Before he was the king of the animals, Mufasa was once a cute, cuddly little lion cub. And now you can witness his adorable journey in the new live-action Mufasa movie, aka Mufasa: The Lion King, which opens in theaters this weekend.
That’s right, even though no one asked for yet another live-action Lion King movie, we’re getting one anyhow. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, tells the story of a young orphaned lion, Mufasa (voiced by Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre), who is adopted into the family of a young lion prince, named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Someday, Taka will be known as the villainous Scar. But before all the bad blood, Mufasa and Taka were brothers.
This is a prequel to the 2019 Lion King remake, and a number of voice actors from the first film will be reprising their roles, including Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. New additions to the voice cast include Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, and Blue Ivy Carter, in her first feature film role.
Here’s what you need to know about where to watch the new Mufasa movie and when we expect to see Mufasa: The Lion King streaming on Disney+.
Where to watch Mufasa: The Lion King:
Right now, the only place to watch Mufasa: The Lion King is in a movie theater, when the movie opens in theaters on Friday, December 20. You can find a showing at a movie theater near you via Fandango.
Is Mufasa streaming on Netflix?
Mufasa: The Lion King is not streaming on Netflix, and most likely will never be streaming on Netflix. This is due to the fact that Mufasa is a Disney movie and will have a streaming home on the Disney-owned streamer, Disney+.
Is the Mufasa movie streaming on Disney Plus?
Mufasa is not yet streaming on Disney+. Right now, the movie is only playing in theaters. That said, we do expect to see Mufasa streaming on Disney+ eventually. While a Mufasa Disney+ release date has not yet been announced, we can make an educated guess as to when the movie will be streaming based on previous Disney releases.
Another recent Disney animated movie, Inside Out 2, was released on premium video-on-demand about two months after opening in theaters, and began streaming on Disney+ about three months after opening in theaters. If Mufasa follows a similar release strategy, you may see Mufasa on digital platforms around the end of February 2025, and streaming on Disney+ around late March 2025.
But this is all speculation. If you want to see Mufasa: The Lion King ASAP, you can catch the movie in theaters. And in the meantime, you can watch the first Lion King live action film on Disney+.
