Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King tells the story of Mufasa, an orphaned cub who is alone and adrift until he meets Taka, a lion who stands to inherit a royal line. Their meeting sets them and a group of outsiders on a long journey in search of their place in the world, a journey that tests the bond between the two lions as they face a dangerous enemy. The film frames this account as a legend that Rafiki passes on to Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa adding their own commentary.

The film is directed by Barry Jenkins, following Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson. Aaron Pierre voices Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. voices Taka, with Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga as a young Rafiki, Preston Nyman as Zazu and Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara. The production involved 29 credited cast members and 53 credited crew.

Released in December 2024, the film runs 118 minutes and cost about 200 million USD to make, going on to take roughly 723 million USD worldwide. Audience response has been warmer than the critical one: on IMDb it holds 6.6/10 from around 81,000 votes and on TMDB 7.3/10 from 2,775 votes, while the film critics' rating stands at 5.8/10 from 222 reviews.