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Coming up with a prequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 live-actionThe Lion King,Barry Jenkins dropped the trailer forMufasa: The Lion King, slated to release by the end of this year. But unfortunately, it seems the filmmaker isn’t necessarily feeling the love from social media commenters, as people began calling the project soulless and showered the trailer with skepticism.
Withstanding backlash and negative comments since July 15, 2025, after Disney released the preview of whatMufasa: The Lion Kinghas in store, Barry Jenkins came up with a revamped new trailer for the film on August 10. However, despite his efforts, even the new video got slammed by netizens over audio issues.
Barry Jenkins’Mufasa: The Lion KingTrailer Faced Extreme Criticism
Following the success of the 1994 animated movieThe Lion King, and its 2019 live-action adaptation from Jon Favreau, Disney came up with a prequel to explain the origin story of Mufasa, the lion patriarch. Helmed byBarry Jenkins,Mufasa: The Lion Kingbecame the talk of the town until Disney finally dropped the trailer for the film on April 29.
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Unfortunately, after screening thefootage forMufasa: The Lion Kingat CinemaCon, the trailer made its way online through both official and fan sources, where it was greeted with both favorable and negative responses. While mostly the criticisms stem from the backlash to Disney’s trend of reimagining its previous animation hits, other reasons included the lack of realistic features, unlike the 2019 photorealistic remake.
Although Barry Jenkins tried easing the situation byaddressingthe criticisms and negativity surrounding his upcoming movie, as the filmmaker failed, Disney came up with a revamped trailer on August 10. In an attempt to meet people’s expectations, while the studio released the new trailer via X,Mufasa: The Lion Kingonce again got slammedby netizens.
Those voices aren’t it!
Beating a dead lion.
These studios are obsessed with prequels
Man this looks kinda bad, also they’re doing that thing in trailers where the voice lines are obviously and clearly cut up and stitched together and there’s inconsistencies in the audio levels. Like when Zazu talks
Yeah the trailer is supposed to part of the movie and if one part looks bad, what does that say about the whole film?
Everything just seems offpic.twitter.com/ECTHEvnid6
I really don’t know how I feel about this. I feel so conflicted.
Photorealistic animation movies are always bad from disney
This time, alongside the previous issues — lack of realistic imageries and criticism surrounding Disney CEOBob Iger’s soulless machine churning prequels and spinoffs, fans simultaneously slammed the new trailer for its issues with audio. Claiming that the voiceover sounds inconsistent and filled with cuts and stitches, people expressed sheer disappointment over the upcoming project.
Mufasa: The Lion KingFaces High Expectations After Jon Favreau’s 2019 Success
Considering the repeated criticism surrounding Barry Jenkins’Mufasa: The Lion Kingtrailer, there seems to be a high possibility for the film to face the daunting challenge of living up to the monumental success of Jon Favreau’s 2019 live-action remake. Despite its attempt to dive into the early years of the eventual ruler of Pride Rock, as well as his menacing younger brother Scar, Jenkins’ movie seemingly awaits substantial pressure.
One Disturbing Mufasa: The Lion King Theory Suggests Simba’s Heroic Father Could Actually be a Usurper and it’s All Because of a Name
While previously,Jon Favreau‘sThe Lion Kingturned out to be a visual spectacle, blending cutting-edge CGI with the timeless story of the original, the upcoming movie seems to fall short of the major milestones set by the 2019 remake. Considering how Favreau’s film was praised for its stunning realism, faithful recreation of the classic scenes, and the nostalgia it evoked,Mufasa: The Lion Kingseems to feel the pressure of living up to that legacy.
Grossing over $1.6B (viaThe Numbers) at the global box office, Jon Favreau’sThe Lion Kingset a high bar for any subsequent projects in the franchise. So it seems thatBarry Jenkins’Mufasa: The Lion Kingwill have to balance new content with the familiar elements to meet audiences’ expectations, in order to earn even close to what the 2019 remake accumulated.
It seems the upcoming movie’s success will hinge on several factors. First, it will need to offer a fresh and engaging narrative that adds value to theLion Kinguniverse. Additionally, the film will need to meet high visual and emotional standards set by the predecessor to captivate both new and returning audiences. As the release date approaches, expectations rise about howMufasa: The Lion Kingwill contribute to the story’s rich tapestry.
The Lion Kingmovies are available on Disney+.
Mufasa: The Lion Kingwill hit theaters on 11 June 2025.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3217
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
