Director Barry Jenkins shared his thoughts on directing ‘Mufasa’ and the meaning of the work.
On the morning of the 19th, a video conference was held with director Barry Jenkins for the film ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ tells the legendary journey of a young lion, Mufasa, who becomes an orphan in the vast wilderness and meets the king's heir, Taka (Scar), ultimately transcending his destined fate to become the king of the world.
It is the first prequel to ‘The Lion King’, which ranked first in Disney live-action box office hits and ninth in the all-time global box office rankings. This work inherits the baton from ‘The Lion King’, which was reborn as a live-action film and recorded approximately $1.65 billion (2.372 trillion won) in box office revenue, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the animated ‘The Lion King’.
When asked about his feelings on directing a Disney live-action film, Barry Jenkins said, “The characters are animals and the scale has increased, but this project was not different from the themes I have worked on before. I was given a larger canvas, and it was a great opportunity to fully express my vision on this theme.”
He continued, “Although it is called Disney live-action, I would like to describe it as a hybrid of animation and live-action. It was a new challenge for me, but it would have been a new challenge for any director. This is in the sense of introducing new methods with cutting-edge technology. I started this project with an open mind.”
Additionally, Barry Jenkins mentioned, “I was a big fan of the original ‘The Lion King’. Although it is an animation, it powerfully resonated with me because it expressed complex human emotions very honestly and transparently, to the extent that a child could understand. The original clearly depicts the conflict between good and evil. However, this time, it shows how the characters journey towards either good or evil. I wanted to evolve this dichotomy a bit more and add complexity.”
He added, “In 1994, children learned from images in a simple way. Now, in an era of image overflow, children need to accept the complexity of the lessons learned from the dichotomy of good and evil in images. Scar also had a childhood and was a cub deserving of love, but he became an evil character caught in the whirlpool of the world, which aligns with the modern context.”
Director Barry Jenkins also mentioned the relationship between Mufasa and Taka.
He said, “What impressed me about the brotherly relationship in this work was that we could see what kind of lives these two characters would lead and what kind of people they would become due to their different family backgrounds. Mufasa is educated by his mother, while Taka is taught by his father. The mother teaches equality, while the father teaches that one must rule. As a result, Mufasa becomes a better person, and Taka embarks on the path of evil. Showing how they choose their paths was very moving.”
Furthermore, he stated, “It is very interesting how a person's life can change due to differences in innate temperament and upbringing. Conversely, if Mufasa had been educated by his father and Scar by his mother, one could pose the intriguing question of whether Scar could have become a greater king.”
He continued, “I was reminded of Bong Joon-ho's ‘Parasite’. If the family were not at the bottom but part of the privileged class, they might not have deceived others to achieve their goals. I think it raises interesting questions about how much a person can change based on their environment or social status.”
He added, “Kiros was originally in the script. He is a very cool character. He has white fur, and there are actually lions like that, but they are often hunted because they bring bad luck. Both Mufasa and Kiros are outsiders. Despite being outsiders, they cope with their situations differently. Kiros attacks, saying that if he cannot enter the cycle of life, he will destroy it. It was interesting to see how a villain copes with such a mindset.”
He continued, “The same theme repeats here. If Kiros had not been persecuted for being born with white fur, he would not have become a villain. Depending on how we treat others, we can become evil. That point is intriguing.”
Finally, he emphasized, “In this film, there is a character who is destined to inherit the throne from birth, while Mufasa is not. Despite being an orphan, he must acquire the skills and abilities necessary to become a great leader. That journey inspires many people. Mufasa is an orphan and not part of the privileged class. Nevertheless, he gains all his abilities through his own efforts to become a great king. It provides many lessons in a modern context.”
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is currently showing in theaters.
