Asher Luberto
Shakespeare in the park is cool, but what about Shakespeare in the zoo? A mashup from Disney, the original Lion King brought Hamlet to life with animals instead of humans, a novelty that was visually dazzling, emotionally wrought, wildly entertaining and bound to have at least one dismal remake. Luckily, Disney already got that remake out of the way with 2019’s The Lion King, a bland (cat)astrophe that couldn’t hold a light to Disney’s original. Now, four years later, we have a new addition to the litter, one that doesn’t belong in the litter box but in the pantheon of prequels that actually warrant being made. Thank you, Barry Jenkins, for crafting a wonderful film that stands on its own two paws.
It’s not uncommon for an auteur to tackle studio blockbusters — Chloe Zhao with Eternals, Sam Raimi with Spider Man — but rarely does the art-house blockbuster seem to mesh. With the exception of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, there aren’t many instances of an auteur’s personal touch translating to corporate entertainment, the persona stripped away by studios who see risk as a synonym for disaster. This isn’t Moonlight — the director’s Best Picture winner is a more lyrical endeavor — but his knack for character development and the original’s Shakespearean undertones remain majestically on display.
The original told the story of Simba, a cub who goes on the run when someone murders his father for power. For the prequel, his father’s origin story is told. On a stormy night, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) heads out to find his missing wife (Beyoncé), leaving his daughter (Blue Ivy) behind with a wise mandrill and a comedic relief duo. To distract her from bolts of lightning, they tell the story of how Mufasa got taken from his family and how he was saved by the lonely Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the antagonist who eventually becomes known as Scar. As he takes Mufasa under his wing, showing him how to navigate the desert, the brothers’ sense of friendship keeps them together through their various cinematic obstacles. Over a handful of years, some dazzling landscapes and some extremely catchy songs, Mufasa establishes himself as a true heir to the throne while Scar gets caught up with a nasty crowd.
You’ll have to set aside comparisons to The Lion King to fully enjoy this prequel, while it’s entertaining, diverting and transporting, it does lack a certain coherence that made the original a classic. It’s another case of Disney trying to cram in colorful characters to distract you from the fact that this is a very familiar story. Some of the new characters are fun, especially the comedic duo who crack jokes in present day Africa. Their callbacks to James Earl Jones (original voice of Mufasa) are a nice touch.
But as Mufasa charts his Shakespearean course to king, the human elements shadow these distractions like a desert night after a warm summer’s day. The film’s deeper emotions are truly what set this prequel apart from the pack of Disney remakes, which is fitting, because it’s what made The Lion King such a venerable classic. The themes of destiny, fate, family and empathy, the sheer dismay of losing a father, the sheer bliss of finding a friend and the unexplainable feeling of finding your place in life. Jenkins has brought a portion of that back to the screen, which is enough for us to say that The Lion King franchise has finally come full circle.