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

Inside Out 2

3D Movie Review

Written by : Adolph Vega

3D

Inside Out 2 is quite the visual experience. The 3D effects added a lot of depth to the scenes, particularly in the various hockey scenes, which looked absolutely stunning. While the use of pop-out effects was rare, the 3D was smartly integrated throughout the film, enhancing the overall visual appeal. Sadly the movie never tries to wow the audience with its 3D. The 3D feels subdued overall as few camera angles could have been tweaked that would have elevated the 3D experience even more. Overall, the 3D was solid and a huge improvement over the first Inside Out movie, though I did feel they were holding back a bit. I fully admit that I cried (significantly) as I watched this movie. My tears may have impacted the 3D glasses, and the 3-D presentation. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very good 3D presentation, but I feel like the 3D in Inside Out 2 could have been stronger.

3D Final Verdict: 7/10

Movie

As for the movie itself, I haven't laughed or cried this much in a Pixar movie in years. The film is so well-crafted that I believe it will become required watching for therapists and psychologists.

The story of Inside Out 2 continues sometime after the events of the first movie. Riley, the main protagonist, is now 13 and attends a special weekend hockey event with her friends. Riley has now gained new emotions—Anxiety, Boredom, Envy, and more. These new emotions challenge the status quo and aim to change Riley. How will the previous emotions work with the new ones? The movie perfectly balances the drama of the conflict between the emotions and Riley’s personal story. How does Riley handle her life with these new emotions? You’ll need to watch the movie to find out how everything works out. This story deeply connects to the human experience and is very powerful, profound, and fun. It's incredibly relatable and brilliantly showcases complex mental ideas in a creative and entertaining manner.

Inside Out 2 is a very hilarious movie. The clever writing is superb. The movie is just so witty and sharp. The dialogue is phenomenal, and everyone in this cast gives 110%. The psychological word play is simply brilliant. The movie has some cringy moments, but it works perfectly with the story that they are telling. It’s genius how they were able to weave this cerebral narrative together in such a humorous manner. Kids will be able to enjoy this movie (to a lesser degree), but this movie is really made for adults, and teenagers.

Inside Out 2 is pure movie magic, and is absolutely worth the multi-year wait. How this film explains heavy concepts with clarity and levity is masterful. Inside Out 2 exceeded my highest expectations. Pixar has truly outdone themselves with this movie. It's one of the best Pixar movies of all time, and easily is one of the best films of the last decade. I don’t say this lightly, but Inside Out 2 is top tier Pixar. There are no flaws to speak of; it's a masterpiece of creativity and is truly an inspired piece of art. Without a doubt, Inside Out 2 earns my highest recommendation and praise.

Movie Final Verdict:

10/10,

Editor’s Choice Film Award

* Special Note *

We live in an anxiety ridden, dysfunctional, stressful, crazy modern world. If you are struggling with your mental health please reach out and get professional help. It is ok to recognize that you are not okay. Therapists and Psychologists are absolutely worth your time and money. Adults should seriously consider taking a box of tissues into the theater as you watch this movie. Inside Out 2 is a fantastic emotional journey of a movie, and frankly speaking I was not fully prepared for how intense this movie was. Hopefully this review has helped you emotionally prepare for this masterpiece of cinema. Thank You to my therapist Delores who helped me tremendously over the last few months, she is wonderful and her work has dramatically improved my life. I wasn’t originally going to write a review for this movie, but I was inspired by people on facebook to write this review. This review was partly written with AI software. A human brain double checked the work, wrote the initial outline, and oversaw final edits to this written review.

Our review of the first Inside Out movie is here:

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

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

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

Website:

https://movies.disney.com/inside-out-2