Disney’s Mufasa - the lion king

[Figments Friend]

I thought the framing device of Rafki telling the story of Mufasa to Kiara worked to kick off the movie.
However, once we flash back to the past, we should have remained in the past until the end of the movie.
The constant interruptions to the story so that Timon and Pumbaa could interject with painfully unfunny jokes kept taking me out of the movie and hurt the pacing.
The Timon/Pumbaa scenes (which felt like they took up at least 10-15 minutes of the movie) could have been reallocated elsewhere, as there were several rushed plotlines and character beats.

This, 100%.
Probably one of the top issues I had with the film.
Maybe it was felt needed to keep the kids in the audience engaged, but it was annoying after the third time and from then on.
Fully agree with the above.

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[Ghost93]

This, 100%.
Probably one of the top issues I had with the film.
Maybe it was felt needed to keep the kids in the audience engaged, but it was annoying after the third time and from then on.
Fully agree with the above.

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Idk, I think kids that would have still been engaged without Timon and Pumbaa constantly interrupting the story.

And while I did like the inclusion of Kiara (The Lion King II is one of the few direct-to-video sequels that isn't awful), I think she only needed to be in the opening 10 minutes of the movie and the final scene, after Rafiki wraps up the story. She didn't need an entire subplot dedicated to her constantly missing her parents, as it was a total distraction from the Mufasa/Taka story.

It reminds me of how, in the movie Titanic, James Cameron filmed several scenes with Old Rose and Bill Paxton in the present day that revolved around Paxton inquiring about the Heart of the Ocean. There was even an alternate ending filmed that wrapped up the subplot where Rose allows Paxton to hold the diamond before she throws it into the water. Cameron cut most of these scenes because he realized while editing, that once the story flashed back to 1912 , that audiences were invested in Jack and Rose romance and they no longer cared about the present day subplot revolving around the treasure hunt for the Heart of the Ocean. I wish Barry Jenkins had learned a similar lesson.

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

Bad trailers and I think the public doesn't have a huge appetite for more Lion King right now. The last one was pure nostalgia dopamine. Yeah the last one made tons of money but how many people left the theater wanting more?

 

[Ghost93]

Bad trailers and I think the public doesn't have a huge appetite for more Lion King right now. The last one was pure nostalgia dopamine. Yeah the last one made tons of money but how many people left the theater wanting more?

I think the 2019 Lion King tarnished the brand.

The original Lion King is in my top 5 animated movies, but I hated the remake so much that it almost made me question whether the original movie was even that good to begin with. It wasn't until I rewatched the original during the pandemic that my love for the Lion King was restored.

 

[Disstevefan1]

We saw it yesterday. It’s fine except for the “bye bye” song.

We saw it in a 4D theater in IMAX 3D with the moving seats, wind, rain, fog, snow and smell.

It was fun, but I think we will be more selective when picking the 4D with the moving seats it’s a rough ride and you literally get punched in the back here and there, but still fun.

 

[Disney Irish]

Oh My! Disney better get their Critics that they paid for. Right now Mufasa is at 55%, it needs to get to at least 60 to be Fresh.

I never got that about Rotten Tomatoes though, why is 60 Fresh? That is a D -, not exactly a Grade you're putting on the fridge.

Disney doesn't pay for critics, because if they did why would they continue to pay them for reviews over the last 10+ years that aren't A+. Plus audiences don't tend to follow what the critics say these days anyways, as critics look at something different when grading a film than what audiences look for.

Also Disney is going to end up making over $5B globally this year, and is the number 1 studio by a huge margin (next closest is Uni I believe at a little over $2B globally). So I don't think they care all the much if Mufasa isn't graded that well by critics.

 

[DKampy]

People: Super Mario was made for the fans. No one cares what critics think

Same people: Oh no Disney is in trouble… Mufasa is not getting great reviews from critics

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

People: Super Mario was made for the fans. No one cares what critics think

Same people: Oh no Disney is in trouble… Mufasa is not getting great reviews from critics

Not really the same though. Super Mario, while a terribly average film, had people super hyped for it. The hype for this film is not even comparable.

 

[Tha Realest]

People: Super Mario was made for the fans. No one cares what critics think

Same people: Oh no Disney is in trouble… Mufasa is not getting great reviews from critics

Super Mario got a 95% popcorn rating on RT, 59% Rt score, and made $1.36Bn WW. Let’s see if Mufasa clears any of those.

 

[Farerb]

I think the 2019 Lion King tarnished the brand.

The original Lion King is in my top 5 animated movies, but I hated the remake so much that it almost made me question whether the original movie was even that good to begin with. It wasn't until I rewatched the original during the pandemic that my love for the Lion King was restored.

I like the original film, the Rhythm of the Pride Lands album and the Broadway musical. Everything else from this franchise is either mediocre or bad (yes I'm including the cheap dtv sequels too).

 

[Ghost93]

I like the original film, the Rhythm of the Pride Lands album and the Broadway musical. Everything else from this franchise is either mediocre or bad (yes I'm including the cheap dtv sequels too).

I probably agree. I still have yet to see the Broadway show (although I've listened to the cast recording and love it). My ranking of the franchise would be:

1. The Lion King (1994) — 10/10
2. The Lion King II: Simba's Pride — 6/10 — one of the better DTV sequels, but still a drastic drop in quality from the original. I still like the songs, including the hilariously over-the-top "DECEPTION! DISGRACE!" number revolving around Kovu's banishment.
3. Mufasa
4. The Lion King 1 and 1/2 — 5/10. It completely craps on the original movie, but is admittedly funny in places. I only saw it one time when it first came out (so about 20 years ago), yet I still remember the tune of the "Dig a Tunnel" song quite well.
5. The Lion King 2019 — 2/10.

Not seen The Lion Guard and it's been so long since I've seen episodes of the Timon and Pumbaa TV show (which, to be fair, came out in the 90s) that I don't feel I have any adequate recollection of its quality.

 

[Disney Irish]

I probably agree. I still have yet to see the Broadway show (although I've listened to the cast recording and love it). My ranking of the franchise would be:

1. The Lion King (1994) — 10/10
2. The Lion King II: Simba's Pride — 6/10 — one of the better DTV sequels, but still a drastic drop in quality from the original. I still like the songs, including the hilariously over-the-top "DECEPTION! DISGRACE!" number revolving around Kovu's banishment.
3. Mufasa
4. The Lion King 1 and 1/2 — 5/10. It completely craps on the original movie, but is admittedly funny in places. I only saw it one time when it first came out (so about 20 years ago), yet I still remember the tune of the "Dig a Tunnel" song quite well.
5. The Lion King 2019 — 2/10.

Not seen The Lion Guard and it's been so long since I've seen episodes of the Timon and Pumbaa TV show (which, to be fair, came out in the 90s) that I don't feel I have any adequate recollection of its quality.

What no love for "Around the World with Timon and Pumbaa", which was a direct to video movie from the Timon and Pumbaa TV Show.

 

[DKampy]

Super Mario got a 95% popcorn rating on RT, 59% Rt score, and made $1.36Bn WW. Let’s see if Mufasa clears any of those.

Not really making any predictions on what Mufasa will do….just pointing out the hypothetical nature of some people regarding critics… which I have seen before even the film is released

 

[Disney Irish]

If Disney was paying for good scores, then Mufasa would have had good scores.

But you point out Mufasa didn't have good scores, which disproves your assumption (which has no proof, see below).

So, you've proved Disney doesn't pay for good reviews.

Your response to that is basically, "Oh, for *this* movie with bad reviews they didn't pay for them!"

Why wouldn't Disney, if they pay for good reviews, haven't already paid for them?

This is classic conspiracy theory. That when shown that ones 'theory' fails the logic test, the conspiracist comes up with an unlikely scenario (without proof) to show that they're assumptions (made without proof) are correct.


The second rebuttal to your mere surmising is this: No proof of any payola. There would be a paper trail of money. There would be disgruntled Disney employees or a reviewer who didn't think they got treated right (or they grew a conscience) who would have spilled the beans and put actual proof out there for all to see.

This falls in the fake moon landing conspiracy realm in which people believes the hundreds, if not thousands (including foreign governments) are all in on the deception with no one ever having blown the whistle.

To believe there is widespread review-buying is to believe also in an even more incredulous situation in which hundreds of people have kept silent on this deception.

You position on review-buying is unfounded, unproven, conspiracy theory. It exists only in your mind.

Not only that but what about other studios? Is Disney the only one paying for reviews in this fantasy scenario? I mean wouldn't reviewers encourage other studios to also pay them in this payola scheme so they can make more money? Or are they just too good to buy reviews? And if its every studio then there would not only be hundreds of Disney employees but hundred of thousands of other studio employees who would have to keep quiet about such a payola scheme.

Its why this whole conspiracy falls apart in about half a second if you really thing about it.

 

[DKampy]

I’m more curious how anyone could hate everything there. Or especially dislike the Disney machine that much and yet still gobble it up. But I know modern internet is about consuming secondary content about primary content. I know I’m guilty for this, I consume much less actual video games than content about video games. How that looks on the streaming front is probably angry YouTubers in this case.

Yes there is endless content online… it is easy to sink into a rabbit hole as once your done viewing one piece of content you are immediately suggested dozens more…. This is just a hunch… but I get the feeling the days of the angry YouTuber has already peaked…. All the constant negativity gets old and those YouTubers are very predictable… constantly repeating the same drivel over and over

 

[DKampy]

LOL, 88% audience score for Mufasa. They still got to get the critics to 60% or above though. Read some of these very detailed gems from the audience section. That really show they've seen the movie, there's no doubt about it.

"It was sooooo good. I cant decide which one I like more."
"Loved the music. Good story line. The grandkids loved it."
"Amazing storyline. JEJ would be proud!!"
"Great movie that tied in perfectly to the original."
"Wonderful, greatest movie!!"
"Absolutely amazing, visually stunning!!!"
"Excellent story, very entertaining!"

That 88% is verified theatrical going audience…. When you include non-verified audience members into the mix it drops to 78%… but keep spinning your conspiracy theories to support your biased narrative

 

[Tha Realest]

The Lion King (2019) made $191M in the US alone its first weekend. Mufasa is going to make around $38M this weekend. It may not crack $191M in its entire domestic run.

 

[Tha Realest]

Barry Jenkins, the director of the film has had a lot of success in "recent" years. You can tell by his résumé why Disney hired him to replace Jon Favreau. All his stuff has a similar theme to it, that Disney likes. He's got a long list of movies and shows where the fictional characters go through struggles. Of course it's not their fault in all the movies and shows though, it's always society. And they are just innocent "victims" that did nothing wrong.

 

[networkpro]

Looks like a battle at the top for imaginary dominance

Domestic 2024 Weekend 51

www.boxofficemojo.com

 

[MisterPenguin]

Why are you guys getting so mad? People are aloud to have differing opinions on things.

Your posts make it clear that you regard people as having an opinion different from yours to be defective in some way.

Why are you posting so mad?