The News

 Disney’s money-spinning Lion King franchise will probably keep on going and going, right up until its lion dynasty descends into the decadent chaos that's toppled royal families throughout history. Someday we may reach the bloody story of Scar's great-great-nephew, a deranged, poison-fanged, thick-furred Caligula who manages to kill off all his relatives before being eliminated himself. At that point the elephants, peaceful, placid and wise, will rise to power, and from them will rise an even greater Broadway musical.

There’s nothing quite like the circle of life.

But The Pachyderm Prince (or whatever it'll be called) won’t need to go into development for some time, not if the studio manages to turn out films like the visually intoxicating new CGI prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, which deserves to be a family-oriented holiday smasheroo.

This latest film follows Mufasa (Rebel Ridge's Aaron Pierre) as he spends his adolescence and early adulthood in unanticipated exile: After a flood carries him off and separates him from his parents, he’s adopted into a pride ruled by Obasi (The Walking Dead's Lennie James). But Mufasa's welcome is no kinder than the reception Dickens doled out to the foundlings scattered throughout his novels.

Obasi can’t stand the stench of this alien — who's also a commoner, to boot — and solves the inconvenience by handing him off to his queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton), who'll raise him in the company of the pride’s females.

Even so, Mufasa is allowed to pal around with Obasi’s heir, Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a cheerful good sport. Unfortunately, when put to the test, Taka shows less courage than Mufasa in rescuing Eshe from an invading tribe of white-gray lion brutes. You can anticipate how this will ultimately lead to Harry vs. William tensions.