Early reactions for Mufasa: The Lion King roar through social media

The rise of the King of Pride Rock is about to be told in the Lion King prequel Mufasa: The Lion King. The film boasts quite the voice cast, with Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka/Scar, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga as Young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Lennie James as Obasi, Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Keith David as Masego, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Braelyn Rankins as Young Mufasa, Theo Somolu as Young Taka, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala.

The film has been screened and early reactions have been revealed on social media. Dempsey Pillot is praising the job that director Barry Jenkins has accomplished with this special effects spectacle and stated, “Pleased to say #MufasaTheLionKing is really good! But what else would you expect from Barry Jenkins? A biblical exploration of destiny brilliantly disguised as an origin story for Mufasa and Scar. Entertaining, visually stunning, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music did not disappoint!”

Chris Killian admits he was won over by the movie despite initially apprehensive, “I’ll be the first to admit that a Lion King prequel was not something I was asking for, but the animation is incredible, the songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are infectious, and the vocal performances make #Mufasa – dare I say – better than the 2019 version of Lion King. (1/3)”

The Atom Review couldn’t stop saying, “Wow” in their reaction, “#MufasaTheLionKing delivers the emotional origin story of one of cinema’s greatest characters. WOW. The quest for glorious purpose in an adventure of love, duty & honor. WOW. You will laugh, cry & lose yourself in the most visually gorgeous, motion-picture event of the year. WOW.” Their first post read, “LION KING RETURNS WITH GLORY! Cinematic joy & STUNNING visual effects. Amazing music enhances epic imagery. Such thrilling climax that pounds you full of pride. Not just another prequel, it’s one of the BEST Disney movies ever! A fitting end setting up what’s next”

Jared Bush would also exclaim, “Wow” with his impression, “Wow!! @BarryJenkins and @Lin_Manuel blew the roof off at the #Mufasa – The Lion King premiere tonight. Epic, exciting and visually spectacular, I can’t wait to see it again. Beautiful harmonies and counterpoint courtesy of LMM. Cinematography and animation was next level. Congrats!!!”

Michael Lee found the plot to be contrived and the songs subpar, while the movie was surprisingly blood-thirsty, “#MufasaTheLionKing is an unexpected blood-thirsty prequel w/ stunning visuals and cinematography but contains subpar songs that don’t advance a contrived story. It’s fine for those interested learning about Mufasa and Taka’s origins. At least the humor provides laughs and levity.”

And finally, John Nguyen would rave, “#Mufasa is a fantastic prequel that outdoes the first photorealistic The Lion King movie by a mile with an original and engaging story, better facial animation, and fun songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It ties nicely to the previous film’s story and you get to see how it all started.”

Here’s the official synopsis for Mufasa: The Lion King courtesy of Disney: “Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.”