See photos of the stars who voice the main characters in Disney's new CG and live-action hybrid movie "Mufasa: The Lion King."

Barry Jenkins is too good a director to disappear altogether inside the creative limitations of “Mufasa: The Lion King.” This hectic Disney musical prequel origin story will do the job for families looking to avoid a second or third viewing of “Moana 2” or “Wicked” this month.

Disney is the king of the franchise right now and while the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avatar, and Star Wars are the names we normally think of when the word “franchise” comes up, there’s another corner of the Disney kingdom that has been equally successful in movie after movie,

The Lion King' is in theaters now. Here's when we can expect 'The Lion King' prequel to be streaming on Disney+.

Writer/director Barry Jenkins has proved himself as a passionate filmmaker through such gorgeous, human dramas as the San Francisco-set love story Medicine for Melancholy, the Best Picture-winning coming-of-age tale Moonlight,

Starting with the original "Lion King" movie, the film produced some of the most notable songs in Disney history. Elton John and Tim Rice's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" winning an Oscar for Best Original Song. 25 years later, Beyoncé and Donald Glover re-recorded the song for the 2019 movie.

Mufasa: The Lion King, as its title suggests, is the story of Simba’s father, the great and noble king of the pride lands. But it could equally be subtitled: how Rafiki got his stick, how Scar got his scar, or even how an earthquake created Pride Rock — as consumed as it is with giving every leaf of grass in The Lion King universe an origin story.

Mufasa,” under director Barry Jenkins’ poised and creative direction, proves there is still plenty of life left in the long-reining “King,” writes our reviewer.