Speak Now Storyteller

Summary: Lost and alone, orphaned cub Mufasa meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destinies.

There might be minor spoilers but mostly because of the story we already know.

Also for some reason lol, people are questioning why characters are British and I’m like, well Scar has always been British. Jeremy Irons, who is British, voiced him in the original animated film. Chiwetel Ejiofor played him in the 2019 film, also British. Mufasa was never British, he just had that regal James Earl Jones voice and he has a kind of a Trans-Atlantic accent. Aaron Pierre is British but is doing an American accent for Mufasa. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is American but is doing a British accent as Taka has an accent, which makes sense that his family and Pride also has British accents.

Come on now people lol. Unless you’re new to this then that’s okay lol.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. There are a lot of characters in the movie but I’m going to only stick to a few. But I do wanna highlight Anika Noni Rose & Keith David as Mufasa’s parents. I liked the scenes with them and I thought it was fun that they got to work together again after The Princess and the Frog. Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara was very good, I was impressed with her. I think she could have a future in voice acting if she desires and continues to work on that craft. Actors from The Lion King (2019) reprised their roles and they were fine. Beyonce has two lines and I actually thought they weren’t good lol but she’s not in it enough for me to include it in the cons. Seth Rogen as Pumbaa & Billy Eichner as Timon return and are in the movie the most alongside John Kani and they’re fine. Huge shoutout to Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, I really liked her. Eshe was a great mother to both Taka and Mufasa, she was kind and gentle but stern when necessary. Thandiwe had great delivery and I love the tone of voice she chose to use. I really enjoyed her.

• Aaron Pierre as Mufasa. Mufasa is an orphaned lion who is separated from his parents after a massive flood sweeps him away. He’s found by Taka and is taken in by his pride, for the most part. He grows up, but because the pride doesn’t trust outsiders, he’s raised by Eshe and the female lions. He learns how to hunt and other important things that lions should learn in general. When the albinos lions come, he leaves the pride with Taka to find their own pride and he basically comes into his own before our very eyes. He makes decisions that clearly show why the other animals would follow him. We see him use the skills he learned from Eshe on their journey and he’s so very smart and brave but also wise beyond his years. Mufasa is a great leading character. He’s loyal, he wants to protect his brother, lift him up as best he can, sometimes even at the detriment to his own wants. I thought Aaron Pierre did a good job taking on the mantle of an iconic character after an iconic actor. He has a powerful voice and I think he does a good job of tackling Mufasa’s somberness when it comes to thinking about his parents, his want to be included and loved by Taka’s pride, his loyalty to Taka and even more as the film progresses with his other feelings. When he needs to be inspiring he does that well, which I didn’t doubt he could. I was also impressed with his singing.
  • Braelyn Rankins as Young Mufasa. I remember being a little surprised at how deep his voice was when I first watched the trailer, not that his voice shouldn’t be deep but hearing it comparison to Taka’s was surprising lol. But I really liked his voice. He’s very calm and regal in his voice. I feel like he’s a great addition to Aaron Pierre and James Earl Jones as Mufasa. I also really liked his singing voice and how it worked alongside Theo. Considering the tragedy he’s experienced, you can feel that in him, his sadness but also excited at having a brother. I think he did great!
• Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka. Taka is a young prince of the pride that takes Mufasa in after Taka finds him adrift in the water. Taka has a lot of energy and loves being with his brother but due to his princely duties and his father’s wishes, he’s often told to stay away from him. As the movie goes on, we see that Taka’s moment of courage will come and that he’s waiting for his destiny but it may not be what he thinks it is. He’s an interesting character, his trajectory being the opposite of Mufasa’s even though they started out either on pretty equal footing or it was skewed a little in his favor being that he’s of royal blood. I really like Kelvin Harrison Jr. I’ve been a fan for a while and I still think it’s hilarious that he’s playing Taka with a British accent while Aaron Pierre is British and is playing Mufasa who has an American accent. I think he does a great job as Taka overall, there are some times where I think his accent is a little silly but it works for the character as Taka is excitable earlier in the movie. As the film goes on, we see him change and Harrison Jr. does a great job with this. His last line in the film was a great read.
  • Theo Somolu as young Taka. This kid was so great lol. I liked his energy and his voice and Taka is so excitable as a cub and Theo really portrays in the earlier sequences. Also the way he tells Mufasa “I always wanted a brother” during a crucial scene, before the song, always makes me smile. His accent may seem a little over the top, and maybe it is, but I think it works for the energetic personality that Taka has, especially compared to Mufasa’s calmer personality.
• John Kani as Rafiki. Kagiso Lediga as young Rafiki. I included both the older and younger actors here because it’s the same character. Rafiki in the present is the shaman of the Pride Lands and a trusted confidant for Simba. He is telling the story of Mufasa to Kiara, Timon and Pumbaa. In the present, he’s wise, calm and regal and he’s an amazing storyteller and is using the story to uplift Kiara while she’s afraid to be without her parents during a storm. John Kani is great, his voice is very soothing. Young Rafiki is the same as his older version just a bit more eccentric. He joins the group after being ousted from the baboons for being weird. He works really well with the group and is already giving important advice to Mufasa which helps him in the end. Kagiso Lediga is very good as young Rafiki, he’s funny and eccentric without it coming off silly.
• Tiffany Boone as Sarabi. She is a lioness who ends up joining Mufasa and Taka after coming across them. She’s separated from her Pride and goes with the boys to hopefully find them. Zazu is her scout and they have nice chemistry when they interact. Sarabi is pretty cool and collected and she’s smart. We see this often. She’s willing to act first and think later and sometimes butts heads with Mufasa because of this fact. I do wish we got to know her a little more but we do see a little change in her by the end too. I really liked Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, she’s confident and soft which I love that balance. I also just really like her voice.
• Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros. He is the leader of a Pride of white lions known as “The Outsiders” and they are seeking revenge. Kiros is huge and intimidating and he has a one track mind, which totally understandable. Mads Mikkelsen is a great actor and he does a great job here. He has fun singing his song and he has some great dialogue pieces when he interacts with the other lions. He’s a scary guy. He’s a great villain. I also want to shout out the ladies who voiced the lions in his Pride because they were amazing.

The Soundtrack & Songs. As I tend to do with a movie musical, I always go to listen to the soundtrack after seeing the movie, to make sure I got all the words and also if I like it outside of the sequence. Sometimes a colorful sequence makes a song better. But overall, the score is good. Nicholas Britell, who has collaborated with Barry Jenkins previously, does the score for the film along with Dave Metzger. It still has those Lion King familiar themes throughout. As for the songs and lyrics, Lin Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Lebo M work together and my favorite song is definitely “I always wanted a brother”, which I knew I was gonna like since I really liked it in the trailer. I think both versions of Mufasa and Taka do great in the song. The energy that Theo Somolu for Taka in the song is so great, he has this great little section where he’s standing up to his dad about Mufasa. Also some of the word play in other songs is really fun, like the first two lines in the “Bye Bye” song. I think everyone performing in the songs do a great job, especially after I found out that this was the first time Tiffany Boone sang for a role. I thought she did very well. I knew Kelvin Harrison Jr. could sing after seeing in Cyrano but it’s fun to hear him singing in a British accent. I didn’t know Aaron Pierre could sing (also singing in an American accent) but you really hear him sing in his duet with Tiffany Boone. I enjoyed the songs but I’m still sad that LMM couldn’t work on the Moana 2 soundtrack, they needed him.

The Circle of Life. I appreciated how the story being told to Kiara was to help reinforce her own story in the present time. I really liked the sequence at the end where it showed the past and the present coming together and connecting through the ancestry of their blood line and the circle of life theme. I thought it was sweet.

Intense. I was lowkey stressed a couple of times watching the movie. First off with the flood that separates Mufasa from his parents, my goodness lol. The elephant stampede was pretty good and whenever the white lions showed up, they were pretty intimidating. I liked that. The action sequences during the climax was so intense because not only do we have physical things going on here, but we have intense emotional stakes going on as well. I thought tension was handled nicely.

Pretty good story. I feel like there was a lot of good ideas in this script. I liked that it was a kind of “road trip” like story where they continue to pick up outcasts and form a little family along the way. I love a found family story. I liked seeing how Mufasa literally just becomes the lion we know he is as the movie goes on, even though he’s trying so hard to balance his loyalty to his brother, wanting to find his family and finding Milele. It was interesting to see Taka grow into who he becomes later, especially with his father’s influence which plays a big role, I kind of wish they included it more though. The antagonists were interesting and I think their motivation was good enough for this story. Especially in nature lol.

STUNNING animation. Just like in the 2019 film, the animation is beautiful and while I do think if it was fully animated, like classic 2D animation or in the 3D animation Disney has been doing, I think it would be better BUT I do think they did a good job this time around with making the animals emote more. I was impressed at how the lions were able to smirk, narrow their eyes as they plotted, or how you could clearly see their anger or how they smiled. I thought cub Taka was such an expressive little lion, oh my god, he was so cute. You could distinguish the fear on their faces, outside of their ears flattening. While it’s not 100% there, I’m sure after some more time, they’ll get it even more, I do think it’s extremely noticeable how much better it is. I also appreciate how all of the lions look different in ways. Mufasa has a richer golden coat compared to Taka’s paler coat. I thought they did a good job with Kiara as well, also so cute, with her fear and her excitement in hearing the story. I think the lions are definitely handled the best. The other animals aren’t as emotive but I think overall, they all LOOK amazing. Plus the movie itself is beautiful.

Cons:

The Script. The problem I have with the story is tied into character development but I wish the script allowed for more time with Taka’s pride and then more time with the characters after. I think the story was rushed. While I love “I Always Wanted a Brother” I wish that we got to see a little bit of Mufasa in the pride as a cub before that song happened. Maybe Taka showing him around and explaining what his destiny is. I know in the song they start out doing this but I feel like it happens so fast in the story. Also, with the song, Mufasa is also saying he always wanted a brother but he never says that until this moment compared to Taka who says it even before the song. Maybe if he’d said something to his parents before they were separated would have helped that. Just a little line I think. I also think showing more of Mufasa’s training with Eshe would have been nice, especially further indicating his separation from Taka. Once they’re out on their own, I would have liked to have seen more of Mufasa and Taka alone OR I would have been fine without it if we got to see more of them in Taka’s pride. I also think with what happens with Taka could have been handled better. If you’re paying attention, then you know what’s going to happen and I think how it happens is fine but I would have liked to have seen more to add to Taka’s decision. Also, Taka brings up his father to Mufasa later and I’m like “no… your father didn’t like him” so I feel like that was either Taka being delusional or they missed that and I don’t think Taka is delusional exactly lol.

Character Development. The movie definitely banks on the fact that we know these characters, at least the ones in the flashback scenes. To reiterate what I said in the script part, I would have liked to have seen more of Taka and Mufasa’s time with the pride to help solidify some choices that characters make later in the film. I would have liked to have seen more interaction between Taka and Sarabi, before the “big” interaction that happens. Or at least that could have been the first official one and then more after that. I feel like Mufasa and Rafiki are two of the past characters we learn the best and while Taka isn’t hard to get a grasp on, I think his development happens quickly. Like, he makes a really big decision over a girl lol, I’m sorry, I feel like that’s so flimsy considering what we’re being told over and over again with his relationship with his brother. I know this kind of thing happens in real life, but I feel like the movie should have handled this better. Also with Sarabi, she’s cool but we don’t really know her as a character. Why does either of them like her outside of the fact that they’re young and she’s a pretty female? I think if we just had more time with them, it would have been better.

Back and forth storytelling/The Pacing. So while I liked hearing Blue Ivy’s Kiara and I wonder if they’ll do a Simba’s Pride so she can reprise her role as young Kiara… I think going back and forth to Mufasa’s story and back to the present where Rafiki is telling the story throws off the pacing of the story. Because we needed more time with Mufasa, Taka & Sarabi where it was needed, we could have easily cut some of the present storyline to devote more time to the flashbacks. Not to mention, there was way too much Timon and Pumbaa for my tastes when I would have liked more with Mufasa.

The Songs/The Sound Mixing. So this is in reference to “Bye Bye” in particular lol. I don’t dislike this song per se but I think it’s the weakest one in the film. When I first heard it, I laughed actually. There are some fun wordplay moments but I think the “bye bye” part just sounds really childish? I did laugh when they called back to it later but I don’t know, it just doesn’t work as well as some of the others. I don’t think all of the songs are as memorable as LMM’s other original work in Disney. I also find sound mixing has been a problem for a while across the board for films in general, but there were a few times where I could not understand the words being said during the songs. The music was too loud compared to the actors’ singing voice. I could not catch every word Kelvin Harrison Jr. had in his song, which is another reason why I listened to the soundtrack. That’s so annoying and I know I’m not going deaf because I literally catch the randomness sounds at work lol. They gotta do something about that. I think Wicked did a great job with the sound mixing so it’s not impossible lol.

Overall, I actually really liked this movie. I was kind of surprised at how much I liked it. These are characters we already know but I think the movie does a pretty good job on telling us who they are before we get to where they are in The Lion King story. The characters are interesting at least. The voice acting is good across the board, the kids actors were all so very good. I was very impressed with Blue Ivy and I do hope she does more voice acting in the future if she wants. I also really like Tiffany Boone’s voice in general lol. I liked most of the songs, with “I Always Wanted a Brother” being a complete earworm lol. The score is also beautiful which it’s The Lion King, it better be. While I really enjoyed the movie, I do think the issues are big ones and if the script got a bit more care, or a couple of more drafts, I think it could have been really good. It would have really helped with the character development. I do think it’s better than the 2019 film which is funny since that’s a remake of the superior animated film. But I really wish we got more character development and that we got less of the present scenes to have more of the flashback scenes to be with Mufasa, Taka & Sarabi in particular more. But I recommend the movie in the end!

Rating: 3.49 out of 5 stars.

Check out my trailer reaction to Mufasa: The Lion King! Also subscribe!