Music that is too present and bombastic, unmemorable songs, two scenes that are too strong for the little ones and an excessive duration are The main flaws of the prequel to “The Lion King” that we now see. We can add a semi-confusing fight scene, the lack of grace of the comic characters, the brief shot of a lion walking without moving forward (inexplicable editing oversight), well, enough for now.
The good thing, the commendable thing, is in the advancement of the animation system “photorealistic”some very well-done expressions, the examples of family, moral integrity and leadership, the complexity of feelings of the character who is displaced, and the appeal of a story within the story. In this case, the old monkey, half mystical, tells a puppy about the life of the grandfather who, at a very young age, was orphaned by his father and lost in the world, and thanks to a pious lioness who raised him like a son, he was able to grow strong. , skilled, and intelligent, to the point that the other animals proclaimed him king of them all.
Let’s not say king of the jungle. Here there are mountains, savannas and even the snows of Kilimanjaro, but no jungle. In the end everything closes properly, and awakens in the viewer the desire to see how the story continues, that is, to see, or return to, the original film, “The Lion King” of 1994, which did not have the technical advances of what we see now but It had greater charm – and confessed literary inspiration, through Shakespeare.
A curious detail: the entire voice cast of the English version is made up of people of African descent, except for four white actors, the two who play the ridiculous characters, and those who play the white and evil lion and lioness. The director is Barry Jenkinsauthor of “Moonlight”Oscar winner, and the beautiful and hurt “If Beale Street Could Talk”about a novel by James Baldwin which was edited here as “Blues of Calle Beale”.
Another curiosity: coinciding with the world premiere of “Mufasa”the Disney company launches a global donation campaign under the motto “Protect the pack”with the aim of doubling the number of wild lions in Africa, since today they are almost extinct. The Lion Recovery Fund, part of the Wildlife Conservation Network, is responsible for recovering them. Something similar is developing here with the Iberá jaguars and other animals at risk of disappearance.
“Mufasa. The Lion King” (Mufasa. The Lion King, USA, 2024); Dir.: Barry Jenkins; animation.
