THB #636 : Mufasa: The Lion King

There is a reason that Disney has been so overly fussy about this film even though it is easily the best made, most beautiful, most visually engaging CG-Live-Action film in the entirety of filmed entertainment history to date.

It ain’t The Lion King.

I saw the film in IMAX 3-D, a format I would not normally suggest, aside from Avatar movies. But damn, from the very first shot, this was the most beautiful use of the format I have seen, including the repeatedly ground-breaking Avatar movies. If you are going to see it, see it this way.

Barry Jenkins’ reputation continues to fly high with this work… work that came to him much more than he moved to it. Saying it feels real is a step too far, which I think is part of the charm of the imagery. But some of the same shots we are familiar with and love from the original animated The Lion King are here or closely referenced… and they are amazing.

But the question of the movie is whether you want to see an adventure movie starring lions, beautifu…