
Run time: 119 mins
Moonlight director Barry Jenkins isn’t the first filmmaker that springs to mind when wanting a Lion King prequel made, yet here we are.
This origin story for Mufasa, father of Simba and the character whose death is the inciting incident in the original film, is a visually arresting spectacle. At the heart of the story is the conflicted bond between two brothers. This dynamic is complicated by the fact that the young Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins as a cub; Aaron Pierre as an adult), who was separated by raging flood waters from his parents, and Taka (Theo Somolu as a cub; Kelvin Harrison Jr as an adult), a lion princeling of noble birth, aren’t related by blood. After Taka rescues Mufasa from the jaws of crocodiles, Mufasa is adopted by Taka’s pride and claimed by Taka as a brother.
Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumba (Seth Rogan) are, of course, on hand for some antics, as there’s no way you could really leave these now-iconic comic reliefs on the bench. Freed from the shackles of adhering to the original, this delightful and gorgeous film will captivate all ages.