Movie review
December 18, 2024 · 118 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie tells the story of orphan cub Mufasa meeting Taka (future Scar) and going on a journey with a group of misfits to find a paradise land while fighting off a pride of white lions. The main beats keep hammering belonging, found family, and an outsider rising to king through community instead of bloodline. White lions show up as the ruthless invaders, which some reviews called a colonialism stand-in, and Mufasa learns key skills from the lionesses. Barry Jenkins directed it and has said the themes echo his earlier work on identity and displacement. It is not wall-to-wall lectures, but the outsider-vs-established-order stuff and symbolism stand out enough that plenty of viewers will notice.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Mufasa: The Lion King.
Woke representation / casting
Black voice actors (Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi) match the African lion setting perfectly and follow the 2019 remake; no forced mismatch with story world.
Woke political dialogue
No reported explicit activist speeches or lectures; any messaging stays in the adventure and character actions.
Identity-driven story themes
Outsider orphan Mufasa’s belonging and found-family arc drives the whole journey and kingship rise; recurring and noticeable.
Western institutional / cultural critique
White lion invaders portrayed as vengeful outsiders (colonialism allegory noted by reviewers); merit-based leadership over pure bloodline.
Woke character or canon changes
Changes Mufasa to non-royal adopted brother of Taka and alters Scar’s motivation; publicly discussed in reviews as retcon.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Moderate backlash over symbolism, retcons, and director background in reviews and social media; not overwhelming.
Creator track record context
Jenkins and Romanski’s history of identity-focused projects lines up with the belonging/outsider themes here.
Production
