of “King Herod’s Song” from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Kiros mocks the feel-good vibe of “The Lion King” legacy in a song titled “Bye Bye,” crooning, “The Circle of Life is a lie, a pretty way to say, there are predators and prey, that circle of vultures up high, they keep stealing glances, they don’t like your chances, and neither do I.” You know, he’s not all wrong there.

As Mufasa and Taka set out for the legendary and perhaps only mythical land of Milele, they’re joined by a young and preternaturally hopeful mandrill named Rafiki (Kagiso Lediga), a brave lion named Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) who has been separated from her tribe, and Sarabi’s recently appointed guardsman, a hornbill named Zazu (Preston Nyman). The vengeful Kiros and his ferocious pride of hench-lions are tracking them every step of the way, and “Mufasa” becomes the story of a long and dangerous trek, ending with a final set piece where battle lines are drawn, loyalties are tested, betrayals transpire — and Taka is scarred for life, in more ways than one.

Even with that nearly two-hour running time, the story jams in some whiplash plot developments that seem a bit forced in order to fit the known narrative of stories we already know, but this is still a terrific chapter of big-screen entertainment that expands the "Lion King” universe.