The live-action version of Lion King was a hit. With $1.6 billion in worldwide box office revenue, the film has entered the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time, in seventh place last. Avengers : Endgame (2019), Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Avengers : Infinity War (2018) et Jurassic World (2015). A success which pushed Disney to imagine a second part: Mufasa : The Roi Lion. The film, directed by Barry Jenkins, is not not a sequel, but a prequel about Simba’s father, who is not Scar’s brother, contrary to what one might have believed.
While the release of Mufasa : The Roi Lion is planned Wednesday December 18 in France – and Friday December 20 in the United States -, the film in which Beyoncé lends (again) her voice to Nala, while her daughter Blue Ivy Carter tries her hand at dubbing in the role of Kiara, was presented in preview, Monday December 9, in the United States. And the first spectators were won over, particularly by the visual effects and the songs.
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“The perfect prequel“: the first feedback on Mufasa : The Roi Lion
Dana Abercrombie, journalist for The Coalitionremained “speechless“. “It’s a story worth telling and which makes you think about what destiny is. Expertly written and directed, it adds a new dimension to the franchise, including exploring a little more about the characters we love and thought we knew. The visual effects are stunning“, she commented on X. “It’s the perfect prequel“, added Jazz Tangcay, journalist of Variety. “So beautifully designed. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs and Nicholas Britell’s music are absolutely divine and sound very pleasant to our ears. Pure happiness.“
Same feeling for Chris Killian, journalist from ComicBook.com: “I admit the Lion King prequel isn’t a movie I was asking for, but the animation is incredible, Lin-Manuel Mirando’s songs are infectious and the vocal performances make this Mufasa better than the 2019 version of The Lion King“. For Dempsey Pillot, Cinefiedthe film is “really good“. “But that’s normal from Barry Jenkins, right? A biblical exploration of destiny, brilliantly disguised as an origin story about Mufasa and Star. Entertaining, visually stunning, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music did not disappoint me!“
Only film critic Michael J. Lee was not won over. Despite “stunning visuals and cinematography“, he did not appreciate the “mediocre songs that don’t advance a very contrived story“. You will have to wait until Wednesday, December 18 to form an opinion!
