• “Mufasa: The Lion King,” directed by Barry Jenkins, hits theaters Friday.
• It is a prequel and sequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 remake of the 1994 animated film The Lion King.
• The film has a 60% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Mufasa: The Lion King is the latest addition to Disney’s growing collection of modern films and is receiving mixed reviews from critics.

The film, which hits theaters this Friday, comes five years after Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King” remake was widely criticized for its eerie, photorealistic animation.

In “Mufasa,” Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk”) tells the origin story of the two lions and adopted brothers Mufasa, Simba’s father; and Taka, who becomes the Lion King villain named Scar. The story revolves around the wise mandrill named Rafiki, who tells the story to Kiara, voiced by Blue Ivy Carter.

Jenkins attempts to infuse the film with his signature style, but the limitations of photorealistic imagery, forgettable original songs, and cheap attempts at nostalgia and laughs hamper the film.

Ultimately, wrote Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent, the film is “another devastating case study in the fragility of the artist’s voice in the modern studio machine.”

At the time of release, “Mufasa” had a 60% critical rating, with some calling it a “contrived cash-in” and “simply corporate” film.

But despite its flaws, “Mufasa” is expected to do well at the box office this holiday season. Variety and Deadline reported that the film was slated for a worldwide theatrical release of $180 million. Only time will tell if it can match the success of Favreau’s The Lion King remake, which grossed $1.6 billion worldwide despite mediocre reviews (it has a 51% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes).

This is what critics say about “Mufasa”.