Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King is clawing its way onto Disney+ today (March 26th) after a three-month theatrical run. The prequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 The Lion King explores the origins of Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), the noble lion who rose to become King of the Pride Lands. Set before the events of the first Lion King film, it delves into Mufasa’s early life, his climb from orphan origins, and the evolution of his relationships with other key characters such as Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), and particularly his brother Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who would eventually become the wicked lion, Scar. The 2024 Christmas blockbuster opened to a mixed reception, favouring technical wizardry over sentiment, and a soundtrack that had most fans questioning, rather than singing.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda, of Hamilton and In the Heights fame, who was behind said soundtrack, revealed that he used his sons as “beta testers” to see which songs would become earworms. Speaking to Variety before its December release, the acclaimed songwriter said the Mufasa tracklist promised “no skips” akin to the 1993 Tim Rice and Elton John original soundtrack.
The most successful songs, according to Miranda? “‘I Always Wanted a Brother,’” he told the outlet. “‘Bye Bye’ is another bop in the Miranda household,” he added. But despite his predictions, some viewers argued Miranda’s pop-oriented additions didn’t complement the tone of the movie, which is grounded in more dramatic storytelling and hyper-realistic computer graphics. And while Miranda is certainly skilled at navigating a Disney soundtrack (Moana, Encanto), his songs on this occasion lacked the timeless, poignant effect of the original Lion King.
[RELATED: Watch – Mufasa: The Lion King Cast Reflects on Iconic Film’s Legacy in BTS Featurette (Exclusive)]
Tiffany Boone Teases “Lion Queen” Potential
Leaving a greater legacy, however, is Boone for her portrayal of Sarabi. ComicBook recently spoke to the Queen about what it means to be part of a film she grew up with, and the possibility of having her own dedicated sequel.
“It’s surreal, honestly, you know, to have so many young people, and I feel like we get a lot of feedback from adults who are really moved by the film too,” Boone began. “To just have so many people reach out and be touched by the film and be creating their own memories with this one and their own attachment to this version of it. I’m still pinching myself. I’m still saying to that little girl who loved the original, like wow, this is amazing. You’re a part of this. So even just to see people I grew up with take their kids to see it, it’s beautiful. I feel really honored by the whole experience.”
Addressing sequel potential, Boone ruminated on the unanswered questions that could prove a fulfilling story for Sarabi’s own journey to nobility.
“Oh, I mean, of course I would be up for that. Who would say no to that? Yeah, I guess there’s always opportunity to, as we were saying, like The Lion King 1.5. Like the ‘Lion Queen,’ what happens in between when this film ends and when the original starts,” Boone said. “And to see how she becomes a Queen, how these people who all of a sudden are in this new land, how do they adapt to it? And how does she become the wise Queen that she becomes? Because I think we’re still seeing her learn her way in Mufasa. She’s still, like, figuring it out. So get to figure it out some more, I’d like to do that. Why not?” she added.
Mufasa: The Lion King is streaming now on Disney+.
