With one trailer for the upcoming film Pride Lands already available, Mufasa: The Lion King is making a strong case for a prequel film to both the 1994 animated epic and Jon Favreau’s 2019 computer-generated effort. The new film is off to a great start with Barry Jenkins directing it, and this will result in some stunning new imagery that makes use of the amazing, photo-real technology that Favs and his team built. For Mufasa, the story turns back time to discover the future king during his cub years and how he first met Scar, the lion sibling, in the years before they became rivals. Watch the brand-new teaser that was unveiled during Disney’s massive D23 event:
Two branches make up Mufasa’s narrative: in one, Rafiki (John Kani) explains to Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé), how her grandpa managed to endure a difficult upbringing. Additionally, Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), as required by contract for a Lion King movie, are present to offer color commentary and to question why Rafiki isn’t narrating a tale in which they also have a part.
We first encounter the young Mufasa (voiced by Braelyn Rankins at first, but Aaron Pierre eventually takes over the majority of that work), when the orphaned cub first meets Taka (Theo Somolu at first, and then Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the cub who will eventually go by the name Scar. Here, they are fighting a deadly enemy together with the closeness of brothers.
With the return of several members of the ensemble from the 2019 picture as well as new voices from Thandiwe Newton, Mads Mikkelsen, Anika Noni Rose, and Keith David, Jenkins has put together an impressive ensemble for this one. And this enlarged version of the narrative undoubtedly provides stunning imagery along with a captivating tale of a family reunion. Not to mention Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical genius of Moana, coming back to Disney with some new songs.
Will the box office present it with no problems? We’ll learn on December 20.