Mufasa: The Lion King” marks the first “Lion King” movie after the death of James Earl Jones, who first gave voice to Mufasa in 1994. Who is carrying the torch forward?

Barry Jenkins is too good a director to disappear altogether inside the creative limitations of “Mufasa: The Lion King.” This hectic Disney musical prequel origin story will do the job for families looking to avoid a second or third viewing of “Moana 2” or “Wicked” this month.

Mufasa: The Lion King might be named after the iconic character, but Mufasa isn’t the only one whose backstory the movie explores. Instead, the movie works as sort of a tale of the past told by Rafiki to Kiara,