New Lion King prequel honours original late 90s star in best way-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

James Earl Jones is paid tribute to in Mufasa: The Lion King (Picture: Getty/Rex)

Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 1994 Disney classic, has more than one nod to the late star James Earl Jones who originally voiced the titular character.

Jones died in September this year, aged 93, and is fondly remembered for several major Hollywood roles, including Star Wars villain Darth Vader and as Mufasa in one of Disney’s biggest blockbuster hits.

The actor reprised his role as king of the Pride Lands in the 2019 live-action remake but was recast for the newly-released 2024 photorealistic animation prequel.

The plot reveals the origin story of the mighty patriarch as an orphaned cub (now voiced by Aaron Pierre) and his adopted brother Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr) who eventually becomes known as Scar.

The start of the movie has an ‘in remembrance’ tribute for Jones, a decision easily made by filmmaker Barry Jenkins and the executives in honour of the star and his mammoth legacy.

Jenkins explained just what Jones meant to him and ‘global audiences’ and someone who ‘grew up without a father figure’.

Mufasa remains one of the most widely-beloved Disney characters of all time (Picture: Everett/Shutterstock)

Jones died in September, aged 93 (Picture: Mediapunch/Shutterstock)

Aaron Pierre has taken over the role for the latest movie (Picture: Disney)

He told Variety: ‘You go in and you watch this art, you watch these films, [and] sometimes these fathers in these movies become a stand-in for that. They become these father figures.’

After his death in September, Jenkins noted it ‘felt like we had all lost a patriarch’ and someone who had ‘meant so much’.

The Oscar-winning director continued: ‘It felt like there was no way you could sit in this movie – go through an hour and 40 minutes – and not honour him in some way.

‘You would be thinking about the ways in which you wanted to honour him, so it felt like we had to do it at the very front. The studio agreed right away, and we tried to find something that was very simple, but also very clear and very powerful.’

The movie also features Jones’ voice in some capacity, with the supervising sound editor Onnalee Blank calling it ‘the voice of God’.

‘It was one of the most beautiful things that we did. To make his voice sound like the voice of God, like he is speaking to all of us. It was very fitting and very sad.’

In an interview with AP, lead star Pierre confirmed he tried to ‘serve and honour’ Jones in ‘every way he could’.

‘He is one of my greatest inspirations. Yes, within the context of Mufasa: The Lion King and this beautiful. beloved, cherished character that he originated, but also within the context of the entirety of his artistry.’

The movie – which also features original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda – has already started receiving positive reviews.

Cinfied critic called it: ‘A biblical exploration of destiny brilliantly disguised as an origin story for Mufasa and Scar. Entertaining, visually stunning, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music did not disappoint!’

Variety echoed it was a ‘beautifully crafted’ and ‘perfect prequel’ and ComicBook.com declared it ‘incredible’ and the songs ‘infectious’.

The cast also sees the return of Beyonce as Nala and Blue Ivy’s debut as Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara.

Mufasa: The Lion King comes out in UK cinemas on December 20, 2024.

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