Mufasa: The Lion King is directed by Moonlight Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins. The official logline for Mufasa: The Lion King -- which opened in theaters on Dec. 20, 2024 -- reads, "Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny."
The young version of Mufasa is voiced by Braelyn Rankins while Theo Somolu is the voice of the young Taka, who eventually becomes known as Skar. Aaron Pierre voices the adult version of Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. voices the adult version of Taka.
Mufasa: The Lion King also stars the voices of Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and Donald Glover.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment announced in a YouTube video in early February that Mufasa: The Lion King will make its debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Prime Video has Mufasa: The Lion King up for pre-order for $29.99, which is a reflection of the film's purchase price on PVOD. Digital rental prices are typically $5 less than digital purchase prices, so viewers can expect to rent Mufasa: The Lion King for $24.99 for a 48-hour period.
In addition to Prime Video, Mufasa: The Lion King will be available for purchase or rent on several digital platforms, including AppleTV and Fandango at Home.
Coming from a cinematic world where he made such acclaimed low-budget films as Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk.
On top of working with a $200 million production budget, via The Numbers, Jenkins was introduced to the world of performance capture filmmaking in Mufasa: The Lion King, which is considered a live-action film.
"My head was spinning when this started," Jenkins told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of the film's theatrical release. "It actually reminded me of when I first got into filmmaking. This felt oddly enough very similar to that first experience. You can sort of run away from that newness and be intimidated by it, or you can embrace it, learn the things you don't know and then start to bend it."
The big-budgeted Mufasa: The Lion King was a big hit in theaters, earning, according to The Numbers, $238.1 million in North American theaters and $435.7 million internationally for a worldwide box office tally of $673.8 million.