SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — “Mufasa: The Lion King” roars into theaters this weekend, and ABC4 Film Critic and Celebrity Interviewer Patrick Beatty went to San Diego to speak with the cast and Lin-Manuel Miranda about the new film.
Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka) & Tiffany Boone (Sarabe)
First, Beatty spoke with Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), and Tiffany Boone (Sarabe) to dive into how they bonded in recording booths across the world.
Q: How do you find that relationship in that bond with each of your characters when you’re so far away and just a separate booth?
Aaron: That’s such a great question. I think initially the way it started is we had no option. That was the set of circumstances that we were given. We were still working through the world, was working through the pandemic at that time, and we knew that it was an unusual set of circumstances, but we leaned into it.
Then, actually, with the leadership of Barry Jenkins, we found our rhythm. Then, once the pandemic restrictions were lifted, we actually continued working that way, because we’d found such a flow state of creativity there. So it ended up all working out, hopefully.
Q: Tiffany, what do you think is Sarabe’s first impression of Mufasa & Taka?
Tiffany: [Laughing] I think she thinks they’re two bumbling Idiots. She’s like, “These two fools chasing each other’s tails.” She’s a hunter, She’s one of the female lions. So, she at least thinks she’s a little smarter than them.
Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr.: Yeah, she is.
Patrick: You are.
Tiffany: Yeah I didn’t want to say it, but.
Billy Eichner (Timon), Seth Rogan (Pumba)
Returning to the franchise is the beloved bug-eaters Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumba (Seth Rogan). Patrick asked about a particular scene and what they’d like to see in future films involving the characters.
Q: There’s a sequence in “Mufasa” where there’s a recreation of a moment that happened in “The Lion King” and it made me think there’s got to be other films that Timon and Pumba could just completely rework and put themselves in. What movie would they do?
Billy: Oh that’s good. We haven’t had that. Yeah, yeah. Where should Timon and Pumba insert themself?
Seth: I think Timon and Pumba on the magic carpet in “Aladdin,” singing A Whole New World.
Billy: Are we limited to Disney films? I was going to say Dirty Dancing.
Seth: You hoisting me? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Q: Do you have any ideas of where you’d like to see Timon and Pumba in the future, any backstory you’ve pitched?
Seth: We’re pitching them constantly — 14 versions of it. We haven’t landed on the one yet. When Timon met Pumba?
Billy: The early years? Let them go to the moon, I don’t care. All of a sudden we’re going to have standards?
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Original Songs)
Lin-Manuel Miranda features multiple original songs for “Mufasa: The Lion King” and has a catalog of great pieces by Disney. Beatty asked how that process changed as he’s worked with the studio.
Q: You’ve been doing so many great pieces with Disney. How has your creative process changed as you’ve worked with them?
Lin-Manuel Miranda: I mean, the joy of it is they’ve all been really different. With Moana, I was the last guy hired on a three-man music team with, Mark mentioned and Opatija, and really, the goal was to come in and find the songs that would help Moana’s journey along.
“Encanto” we all did together. I was on the ground floor for that one, and we really, all threw our family’s stories in the pot. And then what came out was the Madrigal family. So that was thrilling. And then with “Mufasa,” you know, I’m really in service of Barry’s vision. You know, he and Jeff Nathanson made such a wonderful script.
The songs were all there. It was one of those rare feelings where I could just see where the songs went, the first time I was reading through it. So, it was just a matter of doing that in a way that furthered Barry’s vision.
Q: Were there any songs that spoke to you personally the most while making them for Mufasa?
Oh, sure. I mean, I think all of them. I think if, if they don’t feel personally you’re not working hard enough. For me, writing ‘I Always Wanted a Brother’ was a chance to observe my kids. I have a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old. I have two boys in my house. They drive each other nuts. They run us all ragged, and they’re crazy about each other. So that energy was what I was trying to draw on for that song.
I was happy to get to write, like, an old-school romantic Disney ballad. I am an elder millennial, and I grew up in the era of the Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion closing credits tunes where you’d get, you know, ‘A Whole New World’ or ‘Beauty in the Beast’ or ‘Kiss the Girl.’ And I remember swooning as a little kid, and so getting to write one of those was really special.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” is out in theaters this weekend. You can check out more interviews and reviews by going to ABC4.com, clicking the “Shows” tab, and “see it or skip it” for more.
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