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Fans of The Lion King are absolutely beside themselves at the new prequel, Mufasa, which comes out next month.
Quite the opposite of being impressed at the live action prequel of the classic Disney film, many were either enraged or in fits of giggles at the sight of Mufasa’s lions in a shot from the film, which has since gone viral.
The film is a prequel to the 2019 live-action version, and – directed by Barry Jenkins – follows Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, who with the help of Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa and a whole lot of flashbacks, learns the legend of her grandfather Mufasa, who was killed by his evil brother Scar.
While the live action Lion King remake released in 2019 was received with a light sprinkle of mockery but mostly box office stardom – with many finding life-like lions talking with human voices grating when compared to the magic of the classic cartoon – this new 2024 film is being eviscerated online.
In a viral picture, the lions in Mufasa: The Lion King from Disney look positively emaciated.
‘They on Ozempic?’ asked @lesbeyonsay in a viral X post, referencing the diabetes medicine that’s being used by Hollywood celebrities for weight loss.
Meanwhile, @realonx1 posted a picture of a weird taxidermy lion’s head and said it was giving the same vibes, as @RANDOMC_L_EVENT agreed, writing: ‘They look like poorly taxidermied lions.’
‘Why tf are they so sickly???’ asked @DontSmileDean, as @JardaniJovonovv wrote: ‘They should have left this movie as an animation.’
‘That diet is rough,’ added @stunnasht, while @ss_cfc1999 requested: ‘Stop ruining this amazing animated movie. The original will always be best.’
‘This looks horrible,’ commented @ThePupRein, as @BeyondBeliefCos said: ‘That looks like trash.’
Others compared these 2024 lions to the brilliant Aslan from Disney’s Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as @atotalposer wrote: ‘Would just like to remind everyone that Disney was able to perfect a live action lion 20 years ago.
‘Aslan was emotive and expressive and had character while still being realistic. Forget losing recipes, I fear the entire cookbook has gone missing.’
The trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King dropped in April ahead of the film’s release on December 20, 2024.
Beyoncé is reprising her role as Nala beside Aaron Pierre, who is taking over voicing duties for the titular character.
Donald Glover has returned as Simba, while Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen are also back as Timon and Pumbaa respectively.
The Single Ladies hitmaker and Jay-Z’s eldest daughter Blue Ivy Carter is also set to make her acting debut on the film, as she will voice young Kiara.
This comes after Blue joined mum Beyoncé on stage for her Renaissance tour, dancing in front of audiences of thousands.
On its release, despite some scepticism from lovers of the original 1994 cartoon, The Lion King’s 2019 live action version became the highest-grossing animated movie ever.
However, the original animation’s creators weren’t feeling the love for this live action revival one little bit.
‘If you polled the crew of the original Lion King, most of them would say, “Why? Did you really have to do that?” It kind of hurts,’ said David Stephan, one of the animators on the original 90s film.
‘It’s sort of sad that the stockholder is now in the room deciding what movies get made,’ he added to HuffPost.
‘Disney’s now taken the cover off, and it’s now in your face: “Yeah, we just want to make money.” That’s disappointing as an artist, from a studio that was founded on originality and art.’
Mufasa: The Lion King will be released in cinemas on December 20, 2024.
