Next December, the big-eared company will release Mufasa, the Lion King, the prequel to The Lion King. Directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), this new film was not conceived as a pure formal exercise like the 2019 film. The idea is no longer really to opt for photorealism (in computer-generated images) that would lean towards pixel documentary, but rather to open a new door to animation. We were able to see the first third of the film this week in Paris with the director. While we promised not to reveal too many key elements, we can nevertheless say that the Shakespearean DNA of the franchise is preserved, since the story revolves around the youthful friendship between Mufasa and the future Scar. A friendship that will become the deadly adult rivalry that we know in The Lion King.
In the direct line of the kings££££
The film also retains elements of its elder and not the least. In the manner of C3PO and R2D2, it is therefore Rafiki and Timon who make the transition between the two eras and who bring the humor necessary to compensate for the drama that is playing out before our eyes.
On the music side, Elton John having closed his piano after an interminable farewell tour, he is (a priori?) not there, but it sings nonetheless. For the moment, nothing of the caliber of Can You Feel the Love Tonight, but we have not heard everything.
Towards extreme realism££££
The big piece remains: the animation. While it is undeniable that the progress of computer-generated images is more and more impressive every day - you only have to look at the latest installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise - this is where the problem lies. The images are splendid in their realism and formal beauty, the virtual camera allows itself to be crazy, but the film still gives off (for the moment?) a strange impression. The realism is so strong and the anthropomorphism so present that at one point, our brains go haywire. We are not really used to this paradoxical mix, visual and narrative oxymoron. It remains to be seen in the long run, starting December 20 in theaters.