Mufasa: The Lion King opens with a tribute to the late James Earl Jones.
The legendary actor, who voiced Mufasa in the original 1994 Lion King film and its live-action remake in 2019, passed away at the age of 93 in September at his home in Dutchess County, New York.
While Jones didn't reprise the role for Disney's new prequel movie about the character, the film does begin with the actor's voice, followed by a title card that reads: "In Remembrance."
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Explaining why he decided to open the movie with Jones's voice, Mufasa director Barry Jenkins told Variety that characters such as Mufasa become like "father figures" to audiences who grew up with them.
"I grew up without a father figure, and you go in and you watch this art, you watch these films, sometimes these fathers in these movies become a stand-in for that. They become these father figures," he said.
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The filmmaker noted how "it felt like we had all lost a patriarch" when Jones died, adding: "We had all lost this man who meant so much. It felt like there was no way you could sit in this movie – go through an hour and 40 minutes — and not honour him in some way."
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He continued: "You would be thinking about the ways in which you wanted to honour him, so it felt like we had to do it at the very front. The studio agreed right away, and we tried to find something that was very simple, but also very clear and very powerful."
Mufasa serves as an origin story for the character, and will see Rafiki tell the tale of his rise from orphaned cub to King of the Pride Lands during a conversation with Mufasa's granddaughter, Kiara.
Aaron Pierre voices Mufasa, while John Kani reprises his role as Rafiki from the 2019 remake and Blue Ivy Carter takes on the role of Kiara.
Mufasa: The Lion King is released on December 20.
Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
