The first live action version of “The Lion King,” while poorly made, did make sense, “Mufasa: The Lion King,” however, did not. When “The Lion King” came out, it didn’t need another part nor does it now. 

“Mufasa: The Lion King,” is a frame story of how Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) came to be the king of the Pride Lands. Rafiki (John Kani) tells that story to Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyonce), when a storm brewing outside scares her after her parents leave. 

Compared to the original live action movie, this appears to be much better made. “Mufasa: The Lion King” gives a much better depiction of how lions live, and where, and how they move, along with the rest of the animals presented in this film. 

This movie, while unnecessary, wasn’t bad. The themes within the movie are ones only older people would understand, which isn’t bad. The watchers of this movie, children however, did not need to know the backstory of what happened to Mufasa.

Everyone knows who Mufasa is and how he died. For reference, he’s in the original movie for a short time before he’s pushed off the edge of a cliff by his brother, Scar, which we come to know as Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) in “Mufasa: The Lion King.” 

Spoiler alert: in this movie, we see the motivation for why Scar kills his brother: he was jealous. He was jealous that Mufasa and Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) began a relationship together because he originally liked Sarabi. 

We could’ve taken the money that was made for this movie, $200 million according to The New York Times, and created a new movie franchise. The backstory, while fine, wasn’t needed to complete the story given it had already been completed. 

This movie doesn’t add or take away anything from the original, all you see is the added character motivation. If you enjoy “The Lion King” you will most likely enjoy this movie.