THE much-anticipated Lion King prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King landed in Australian cinemas over the summer holidays.
Pulling in a whopping $627 million globally at the box office, Mufasa performed better than originally thought and took a steady lead ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Paddington in Peru.
The Lion King franchise has been evolving over the years from the release of the original 1994 classic to the 2019 remake and now the Mufasa spin-off.
With a stellar cast of Donald Glover (Simba), Kelvin Harrison Jr (Taka) and Seth Rogan (Pumbaa) this movie had high expectations heading into the theatres and boy did it live up to it.
Following similar computer-generated imagery (CGI) as the 2019 remake, it was an enjoyable movie.
Every frame was perfected right down to the smallest of details from the lush mane on Mufasa to the ripples in the waterhole.
The idea of all the fine details throughout this movie being made solely from CGI makes for a fantastic viewing.
Following a similar musical theme to the original 1994 movie, it provided the audience with a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.
Having spanned different generations and being a household name, the Lion King soundtrack is unmistakable, with this movie further building on the iconic franchise.
With similar musical styles to both the 1994 and 2019 movies, Mufasa adopted a modern theme while still incorporating the traditional elements that won over audiences three decades ago.
This is seen with the song I Always Wanted a Brother after it gained global attention for its modern spin on a traditional song.
With the wave of positive feedback from the song it is easy to see how Mufasa has climbed to the top of the charts.
When it comes to the story itself, it was one of the best coming-of-age movies, and dives into the background and history that inevitably led to Simba’s story.
This movie answered all the audience’s questions from the previous movies as it follows Mufasa’s journey to king.
Starting off way before the birth of Simba, the movie followed the story of his father, Mufasa, and his journey from lost cub to king of the Pride Lands.
Opening to the goofy antics of sidekicks Timon and Pumbaa, the movie was a story being retold through Rafiki upon request of Simba’s daughter Kiara, who is curious about her grandfather, Mufasa and his brother Scar.
The movie followed Mufasa’s journey as a cub when he was displaced from his parents in a flood which swept him far from his home.
Waking up, Mufasa was heroically pulled from the water by Taka, who would later become his brother known as Scar.
Taka and his pride took Mufasa in as one of their own despite tensions between Mufasa and Taka’s father.
Over the years we watched the two brothers grow up while becoming closer and more adventurous, often taking risks and exploring their newfound freedom as young male lions.
This suddenly changed when a rival pride of lions began hunting down Mufasa and Taka as Mufasa inadvertently killed one of the rival pride’s lions while protecting their mother.
Following their near-death experience, Mufasa and Taka were forced to flee under the command of Taka’s father for their safety.
This led to a wild journey for the brothers as they outpaced the rival pride in search of a new place to call home.
What follows is an exciting journey where familiar characters from the original movie make appearances and complete the story of how they met.
If you loved the original and are looking for a fun-filled heartwarming story with a bit of suspense then this movie is for you.
