Mufasa: The Lion King is the origin story of Disney’s beloved king that you may not have known you needed.

The new film, directed by acclaimed Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk director Barry Jenkins, takes viewers on the journey of Mufasa’s life as an orphan, long before he had his son Simba, as he followed his path to becoming king of the Pride Lands and honing in on who he was in the very beginning. It showcases that a legacy is not something that is just built overnight.

Adding background to Mufasa’s story

“When we meet him in the 1994 original, he is the king, and he is celebrated,” Aaron Pierre, who voices Mufasa in the latest Disney film, told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “He is championed, treasured, and has an abundance of wisdom. Everything is together, and I think what’s so beautiful about this story is that we get to learn about the journey to that point. He didn’t just wake up one day in the space that he finally landed in. I think for me, even I got a lot of inspiration from that as an adult, knowing that the person at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there, it’s about that journey and going through those challenges and failing forward, finding moments of success, and minding those moments of success.”

For director Jenkins, being tapped to helm a film that had so much at stake was nerve-wracking at first, but ultimately, he learned to do what he does best when it comes to his approach to storytelling.

‘Moonlight’ and ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ parallels

“The script by Jeff Nathanson just had so many themes that I felt were directly related to the themes in my work,” he said. “If I described a movie to you about a young boy who’s sort of caught in this biblical event with water and is separated from his parents and must go on a journey, I could be talking about Moonlight, or I could be talking about Mufasa, so it was directly related.”

Jenkins added, “The other thing was, when Disney approached me about this film, they literally said to me, ‘We want the person who made Moonlight to put their stamp on this film. You don’t have to change yourself to fit into our story format. We want what you do.’ And so, I had the confidence to go through and tell the story with these characters the same way I always do.”

Who Sarabi is to Mufasa

As much as Mufasa is a story about an orphan lion who learns to stand in his light, it is also one about how he meets his queen Sarabi and encourages her to do the same.

“It’s an interesting thing with the two of them that I feel like they’re both searching for home, and they kind of find it in each other in an interesting way,” said Tiffany Boone, who lends her voice to Sarabi. “I think she has a confidence to her, and she’s very forward with him, like, she’s very honest and open, and she’s just like, ‘Hey, I see you.’ You know that person in your life that doesn’t let you hide, and that’s the person you cannot get rid of? You’re like, ‘OK, you’re gonna make me stand in my truth and stand in the fullness of my greatness.’ And that’s the person you need. I think that’s what she shows up for to him. I think that’s really beautiful. It’s a beautiful moment when they realize that about each other.”

Pierre added, “I think Mufasa looks to her and feels as though she has it all figured out when he doesn’t, and I think that’s part of his pull to her as well.”

Taka (aka Scar) and is anyone actually evil?

Mufasa introduces the world to Blue Ivy Carter as the voice of Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara, but it also establishes a new character in the franchise, Taka, who might symbolize that no one is born evil, life’s circumstances often turn them that way.

“I just think there’s a big heart,” said Kelvin Harrison, Jr., the voice of Taka. “I mean, no one is actually evil per se, but usually just angry people that are hurt. There’s a big openness and a love for his brother, a love for his family, and a love for life and excitement. And when it comes crashing down, that can shift a person, now, whether or not they can come back or not is up to them, and a lot of support from a community.”

Mufasa: The Lion King is in theaters this weekend. Check out the full cast interview above.

Mufasa

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