Director: Barry Jenkins

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone

Synopsis:

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel that focuses on the rise of Mufasa, one of the greatest leaders of the Pride Lands. The story is told through the eyes of fan-favorites Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki. It also reveals the origin story of Mufasa and his brother Taka, who later becomes known as the villain Scar1. The film introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub who meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline.

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“Mufasa: The Lion King” has one very important thing going for it: an original story. That may seem like faint praise or at least a very, very low bar in the grand scheme of things. But in a landscape where Disney continues to remake its animated catalogue in slightly different, and usually less interesting, forms whether “live action” or “photorealistic” that usually only serves to remind how good the 2D animation was, originality is not to be undervalued.

And this story isn’t simply checking off fan service boxes and overexplaining origins that never needed them: It’s actually good. A prequel to “The Lion King,” opening in theaters Thursday, it’s a tale of found family, betrayal and destiny, one that begins to explain the estrangement between brothers Scar and Mufasa that we all know will end in murder, how Mufasa ( Aaron Pierre ) ends up as king of the pride lands and, perhaps most importantly, why only one has an English accent.

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