Mufasa: The Lion King is a 2024 American musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The photorealistically animated film serves as a prequel and sequel to The Lion King (2019), which itself is a remake of the 1994 animated film. Directed by Barry Jenkins from a screenplay written by Jeff Nathanson, the film's cast includes Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and John Kani reprising their roles from the remake; new cast members include Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, and Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut. It features Rafiki recounting to Simba and Nala's cub, Kiara, the history of Mufasa, including how he first met Scar and other allies, his battle against a renegade pride of white lions, and the journey that led him to become King of the Pride Lands.
Development on a prequel to The Lion King was confirmed in September 2020, with Jenkins attached to direct and Nathanson finishing a draft of the script. Pierre and Harrison were announced as the voice cast in August 2021, followed by further casting between September 2022 and April 2024. The film was officially announced when its official title was revealed in September 2022 at the 2022 D23 Expo announcement. Production on the film slowed down in July 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The film is dedicated to James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa in the 1994 film and remake, who died three months before the film's release; as a tribute, his voice is heard briefly during the opening titles.
Mufasa: The Lion King premiered on December 9, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and was distributed in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on December 20. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised the visual effects, vocal performances, and Jenkins' direction but were critical of the screenplay. It grossed $723 million, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2024.
Plot Some time after Simba defeated his usurping uncle Scar and became King of the Pride Lands, he and Nala have a daughter, Kiara, and are expecting another cub. They leave for an oasis for the birth, leaving Timon and Pumbaa to watch over Kiara. Rafiki visits them and recounts the story of Kiara's grandfather Mufasa, with Timon and Pumbaa adding color commentary.
Years before, as a cub, Mufasa lives with his parents, Masego and Afia, in a coastal desert while dreaming of the legendary Milele, a lush oasis. A flash flood rages, seemingly killing the couple, and sweeps Mufasa into a wetland where he meets Taka, a royal cub. After surviving an attack by young crocodiles, Mufasa is accepted by Taka's mother Queen Eshe but tested by King Obasi, who races Taka and Mufasa to decide his fate. Taka deliberately loses so Mufasa can stay.
As time passes, the two brothers grow close, although Obasi prejudices outsiders. During a hunt, Mufasa kills one of two attacking white lions; the survivor warns Kiros, leader of the outcast Outsiders, who seek revenge for Kiros' son Shaju's death. At Eshe and Obasi's urging, Taka and Mufasa flee so the former can continue Obasi's bloodline in a new kingdom elsewhere. King Kiros, along with his sisters Akua and Amara, leads an assault on Obasi's pride; massacring Obasi, Eshe, and their lions.
After escaping the pursuing Outsiders, the pair meet Sarabi, her hornbill scout Zazu, and a young Rafiki. Rafiki, guided by visions of reuniting with a brother, leads them toward Milele. Knowing that Mufasa is still alive, the Outsiders catch up to the group, forcing Sarabi to cause an elephant stampede so they can escape. Taka falls for Sarabi but grows jealous when Mufasa saves her during the stampede. Out of loyalty, Mufasa credits Taka with Sarabi's rescue. As they travel through snowy mountains, Sarabi admits she knows Mufasa saved her, and the two fall in love. Feeling betrayed, Taka allies with Kiros, secretly leaving a trail for the Outsiders to follow his group.
At Milele, Rafiki identifies Mufasa as his "brother" from the vision. The Outsiders arrive to attack, and Mufasa discovers Taka's betrayal while battling Kiros. Trapped in a cave, Mufasa is nearly killed by Kiros until, upon realizing what he has done, a remorseful Taka intervenes. Kiros slashes across Taka's eye, leaving a scar. As the animals of Milele are rallied to battle the Outsiders by Mufasa, an earthquake strikes that kills most of the Outsiders, while Kiros drags Mufasa into an underwater cavern. A rockfall allows Mufasa (remembering Eshe's earlier advice) to defeat Kiros, and Taka saves Mufasa from drowning, fighting off the urge to drown him. Sarabi retrieves Mufasa from the cave but is aghast at Taka's actions.
Mufasa becomes King of Milele and reunites with a surviving Afia, learning Masego has died in the flood. Taka apologizes to Mufasa, and his brother forgives him and allows him to stay but vows to never speak Taka's name again for his betrayal, prompting Taka to adopt the name "Scar" so he will never forget what he's done. Mufasa ascends the newly created and named Pride Rock and roars over his kingdom.
In the present, Kiara roars into the sky as Mufasa's spirit watches. Kiara reunites with Simba and Nala and meets her newborn brother, offering to tell him their grandfather's story.
Voice cast
Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, an orphaned lion who grows up to become the future king of the Pride Lands, the father of Simba and the grandfather of Kiara. Braelyn and Brielle Rankins voice Mufasa as a cub. Archived recordings of James Earl Jones as adult Mufasa are used during the opening of the film. Jones died three months before the film's release; it was dedicated to his memory. Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, a young lion prince, the adoptive brother of Mufasa, and the son of Eshe and Obasi. He later becomes known as Scar, as well as the uncle of Simba. Theo Somolu voices Taka as a cub. John Kani as Rafiki, a wise mandrill who serves as the shaman of the Pride Lands, and a close friend of Mufasa's, telling his story to Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa. Kagiso Lediga as young adult Rafiki. Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, a good-humored warthog who befriended Simba when he was a cub and provides color commentary to Rafiki's story. Billy Eichner as Timon, a wise-cracking meerkat who befriended Simba when he was a cub and provides color commentary to Rafiki's story. Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, a lioness who befriends Mufasa, Taka, Rafiki, and Zazu, and grows up to become the queen of the Pride Lands, the mother of Simba and the grandmother of Kiara. Donald Glover as Simba, the current king of the Pride Lands and Mufasa and Sarabi's son. Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, the formidable leader of a pride of white lions known as the Outsiders, who seeks revenge on Mufasa for killing his son Shaju. Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Taka's mother, Mufasa's adoptive mother, and Obasi's mate. Lennie James as Obasi, Taka's father, Mufasa's adoptive father, Eshe's mate, and the leader of his pride in the Valley of the Kings who disapproves of Mufasa at first due to prejudice of outsiders. Anika Noni Rose as Afia, Mufasa's biological mother. Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Simba and Nala's daughter, Mufasa and Sarabi's granddaughter and the cub princess of the Pride Lands. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Simba's mate, the queen of the Pride Lands, and Mufasa and Sarabi's daughter-in-law. Preston Nyman as Zazu, a hornbill, Sarabi's scout and the future majordomo to the King of the Pride Lands. Keith David as Masego, Mufasa's biological father. Joanna Jones as Akua, one of Kiros' sisters. Folake Olowofoyeku as Amara, one of Kiros' sisters. Thuso Mbedu as Junia, a yellow baboon, a friend of Rafiki, and a member of Rafiki's former troop. Sheila Atim as Ajarry, a giraffe, who is the leader of her herd who lived in Milele. Abdul Salis as Chigaru, a member of Obasi's pride who scouts out the Outsiders' location. Derrick L. McMillon as Mosi, a elderly yellow baboon and the member of Rafiki's former troop. Maestro Harrell as Inaki, another elderly yellow baboon and a member of Rafiki's former troop. A.J. Beckles as Azibo, a white lion and member of the Outsiders who is eaten by lionesses for failing to save Kiros's son Shaju due to his injury. Dominique Jennings as Sarafina, a friend of Sarabi who grows up to be Nala's mother. David S. Lee as Mobo, the Cape buffalo, who helped by Mufasa stands the Outsiders in Milele. Gary A. Hecker as lion vocal effects In addition, Sylvia Tirix as Zala, another elderly yellow baboon and a member of Rafiki's former troop.
Production Development In September 2020, it was announced that a follow-up film to the live-action-styled CGI photorealistic 2019 remake of The Lion King (1994) was in development, directed by Barry Jenkins. It is his fourth feature directorial role and first in blockbuster filmmaking. Reports indicated a story centered on Mufasa during his formative years, with additional scenes focusing on the events after the first film, comparing the structure to that of The Godfather Part II (1974). By this point, Jeff Nathanson, the previous installment's screenwriter, had completed a draft of the script. The film was officially announced, with the title of Mufasa: The Lion King at the 2022 D23 Expo.
On December 13, 2023, the Hollywood Handle reported that the plot would involve Rafiki telling the story of Mufasa to his granddaughter, Kiara, marking the character's first on-screen appearance in an animated feature film since The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), the direct-to-video sequel to the original animated film. Regarding any adaptation from Simba's Pride, Jenkins stated that "some stuff" from the canon was very much alluded and referenced, but it would not an adaptation.
Casting In August 2021, Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. were cast as the voices of young Mufasa and Scar, respectively. During an interview with Fandango in April 2023 about his film Chevalier (2022), Harrison confirmed that the film would explore Scar's backstory, portraying him in a "hilarious and very, very spicy" way and expressing interest in how the young and sweet Scar's relationship with his brother Mufasa evolves throughout the film. Speaking with ComicBook.com in August 2024, Pierre described how his role as Terry Richmond and his work with Jeremy Saulnier in Rebel Ridge (2024) offered him, like most of his projects, the opportunity to internalize lessons from the work and characters so as to move forward with his role as Mufasa, saying that previous life experiences inform his future ones. By September 2022, it was revealed that Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani would reprise their roles as Pumbaa, Timon, and Rafiki, respectively.
In April 2024, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Donald Glover were confirmed to reprise their roles, with Blue Ivy Carter (in her feature film debut), Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nyman, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, and Dominique Jennings announced as new additions to the cast. Jenkins considered casting Blue Ivy as Kiara since he heard the audiobook version she did for his friend Matthew A. Cherry's Hair Love (2019) short film, but had reservations on whether she and her mother would want to act opposite each other, fearing it may hit "too close to home". However, both Blue Ivy and Beyoncé were enthusiastic when he proposed the idea to them. Coupled with Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, during which Blue Ivy danced to one of The Lion King: The Gift (2019) album's songs, Jenkins said there was synergy between mother and daughter with the film showcasing a type of "time capsule".
Visual effects