Movie · 2024 · Adventure, Family, Animation · 1h 58m · PG · English
Curator score: 1.7/10 (517.8K ratings)
The story of an orphan who would be king.
Overview
Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.7/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 2.92/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Metacritic: 56
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Barry Jenkins
Production
Walt Disney Pictures
Cast
Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Blue Ivy Carter, John Kani, Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A visually polished, emotionally earnest prequel that expands the mythology with strong voice work and a more serious tone than the average Disney legacy sequel. It has moments of grandeur and sincerity, but the story is overstuffed, the dramatic beats are predictable, and it often feels like it is explaining rather than discovering its own legend.
Best for
fans of Disney animal adventures
viewers who want family-friendly spectacle
audiences curious about Barry Jenkins working in studio animation
people who enjoy origin stories and mythic backstory
Skip if
you want something as fresh as the best Disney animation
you are tired of franchise prequels and lore expansion
you prefer tightly focused storytelling over broad mythmaking
you dislike photorealistic animation with limited expressiveness
Overview
Mufasa: The Lion King is most interesting as a collision of sensibilities: a prestige filmmaker working inside a corporate origin story. That tension gives the film a little more emotional weight and visual care than expected, especially in quieter passages about belonging, inheritance, and the making of a ruler.
Worth noting
Still, the movie is burdened by the need to connect every dot in a familiar mythology. The plot moves in obvious beats, the supporting characters are more functional than memorable, and the emotional turns rarely surprise. It wants to feel epic, but too much of that epicness is preordained.
Bottom line
If you are here for sweeping family entertainment, handsome animation, and a more serious take on the Lion King universe, it delivers enough to justify a watch. If you are hoping for a genuinely revelatory prequel, it lands closer to competent than essential.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Amanda the Jedi (1★) · 7681 likes
Having Scar betray Mufasa because of a girl is... a choice.
timtamtitus (3★) · 7621 likes
these african lions sound so british they finna start drinkin a cuppa tea on chewsdays innit
marietta (2.5★) · 6948 likes
mufasa’s mom and girlfriend look identical, bro needs therapy
Blitric (0.5★) · 6166 likes
I want live action Timon and Pumba fried to death immediately.
Jake (2★) · 5424 likes
i got confused because of too many lions. but then the white lions were there and i knew who the bad guys were. seth rogen.