Writer/director Barry Jenkins has proved himself as a passionate filmmaker through such gorgeous, human dramas as the San Francisco-set love story Medicine for Melancholy, the Best Picture-winning coming-of-age tale Moonlight, and the poignant adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk. So, if anyone could course-correct Disney away from the dead-eyed CGI remake of 2019’s The Lion King, it’d be Jenkins, right?
Mufasa: The Lion King might be the greatest challenge the filmmaker has ever faced. Gone are the gorgeous human faces from which his sophisticated lens captured emotions big and fragile. The dialogue here is not penned by him or translated from a celebrated playwright, but comes from Jeffrey D. Nathanson, whose credits include Speed 2: Cruise Control, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, and the “live-action” Lion King. The vibrant colors and enthralling animation style of the 1994 Disney animated classic have been chucked in favor of a more photorealistic look, draining Jenkins’ previously bold palette. And because this is a prequel, there are requisites of plot and aesthetic that inherently confine the filmmaker’s creativity.
So, has Jenkins overcome all this to make a film worthy of his reputation? No, but he makes a noble effort.
Mufasa: The Lion King is a bunch of origin stories no one asked for.
Credit: Disney
Have you ever wondered how Mufasa met Rafiki? How Zazu’s morning reports came about? Where Rafiki got his signature walking stick or why Pride Rock looks like it does? No. Oh, well, this just got awkward. Yes, the main thrust of Mufasa: The Lion King is the backstory of how Mufasa came to be the King of the Pride Lands. But that doesn’t stop this prequel from ham-fistedly shoving in additional lore to an eye-roll-worthy degree. The same attitude is taken with crudely wedging in popular characters — or at least cute and comedic ones — that have nothing to do with Mufasa’s origins for some easy fan fodder.
As such, Mufasa begins with an adult Simba (Donald Glover) leaving his cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) with babysitters Timon and Pumbaa (Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen), who swiftly cede storytelling duties to Rafiki (John Kani). From there, things get very Princess Bride, in that the story the mystic mandrill tells will be interrupted for Kiara to ask clarifying questions or for Timon and Pumbaa to deliver fart jokes or inexplicable pop culture references, including an allusion to The Lion King on Broadway. (Timon is furious he’s a puppet in it.)
Credit: Disney
Amid these oft-irksome interruptions, the story of a young Mufasa takes shape both slowly and too swiftly. The Shakespearean gravitas of the original Lion King is lost amid the ruthlessly realistic animal faces that look mostly accurate aside from their mouths twisting to deliver lines like “I’ve always wanted a brother!”
The broad strokes of the plot are these: After a flash flood washes Mufasa far away from his homeland, he’s rescued by a young, British-sounding prince/cub named Taka. After a rousing musical number, they decide they will be brothers (no matter what Taka’s royal and xenophobic father says about “strays”). But when a pride of white-furred lions led by the fearsome Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen, because of course Mads Mikkelsen), a now-adolescent Mufasa (Rebel Ridge‘s Aaron Pierre) flees with Taka (Chevalier‘s Kelvin Harrison Jr.) to preserve the royal bloodline, heading for the mythical lands of Milele. Along the way, the pair will meet several familiar Lion King characters, before revealing the most telegraphed plot twist in all Disney history.
Mashable Top Stories
Mufasa: The Lion King brings together an astounding cast and Lin Manuel-Miranda as lyricist.
Credit: Disney
To Jenkins’ credit, his cast is full of phenomenal talent. Pierre won praise earlier this year for his grounded and gritty action-hero turn in the hard-hitting thriller Rebel Ridge. Harrison Jr. has awed in critically heralded dramas like Luce and Waves, Joe Wright’s adaptation of Cyrano, and the achingly underseen but moving biopic Chevalier. Also in the mix voicing lions are Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton (Westworld), BAFTA winner Lennie James (Save Me), Anika Noni Rose (aka the voice of Princess Tiana in The Princess and the Frog), Keith David (Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog), and Folake Olowofoyeku (Bob Hearts Abishola). Plus, from 2019’s The Lion King, Jenkins inherited Glover, Rogen, Eichner, Kani, and Beyoncé as Nala, who shares a brief scene with her real-life daughter Blue Ivy Carter, playing Kiara.
Collectively, this ensemble brings gravitas, emotions, and life into these characters. And new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Moana, Encanto) deliver some welcomed joy amid the grim plotline of conquest, jealousy, and death. However, the songs here don’t compare to Miranda’s best, nor Elton John and Tim Rice’s work in the original Lion King. Instead, much like the Miranda-less Moana 2, they feel like pale imitations of the original.
“I Always Wanted a Brother,” sung as a duet of young Taka and young Mufasa, running about the other species of their terrain, echoes the youthful enthusiasm and naïveté of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” Elsewhere, Mikkelsen delivers surly commitment and snarling cheek with the threatening “Bye Bye,” but can’t compare to Jeremy Irons’ grandiose (and more cleverly written) “Be Prepared,” an all-time best of Disney villain songs. The best of the soundtrack is “Tell Me It’s You,” sung by Aaron Pierre and Tiffany Boone, who voices Sarabi. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” is undoubtedly hard to live up to, but actually hearing the lions at the song’s center sing of their love is undeniably impactful, the hesitancy of their confessions of love playing out in a rushing, winsome song. But there’s one big enemy to creativity that this could-have-been epic collaboration of talents can’t overcome.
Mufasa: The Lion King is dragged down by the “live-action” aesthetic.
Credit: Disney
I can’t get past it, not in 2019 and not now. The decision to make a “live-action” Lion King binds the filmmaker to an animation style that bleeds away so much of the expressiveness that makes this medium a place for the impossible. Imagination is drowned in place of photorealism, which brings nothing interesting or exciting to these films. This pursuit of naturalism robs Jenkins of the freedom to play with color, as he did so memorably and movingly in Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. Here, aside from splotches of occasional flowers, his lions live in a world of neutral colors. And perhaps it’s a world gorgeously rendered, but the constantly moving “camera” won’t allow you to linger on anything.
The shots in Mufasa: The Lion King are short and always moving. Watching the film on 3D IMAX, I realized I couldn’t focus my eyes on anything, not because of the glasses, or some projection issue, but because nothing stayed consistently in frame for more than five or seven seconds. The eyes of the lion, the arc of a distinctive tree, the feathers of a soaring bird. I tried again and again to focus my eyes and take in natural wonders Disney has clearly spent plenty on recreating, but the constant prowling of the camera makes taking in such elements impossible to savor.
Perhaps Jenkins and director of photography James Laxton (Moonlight! If Beale Street Could Talk!) were looking to recreate the sense of a lion on the move, constantly swerving the camera to take things in. Or maybe they were keeping things moving to hide the seams of a world that strives for realism and falls short of the awe evoked by actual nature? Either way, it’s disappointing. Mufasa: The Lion King is not the eyesore of its predecessor. The sparkling clear eyes of cub Kiara alone prove that point. But neither is it the awe-inspiring vision of the 1994 original.
Faced with the fan service expectations demanded of sequels and the soul-crushingly uninspired “live-action” animation style, Jenkins strove to break through with radiant human talent, swelling song numbers, and a physical point-of-view that perhaps allows the audience to feel part of the pride. But his swipes at originality are swallowed by so much IP. In the end, Mufasa: The Lion King is periodically entertaining but falls far short of reaching the heights of the original.
Mufasa: The Lion King opens in theaters Dec.20.
pencinta, slot! Pernah mendengar semboyan “slot gaco” Kalau belum? bersiaplah cinta, konsep jatuh raja slot sama adalah ini. slots sering mesin memberi yang kemenangan Ya mesin-mesin. dibilang, sebagai ini bisa andalannya tuk bawa come back hasil. but gimana
tekniknya, jumpain sih slot gacor benar Tenang yang Bro? beri santai, kita aja di sini Gaming tergacor
waktu sekarang satu-satunya berada hanya di akan Indonesia menyediakan return on Investment tertinggi SEGERA dengan
di {di|hanya di|dengan}:
Informasi mengenai KING SLOT, Segera Daftar Bersama king selot terbaik dan terpercaya no satu di Indonesia. Boleh mendaftar melalui sini king slot serta memberikan hasil kembali yang paling tinggi saat sekarang ini hanyalah KING SLOT atau Raja slot paling gacor, gilak dan gaco saat sekarang di Indonesia melalui program return tinggi di kingselot serta pg king slot
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
situs slot terbaru
situs slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
slot terbaru
slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
sewaapartemen permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sewaapartemen.org
pipapvc permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pipapvc.org
pialaeropa2028 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pialaeropa2028.net
pialadunia2026 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pialadunia2026.asia
bahanbangunan permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bahanbangunan.org
gemini999 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gemini999.org
havana888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama havana888.net
indonesia88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama indonesia88.info
inspirasi permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama inspirasi.info
jokiwin88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jokiwin88.org
oli88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama oli88.org
situs88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situs88.asia
transfermarkt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama transfermarkt88.com
rossi46 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rossi46.com
pecco88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pecco88.com
pecco permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pecco.asia
pangkas permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pangkas.net
facebook88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama facebook88.com
depo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama depo88.asia
bajaringan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bajaringan88.com
baja ringan permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bajaringan.asia
tradingview88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tradingview88.com
trading88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama trading88.org
tokopedia88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tokopedia88.net
kualifikasi permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kualifikasi.net
grosirboneka permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama grosirboneka.net
situsgacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsgacor.news
prediksi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama prediksi88.biz
keramat88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama keramat88.biz
cnn88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cnn88.asia
cnbc88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cnbc88.com
bloomberg88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bloomberg88.com
antibocor88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama antibocor88.com
buku88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama buku88.org
dukun88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dukun88.info
indodax88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama indodax88.net
investing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama investing88.net
makanan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama makanan88.net
pakaian88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pakaian88.com
rambo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rambo88.info
santet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama santet88.net
sekolah88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sekolah88.org
uno88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uno88.info
starlink88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama starlink88.org
solitaire88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama solitaire88.net
roblox88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama roblox88.org
pubg88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pubg88.info
motogp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama motogp88.net
motivasi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama motivasi88.com
mobilelegends88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mobilelegends88.com
ludoking permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ludoking.asia
kucing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kucing88.asia
kucing permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kucing.info
klasmen88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama klasmen88.com
imdb88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama imdb88.net
higgsdomino permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama higgsdomino.biz
gmail88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gmail88.org
gmail88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gmail88.net
chess88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama chess88.info
callofduty88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama callofduty88.com
semen88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama semen88.com
seluler88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama seluler88.com
ram88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ram88.net
pasir88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pasir88.asia
papan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama papan88.info
komputer88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama komputer88.net
kayu88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kayu88.info
kabel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kabel88.net
gaming88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama gaming88.asia
games88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama games88.info
beton88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama beton88.lat
teknis88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama teknis88.com
sarana88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sarana88.info
arena88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama arena88.asia
viral888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama viral888.asia
usdt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama usdt88.net
uang88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uang88.asia
twitter88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama twitter88.asia
tahanlama88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tahanlama88.com
suka88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama suka88.biz
sekali88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sekali88.org
plafonpvc permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama plafonpvc.net
pinjol88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pinjol88.asia
mpox88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mpox88.com
daun88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama daun88.asia
wordpress88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama wordpress88.net
whatsapp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama whatsapp88.net
wechat88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama wechat88.net
telegram88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama telegram88.org
super888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama super888.asia
skype88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama skype88.com
racing88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama racing88.asia
pupuk88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pupuk88.net
petani888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama petani888.org
pabrik88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pabrik88.asia
organik88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama organik88.com
online77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama online77.info
ojek88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ojek88.info
nostalgia88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nostalgia88.com
michat permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama michat.info
