Disney / Disney Enterprises
The two brothers by adaptation Taka and Mufasa are at the center of this prequel to “The Lion King” directed by Barry Jenkins.
CINEMA – The Return of the King. Five years ago it came out The Lion King (2019) by Jon Favreau, 3D animated remake of the legendary 1994 cartoon. With a success of more than 1.6 billion dollars at the worldwide box office, the studios Disney released Wednesday December 18 Mufasa: The Lion King a new prequel directed by Barry Jenkins. And we can say that the director, Oscar winner for Moonlight in 2017, was able to impose its unique touch on the story of Mufasa’s ascension to the throne.
This new feature film Disney begins a few years after the birth of Kiara, which ended the previous part. Simba has to go away and entrusts his daughter to Timon, Pumba and Rafiki. The old monkey takes the opportunity to tell the princess the legend of her grandfather Mufasa.
A true initiatory story, Mufasa: The Lion King East, like its predecessor, entirely shot in computer-generated images like the films Avatar or the last trilogy of Planet of the Apes. “But in these films, the actors walk on two legs. Here, our heroes are on four legs, and we had to make special use of motion capture,” specified Barry Jenkins during the broadcast of the first images to which HuffPost attended last November 13.
His work therefore mainly focused on the voices of the characters: “It was almost like directing a radio drama”. As a symbol, the film is also dedicated to the actor James Earl Jones – interpreter of Mufasa in the first two animated films and in The Lion King of 2019 – who died last September.
The challenge of animation in the face of emotion
But the production of this feature film stands out from the wildlife documentary-like photorealism of Jon Favreau’s remake. Barry Jenkins also admitted having brought “ a more understandable emotional language » by focusing above all on the feelings of its characters rather than on the realism of the images. He also confided that it was not easy to convey emotions “to animals in computer-generated images which, by definition, have little facial expression”. To do this, the director worked in particular on the zooms on the eyes of his characters and on well-felt lines.
Disney
Barry Jenkins managed to bring emotion to the faces of the animals in “Mufasa: The Lion King”.
Barry Jenkins also did not forget to target the themes dear to fans of the franchise. This is evidenced by the songs that revolve around the family (I always wanted a brother), love (There is only one king) or even friendship (You need friends).
Fans who will not be at all disoriented. Told in the form of flashbacks, Mufasa’s unique adventure begins with a heartbreaking separation from his parents, partly because of his recklessness, thus recalling the beginning of the Lion King original.
A story of brotherhood and fate
Adrift and totally lost, the young lion is saved by Prince Taka and his mother Eshe. A real brotherhood is then born between the two lion cubs, despite the reluctance of King Obasi towards this newcomer. As they grow up, the destinies of the two brothers oppose each other: Taka prepares to reign with his father while Mufasa perfects his hunting talent. A joint trip will forever transform their relationship.
Disney / DISNEY
Kiros, the King of the wandering lions, is the main antagonist of the film.
During their adventure, the two lions encounter a gallery of characters well known to fans of the lion king, but also new antagonists: the lioness Sarabi, the hornbill Zazu, and the monkey Rafiki, or even the king of the wanderers Kiros. These encounters will be decisive for the characters, punctuating a journey leading them towards maturity and self-knowledge.
A way for Barry Jenkins to reaffirm his allegiance to the original animated film and its sequels. But also to ensure that early spectators, like new audiences, will find (or will find) in his version of Lion Kingthe same message spoken by Jean Reno in the 1994 film “ Don’t forget who you are “.
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