Disney’s first trailer Mufasa: The Lion King was released this week and, as expected, there was some backlash.
The film comes from the Oscar and Independent Spirit Award-winning director Barry Jenkinsand fans are upset that he sold himself out to make a Disney movie, that he’s too talented to stoop to making a Disney movie.
One X user, Krystian who has “fire David Zaslav” and “Release Coyote vs. Acme” in his bio, said: “Barry, you are too good and talented for Iger’s soulless machine.” Jenkins responded by defending the artistic merits of The Lion King.
The director said: “There is nothing soulless about it The Lion King. For decades, children have sat in theaters around the world experiencing collective grief for the first time, engaging with Shakespeare for the first time, through aisles in myriad languages. A powerful vehicle of community empathy.”
Another entertainment writer, Q. Anthony Ali, then chimed in stating that “I interviewed you when you premiered Moonlight at TIFF, and that Barry Jenkins wouldn’t have said what you just said.”
He added: “You can make a Disney movie for the check, so you can work on your passion projects later, but you don’t have to shell out like that.”
Jenkins responded by sharing a series of child-focused projects he had made and posted online around the time he was working on Moonlight. All were linked by a common thread: “Children had a prominent place in each of the projects of Moonlight until now without exception.”
Ali went on to argue that “Disney represents the capture of creative expression by financially driven corporate interests, and exists to fence children’s imaginations behind a paywall.”
Jenkins basically stopped the conversation and told Ali he was “getting back to work.”
Mufasa: The Lion King “enlists Rafiki to pass on the legend of Mufasa to the young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signatures.
“Told in flashback, the story presents Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a friendly lion named Taka, the heir to a royal line.
“The chance encounter sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits in search of their destiny: their bonds will be tested as they must work together to escape a menacing and deadly enemy.”
The film’s voice cast includes Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. like Taka, Seth Rogen as Pumba, Billy Eichner in the role of Timone, Giovanni Cani like Rafiki.
The rest of the ensemble cast includes Tiffany Boone, Kagiso Lediga, Preston Nymann, Thanks Newton, Mads Mikkelsen, Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Giovanni Cani, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter like Nala and presentation Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala.
The film’s screenplay was written by Jeff Nathansonthe same writer behind 2019 The Lion King.
Walt Disney Pictures will distribute Mufasa: The Lion King in theaters December 20, 2024.
There is nothing soulless about The Lion King. For decades, children have sat in theaters around the world experiencing collective grief for the first time, engaging with Shakespeare for the first time, through aisles in myriad languages. A powerful vehicle for community empathy.
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) April 29, 2024
Bruh, what kind of logic is this?
How about this, here are some videos from the “same Barry Jenkins who premiered Moonlight” (as you say) showing some of the stuff I was doing in my free time AT THE SAME TIME I was writing Moonlight.
Here we are:
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) April 29, 2024
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
