Got a sponsored ticket to go see “Mufasa: The Lion King” which was hitherto released to cinemas on the 20th of December, 2024.

I’ve always loved the Lion King franchise ever since its first version in 1994 as well as its 2019 remake. And with this prequel being a part we didn’t know we needed, I couldn’t be any happier whilst watching.

With screenplay written by Jeff Nathanson, directed by Barry Jenkins and produced by Walt Disney Pictures, this 2024 Hollywood musical family animation drama is a must-watch for families and everyone alike.

Synopsis: (may contain spoilers) 

A background story of the great King Mufasa told to his granddaughter, Princess Kiara (Simba and Nala’s daughter) by the Chief priest/Seer Rafiki himself with an audience of Pumbaa and Timon. This was just so surreal, I could barely contain my childlike excitement, beaming with smiles throughout.

Netflix’s Rebel Ridge star, Aaron Pierre as the voice of Mufasa with Blue Ivy (Beyonce’s daughter) as the voice of Kiara and Beyoncé herself as the voice of Nala was just the icing on the cake for me.

This story of friendship, brotherly bond, loss, grief, pains, love, sacrifice, fear, dreams, destiny, betrayal, desperation and the unquenchable thirst to dominate a territory is as apt to our modern day society as it is in the animal kingdom.

The life lessons here are just too relatable to ignore:

1. People tend to raise other people’s children better than theirs. This is seen in how Obasi relegated young Mufasa to stay in the female quarters while his son Taka stayed with the males. Consequently, Eshe did a great job raising young Mufasa like he was her own, all against the biddings of her husband Obasi. Mufasa ended up learning all the hunting skills of Lionesses as well as harnessing the strength & wisdom for rulership of a Lion-King.

2. Do not continue to stay in a place where you are not needed. Truly, a prophet is not known in his own household. Young Rafiki was banished by his own people simply because he was different. In the end, he found greatness in the eyes of foreigners.

3. The betrayer is often always within. Just as in the Biblical context, Judas Ischariot betrayed Christ with a kiss, so was there a great element of backstabbing in this story. One that felt so real, it was deep.

4. Children are born an empty slate; a tabula rasa and whatever seed is sown in them as infants, most often grows with them. Obasi wasn’t particularly a great influence on his son Taka. He kept feeding him with negativity. Although resistant to his father’s teachings and vile tendencies as a young cub, Taka would later on become exactly like his father.

5. Revenge often doesn’t end well as it spirals into a vicious cycle of endless desires for payback. Taka never really changed. While he appeared remorseful, he only was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back. He became what his father feared Mufasa would be.

Honestly, I can’t express enough how much I loved this movie. All the characters in the first original version blended seamlessly in this prequel. All along, whilst watching, I kept asking myself where the character of SCAR would come into play until it became clearer in the end. Such brilliant storytelling. Superbly written and powerfully executed. 

Observation:
Be that as it may, I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t give us a visual representation of what went down when the HUNTERS invaded King Obasi & Queen Eshe’s Kingdom, forcing young Taka & Mufasa to flee for safety.

I mean that would have formed a climax in the middle of the story and a major action point for the film. Was that part a deleted scene or was it a deliberate act to leave it to viewers’ imaginations or probably didn’t want to make it too graphic for the sake of kids’ viewership 

Conclusion:
Overall, this was breathtaking to watch. With a compelling storyline, the pictures were vivid. The animations were super realistic; almost felt like one was watching real life animals. Such crisp visuals.

The sound effects were incredible. I loved the songs especially “Brothers” and the one sang by Rafiki (something about “if you wanna go quick, go alone but if you wanna go far, you’d need people”).

Now, I simply cannot wait for this to be made available on Disney or other platforms for free with-subscription streaming. I’d happily gladly have a feast with it over and over again. Yes, that’s how much I loved it.