"Mufasa: The Lion King" has one very important thing going for it: an original story.

That may seem like faint praise or at least a very, very low bar in the grand scheme of things. But in a landscape where Disney continues to remake its animated catalogue in slightly different, and usually less interesting, forms whether "live action" or "photorealistic" that usually only serves to remind how good the 2D animation was, originality is not to be undervalued.

And this story isn't simply checking off fan service boxes and overexplaining origins that never needed them: It's actually good. A prequel to "The Lion King," opening in theaters Thursday, it's a tale of found family, betrayal and destiny, one that begins to explain the estrangement between brothers Scar and Mufasa that we all know will end in murder, how Mufasa ( Aaron Pierre ) ends up as king of the pride lands and, perhaps most importantly, why only one has an English accent.

In this telling, Scar was once Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), destined to be king of his pride, and Mufasa was a lost cub, separated from his parents in a dramatic flood. Taka saves Mufasa and brings him into his family. His mother (Thandiwe Newton) embraces the newcomer; his father (Lennie James) rejects him as nothing but a stray. Not that it matters much to the cubs; both are thrilled to have a brother. They play and protect one another and grow up together. But fissures start to appear in this foundation as Mufasa emerges as the exceptional one and Taka as the coward. And then a lioness enters the picture in Sarabi (Tiffany Boone). We've all seen enough movies to know what happens with that.

The screenplay comes from veteran screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, whose credits include the 2019 "Lion King," this... Read More