One stormy day, Simba (Donald Glover) left his daughter Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) in the care of Rafiki (John Kani), Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), while he went out to look for Nala (Beyonce Knowles-Carter). To entertain the royal cub, Rafiki told her the story of her late illustrious grandfather Mufasa, and how he rose in rank from a lost stray outcast to being the king of all the animals of the Pridelands.    

Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) got separated from parents as they were taking him to a legendary fertile place beyond the horizon called Milele. He met a young prince of another pride Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who longed for a brother. Even if Taka's father Obasi (Lennie James) did not accept him, his mother Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) treated him as her own. An incursion by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) and his vicious white lions broke their status quo.

This latest film by Walt Disney Pictures is both a sequel and a prequel of the 2-D animated film "The Lion King" (1994). It features the same photorealistic animation technique used in the recent remake of the original classic released in 2019. We will get to see what's up with Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa, as well as learn the back story behind Mufasa, Scar, Sarabi, and Zasu, as told in the point of view of Rafiki, who was featured in both narratives.  

There were common plot points about a young lion cub being separated from his parents and how he met and relied on new friends to survive. However, there were some surprising revelations about how the ill feelings arose between bosom buddies Mufasa and Taka. This film also detailed how Mufasa met Sarabi, how Scar got his scar and his name, and even how the iconic rock formation of Pride Rock came into being. 

Something that made this film very entertaining to watch were the songs. I went in without knowing who wrote them, but the catchiness of songs like "I Always Wanted a Brother," "Bye Bye" and "We Go Together" easily gave away that they were written by none other than Lin Manuel Miranda. Ironically, among these cute bouncy tunes, it was the rather cheesy love duet "Tell Me It's You" that was the only one that entered the Oscar nomination shortlist.

This review was originally published in the author's blog, “Fred Said.”