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Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King is a 2024 American musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The photorealistically animated film serves as both a prequel and sequel to The Lion King (2019), which itself is a remake of the 1994 animated film. Directed by Barry Jenkins from a screenplay written by Jeff Nathanson, the film's cast includes Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and John Kani reprising their roles from the remake; new cast members include Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, and Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut. It features Rafiki recounting to Simba and Nala's cub, Kiara, the history of Mufasa, including how he first met Scar and other allies, his battle against a renegade pride of white lions, and the journey that led him to become King of the Pride Lands.

Plot
Some time after Simba defeated his usurping uncle Scar and became King of the Pride Lands, he and Nala have a daughter, Kiara, and are expecting another cub. They leave for an oasis for the birth, leaving Timon and Pumbaa to watch over Kiara. Rafiki visits them and recounts the story of Kiara's grandfather Mufasa, with Timon and Pumbaa adding color commentary. Years before, as a cub, Mufasa lives with his parents, Masego and Afia, in a coastal desert while dreaming of the legendary Milele, a lush oasis. A flash flood rages, seemingly killing the couple, and sweeps Mufasa into a wetland where he meets Taka, a royal cub. After surviving an attack by young crocodiles, Mufasa is accepted by Taka's mother Queen Eshe but tested by King Obasi, who races Taka and Mufasa to decide his fate. Taka deliberately loses so Mufasa can stay. As time passes, the two brothers grow close, although Obasi prejudices outsiders. During a hunt, Mufasa kills one of two attacking white lions; the survivor warns Kiros, leader of the outcast Outsiders, who seek revenge for Kiros' son Shaju's death. King Kiros, along with his sisters Akua and Amara, leads an assault on Obasi's pride; massacring Obasi, Eshe, and their lions. At Eshe's urging, Mufasa and Taka flee before the Outsiders arrive, jumping from a waterfall to escape their attack. After getting stranded in a jungle, the pair meet Sarabi, her hornbill scout Zazu, and a young Rafiki. Rafiki, guided by visions, leads them toward Milele. The Outsiders catch up to the group, forcing Sarabi to cause an elephant stampede so they can escape. Taka falls for Sarabi but grows jealous when Mufasa saves her during the stampede. Out of loyalty, Mufasa credits Taka with Sarabi's rescue. As they travel through snowy mountains, Sarabi admits she knows Mufasa saved her, and the two fall in love. Envious, Taka allies with Kiros, secretly leading the Outsiders to their group. At Milele, Rafiki identifies Mufasa as his "brother" from the prophecy. The Outsiders arrive to attack, and Mufasa discovers Taka's betrayal while battling Kiros. Trapped in a cave, Mufasa is nearly killed by Kiros until, upon realizing what he has done, a remorseful Taka intervenes. Kiros slashes across Taka's eye, leaving a scar. As the animals of Milele are rallied to battle the Outsiders by Mufasa, Rafiki causes an earthquake that kills most of the Outsiders, while Kiros drags Mufasa into an underwater cavern. A rockfall allows Mufasa (remembering Eshe's earlier advice) to defeat Kiros, and Taka saves Mufasa from drowning, fighting off the urge to drown him. Sarabi witnesses the rescue, sympathizes Taka, reunites with Mufasa, and they all exit the cave together. Mufasa becomes King of Milele and reunites with a surviving Afia, learning Masego has died. Mufasa forgives Taka and allows him to stay but disowns Taka's name for his unintentional betrayal, prompting Taka to adopt the name "Scar". Mufasa ascends the newly created and named Pride Rock and roars over his kingdom. In the present, Kiara roars into the sky as Mufasa's spirit watches. Kiara reunites with Simba and Nala and meets her newborn brother, offering to tell him their grandfather's story. ==Voice cast==
Voice cast
Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, an orphaned lion who grows up to become the future king of the Pride Lands, the father of Simba and the grandfather of Kiara. Pierre voices Mufasa as an adolescent. • Braelyn and Brielle Rankins voice Mufasa as a cub. • Archived recordings of James Earl Jones as adult Mufasa are used during the opening of the film. Jones died three months before the film's release; it was dedicated to his memory. • Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, a young lion prince, the adoptive brother of Mufasa, and the son of Eshe and Obasi. He later becomes known as Scar, as well as the uncle of Simba. Harrison voices Taka as an adolescent. • Theo Somolu voices Taka as a cub. • John Kani as Rafiki, a wise mandrill who serves as the shaman of the Pride Lands, and a close friend of Mufasa's, telling his story to Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa. Kani voices Rafiki as an adult. • Kagiso Lediga as young adult Rafiki. • Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, a good-humored warthog who befriended Simba when he was a cub and provides color commentary to Rafiki's story. • Billy Eichner as Timon, a wise-cracking meerkat who befriended Simba when he was a cub and provides color commentary to Rafiki's story. • Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, a lioness who befriends Mufasa, Taka, Rafiki, and Zazu, and grows up to become the queen of the Pride Lands, the mother of Simba and the grandmother of Kiara. Boone voices Sarabi as an adolescent. • Donald Glover as Simba, the current king of the Pride Lands and Mufasa and Sarabi's son. Glover now voices Simba as a full grown adult. • Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, the formidable leader of a pride of white lions known as the Outsiders, who seeks revenge on Mufasa for killing his son Shaju. • Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Taka's mother, Mufasa's adoptive mother, and Obasi's mate. • Lennie James as Obasi, Taka's father, Mufasa's adoptive father, Eshe's mate, and the leader of his pride in the Valley of the Kings who disapproves of Mufasa at first due to prejudice of outsiders. • Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Mufasa's biological mother. • Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter, Mufasa and Sarabi's granddaughter and the cub princess of the Pride Lands. • Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Simba's mate, the queen of the Pride Lands, and Mufasa and Sarabi's daughter-in-law. Carter now voices Nala as a full-grown adult. • Preston Nyman as Zazu, a hornbill, Sarabi's scout and the future majordomo to the King of the Pride Lands. Nyman voices Zazu as a young adult. • Keith David as Masego, Mufasa's biological father. • Joanna Jones as Akua, one of Kiros' sisters. • Folake Olowofoyeku as Amara, one of Kiros' sisters. • Thuso Mbedu as Junia, a yellow baboon, a friend of Rafiki, and a member of Rafiki's former troop. • Sheila Atim as Ajarry, a giraffe, who is the leader of her herd who lived in Milele. • Abdul Salis as Chigaru, a member of Obasi's pride who scouts out the Outsiders' location. • Derrick L. McMillon as Mosi, a elderly yellow baboon and the member of Rafiki's former troop. • Maestro Harrell as Inaki, another elderly yellow baboon and a member of Rafiki's former troop. • A.J. Beckles as Azibo, a white lion and member of the Outsiders who is eaten by lionesses for failing to save Kiros's son Shaju due to his injury. • Dominique Jennings as Sarafina, a friend of Sarabi who grows up to be Nala's mother. • David S. Lee as Mobo, the Cape buffalo, who helped by Mufasa stands the Outsiders in Milele. • Gary A. Hecker as lion vocal effects In addition, unknown actors voice Zala, another elderly yellow baboon and a member of Rafiki's former troop. ==Production==
Production
Development In September 2020, it was announced that a follow-up film to the live-action-styled CGI photorealistic 2019 remake of The Lion King (1994) was in development, directed by Barry Jenkins. Reports indicated a story centered on Mufasa during his formative years, with additional scenes focusing on the events after the first film, comparing the structure to that of The Godfather Part II (1974). By this point, Jeff Nathanson, the previous installment's screenwriter, had completed a draft of the script. The film was officially announced, with the title of Mufasa: The Lion King at the 2022 D23 Expo. On December 13, 2023, the Hollywood Handle reported that the plot would involve Rafiki telling the story of Mufasa to his granddaughter, Kiara, marking the character's first on-screen appearance in an animated feature film since ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), the direct-to-video sequel to the original animated film. Regarding any adaptation from Simba's Pride'', Jenkins stated that "some stuff" from the canon is very much alluded and referenced, but it is not an adaptation. Casting In August 2021, Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. were cast as the voices of young Mufasa and Scar, respectively. During an interview with Fandango in April 2023 about his film Chevalier (2022), Harrison confirmed that the film would explore Scar's backstory, portraying him in a "hilarious and very, very spicy" way and expressing interest in how the young and sweet Scar's relationship with his brother Mufasa evolves throughout the film. Speaking with ComicBook.com in August 2024, Pierre described how his role as Terry Richmond and his work with Jeremy Saulnier in Rebel Ridge (2024) offered him, like most of his projects, the opportunity to internalize lessons from the work and characters so as to move forward with his role as Mufasa, saying that previous life experiences inform his future ones. By September 2022, it was revealed that Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani would reprise their roles as Pumbaa, Timon, and Rafiki, respectively. In April 2024, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Donald Glover were confirmed to reprise their roles, with Blue Ivy Carter (in her feature film debut), Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, and Dominique Jennings announced as new additions to the cast. Jenkins considered casting Blue Ivy as Kiara since he heard the audiobook version she did for his friend Matthew A. Cherry's Hair Love (2019) short film, but had reservations on whether she and her mother would want to act opposite each other, fearing it may hit "too close to home". However, both Blue Ivy and Beyoncé were enthusiastic when he proposed the idea to them. Coupled with Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, during which Blue Ivy danced to one of The Lion King: The Gift (2019) album's songs, Jenkins said there was synergy between mother and daughter with the film showcasing a type of "time capsule". Visual effects In September 2022, at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, early footage was shown exclusively to attendees for the first time, thus revealing that production was already underway. Moving Picture Company returned to provide the visual effects. In July 2023, production on the film slowed down due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. ==Music==
Music
By June 2022, Nicholas Britell was set to compose the score for the film, having previously collaborated with Jenkins on various projects. Mark Mancina was to co-produce the songs with Miranda, with Lebo M providing additional vocals and performances. Zimmer is additionally credited for the track "And So It's Time". Additionally, four of Britell's themes for the film were included, all of which he composed with Lebo M. ==Marketing==
Marketing
During the 2022 D23 Expo, an exclusive preview for the film was shown to those who attended, which revealed that Mufasa was an orphaned cub. The preview also revealed that Rafiki and Timon would tell stories about Mufasa's past and his way to becoming king. Miranda appeared in person at D23 for the first time with Jenkins to personally present the trailer. The final trailer was unveiled at D23 Brazil on November 8, 2024, alongside a new poster featuring Mufasa, Taka, Rafiki, Zazu, Timon, Pumba, and Kiara. Earlier that day, Tiffany Boone and Kelvin Harrison Jr. appeared on Good Morning America to discuss the film and share a sneak-peek of the trailer. ==Release==
Release
Mufasa: The Lion Kings world premiere took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on December 9, 2024, The film debuted at No. 3 on the UK's Official Film Chart for the week ending February 26. Mufasa: The Lion King later moved one spot to No. 4 on the UK's Official Film Chart for the week ending March 5. The movie climbed from No. 4 to No. 2 on Fandango at Home's digital sales chart for the week ending March 16. The film debuted at No. 1 on both the overall disc sales chart and the Blu-ray Disc sales chart for the week ending April 5, according to data from Circana VideoScan. HD formats accounted for 46% of its total unit sales, with 37% coming from standard Blu-ray and 9% from a 4K Steelbook combo pack. For the week ending April 12, Mufasa: The Lion King continued to top both the overall disc sales chart and the Blu-ray Disc sales chart. Analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs and content providers, reported that Mufasa: The Lion King debuted with 880,000 U.S. households streaming the film within its first five days on Disney+. Hispanic households over-indexed by 25% in viewership. By comparison, the film's Premium Video on Demand (PVOD) release on February 18, across digital retail platforms was rented by 217,000 U.S. households in its first five days. Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on certain U.S. television screens, calculated that Mufasa: The Lion King accumulated a total of 2.730 billion minutes streamed between January and June 2025, ranking as the fifteenth most-streamed film in that period. ==Reception==
Reception
Box office Mufasa: The Lion King grossed $255 million in the United States and Canada, and $468 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $723 million. In the United States and Canada, Mufasa: The Lion King was released alongside Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and was originally projected to gross around $50 million from 4,100 theaters in its opening weekend. It went on to debut to $35.4 million, finishing second behind Sonic the Hedgehog 3. In its second weekend, the film retained second place, grossing $36.8 million. In its third weekend, it replaced Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at first position at the domestic box office, crossing the $150 million mark. In its fifth weekend, the film outperformed newcomers Wolf Man and One of Them Days to finish first at the box office over the four-day MLK weekend. The New York Times attributed the movie's long-term box office success to less competition from other theater releases and the social media popularity of the movie's songs. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film made in its opening weekend. In India, the film has made more than within 2 weeks of its release. Critical response On Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 56% based on 222 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Barry Jenkins' deft hand and Lin-Manuel Miranda's music go some way towards squaring the Circle of Life in Mufasa, but this fitfully soulful story is ill-served by its impersonal, photorealistic animation style." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 85% positive score. The film's screenplay received mixed reviews. Accolades The film was shortlisted in two categories at the 97th Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song for the song "Tell Me It's You". But in both, the film was ultimately not nominated. ==Notes==
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