Mufasa The Lion King 3D Movie Review

By Jake Jarvis

3D

How’s the 3D in Mufasa? It’s fine—but not exceptional. While there are a few pop-out moments and some gorgeous scenery, the 3D doesn’t significantly elevate the viewing experience.

Overall, the 3D visuals are bland and basic. Though there are a couple of decent pop-out effects, the framing often weakens the depth, especially in close-up scenes. The visuals look good, but they’re not particularly memorable. Even wide shots of animals and landscapes frequently lack noticeable 3D effects.

There aren’t any standout moments in 3D. While the filmmakers tried to recreate iconic scenes from the original 2D animated Lion King films, these attempts fall flat in terms of 3D impact.

In short, Mufasa is only barely worth seeing in 3D, but don’t expect the format to add significantly to the experience. Mufasa is an adequate 3D experience.

3D Final Verdict: 6/10

Movie

Mufasa: The Lion King aims to expand the mythology of one of Disney’s most beloved characters, but the result is a mixed bag. While it’s a marked improvement over the underwhelming The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, it struggles to escape the long shadow cast by its iconic predecessors.

The story, centered on Mufasa’s rise to power, is competently crafted yet painfully predictable. It ticks all the expected narrative boxes, offering few surprises or moments of genuine emotional resonance. Unlike the original The Lion King, which skillfully balanced family-friendly storytelling with weighty themes, this prequel plays it safe. The violence is so sanitized that it often feels devoid of stakes, making it difficult to invest emotionally.

Where Mufasa stumbles narratively, it partially redeems itself with its music. The soundtrack is the film’s undeniable highlight, featuring a couple of standout tracks that are both catchy and heartfelt. These new songs have the potential to become fan favorites—perfect for weddings or karaoke nights—and they inject some much-needed vitality into an otherwise formulaic experience.

Visually, the film is undeniably stunning. The lush landscapes and intricately rendered animals are a feast for the eyes, showcasing the best of Disney’s animation prowess. However, the glossy presentation can’t conceal the fact that the story feels like a remix of earlier Lion King animated films. The plot leans heavily on tired tropes—most notably the “orphaned princes” angle—that fail to bring anything fresh to the table. For all its grandeur, the film lacks the emotional heft and originality needed to truly stand out.

Mufasa: The Lion King falls short of greatness. It’s visually impressive and musically engaging, but its safe and recycled narrative keeps it from roaring as loudly as it should. While it’s adequate for a one-time watch, it’s unlikely to become a memorable part of Disney’s legacy. Come for the music, but dramatically lower your expectations for the story.

Movie Final Verdict: 6/10

Learn more about how we rate 3D content via the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/3d-or-2d-ratingssystem/

You can see our review of the 2019 Lion King movie via the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/reviews/the-lion-king-2019-3-d-3d-movie-review

Official Website:

https://movies.disney.com/mufasa-the-lion-king

Moana 2

3D Movie Review

By Jacob Scarberry

3D

Like recent Disney animated films, the 3D in Moana 2 remains strong throughout, with depth being its standout feature. The layering effects are well-executed, delivering a proper sense of dimension in scenes featuring crowds, jungle landscapes, and the sea, creating an impressive sense of infinite depth. However, the film disappoints in the pop-out department. Despite the potential for stunning effects, there are very few moments where objects truly extend outwards toward the audience.

While there are occasional instances—such as a limb or water reaching out—the most memorable moment happens early in the film during a slow-motion lightning bolt sequence, which is genuinely breathtaking. Unfortunately, that’s the sole standout in this regard. Many scenes could have benefited from enhanced pop-out effects, like sand and water being flung about, Maui’s hook and Moana’s oar projecting toward the viewer, or darts zipping through the scene. These missed opportunities leave the audience with a sense of “what could have been” instead of “what should have been.” Moana 2 looks very good in 3D, but its overall presentation falls short of greatness.

3D Final Score: 7/10

Movie

It’s Thanksgiving week again, and you know what that means: another Disney animated film graces the big screen, providing families a convenient holiday distraction for their kids (and family overall). This year, Disney delivers Moana 2, a sequel to the modern animated favorite. Released eight years after the original, which saw solid box office success and astronomical Disney + viewership, this sequel is poised to be a major hit for the studio. After three consecutive Thanksgiving flops (Encanto, Strange World, and Wish), Disney desperately needs a win. Encanto later became a fan favorite streaming on Disney +. Unfortunately, Moana 2 comes in the form of a mediocre sequel to an otherwise solid original.

Set three years after the events of the first film, Montunui is thriving, and Moana is living her best life as a way finder. She’s about to be named the next Tautai, or chief navigator of her people. During the ceremony, she experiences a dark vision of her people’s future and learns from the spirit of a previous Tautai that she must discover new islands to prevent her tribe’s eventual extinction. Meanwhile, Maui is on a quest to defeat a malevolent god who draws strength from the ocean and isolates the islands of Oceania, threatening the survival of its tribes and cultures. Moana, joined by a motley crew of villagers, sets sail to save Oceania from this grim fate, encountering old friends, new allies, and plenty of forgettable songs along the way.

When the first Moana movie first debuted, I wasn’t eager to watch it. I dismissing it as “Frozen set in Polynesia.” I finally gave it a chance just days before writing this review and found it charming and beautifully animated, though not as groundbreaking as others claimed. It’s a typical Disney adventure: a young female protagonist, quirky animal companions, a charming male co-lead, and one standout song that gets played on repeat by kids everywhere. Moana 2, however, falls victim to sequelitis.

The plot is essentially a retread of the first: Moana embarks on an epic journey to confront a god (this time with a different elemental theme) to save her home. To fill the runtime, the story adds a colorful cast of side characters (who are mostly superfluous), including a grumpy elder, a tech-savvy geek, and a Maui superfan. Unfortunately, the villains are underdeveloped, and the resolution feels uninspired, flattening the emotional payoff. Humor is sparse, with only a few chuckles here and there, mostly from callbacks to the original film that lack wit or originality.

The music, composed by returning talents Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’i, is decent, but the absence of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrical genius is glaring. None of the songs have the catchy hooks or rhythm of the first film’s standout numbers.

Not everything is a letdown, though. The animation is stunning—vibrant, colorful, and featuring some of the best water physics ever seen in an animated film. It’s a triumph of CGI technology, and the artists who brought this world to life deserve immense praise. The voice cast also delivers excellent performances, with returning stars Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, and Alan Tudyk joined by talented newcomers.

At the end of the day, Moana 2 will keep families entertained this Thanksgiving. Its brisk 100-minute runtime (closer to 85 minutes without credits) is perfect for holding kids’ attention. However, it’s essentially visual junk food—enjoyable in the moment but not particularly satisfying or memorable afterward. Ironically, this movie began as a planned Disney+ series that was reworked into a feature-length film after Moana became the platform’s most-watched title. It’s better than Disney’s direct-to-video sequels of the early 2000s, but only marginally. Like those films, Moana 2 is forgettable, and proof that not all sequels are necessary or justified.

Final Movie Score: 6/10

Learn more about how we rate 3D content via the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/3d-or-2d-ratingssystem/

You can read our review of the first Moana by clicking the link below:

https://www.3dor2d.com/reviews/moana

Official Website:

https://movies.disney.com/moana-2