As a music enthusiast and someone who has grown up watching Disney movies, I must say that the new Lion King remake has truly outdone itself with its original soundtrack. The way Jon Favreau and the team have managed to bring together an ensemble of such talented artists, each lending their unique voices to the characters, is simply remarkable.
⚠️ Caution: This narrative delves into specifics about “Mufasa: The Lion King,” set to hit theaters on December 20th. Proceed with care if you wish to avoid spoilers!
Lin-Manuel Miranda knows his way around a Disney tune.
Following his Grammy wins and Oscar nominations for songs from “Moana” and “Encanto”, including popular tracks like “How Far I’ll Go”, “Dos Oruguitas”, and the viral sensation “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborated with renowned composer Alan Menken for the soundtrack of the 2023 live-action “The Little Mermaid”. He has now written around a dozen new songs for the upcoming Barry Jenkins-directed “Lion King” prequel, titled “Mufasa”. Given Miranda’s extensive knowledge and expertise in all things Disney, it’s hard to find someone more suited to carry on the musical legacy of “The Lion King”. The original 1994 film is known for its timeless hits such as “Circle of Life”, “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”.
During her recent appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”, Miranda expressed her deep admiration for the original album, likening it to one that has nothing but hit songs without any skips.
The “Mufasa” soundtrack begins with “Ngomso,” sung by Lebo M, a South African artist whose unique voice is commonly associated with “The Lion King.” This is followed by songs from Miranda, performed by the film’s vocal cast, including Aaron Pierre (as young Mufasa) and Kelvin Harrison Jr. (as his brother Taka, later known as Scar).
As a dedicated movie reviewer, I must say that Miranda’s children, Sebastian and Francisco, serve as the first-hand testers for a song’s popularity. It’s intriguing to learn about the tracks that have them humming incessantly.
Miranda confidently expresses to EbMaster, ‘I’ve always longed for a brother,'” or simply, “Miranda admits she’s always wished for a brother to EbMaster.” Regarding the song, it could be rephrased as “Another catchy tune, ‘Bye Bye’, is now playing in the Miranda household.
One of the initial songs Miranda composed for the movie was sparked by a dialogue line in Jeff Nathanson’s script. This composition emerged when Taka, a character linked to a noble lineage, saved Mufasa, who had been split from his family due to a sad mishap.
Miranda remarks, “That’s the title of the song,” as she describes it. The ideas then flowed effortlessly: “I didn’t need to search far; my own home was sufficient. I have two boys, aged 6 and 10. They often drive each other crazy, but also defend and support each other. Writing about such a relationship felt instinctive.
The final song in the movie is themed as the theme for the antagonist, specifically composed for Kiro, a menacing lion character voiced by Mads Mikkelsen. At first, the script didn’t include a solo performance, but Miranda found it irresistible to leverage the chance of having a famous Bond villain singing a track with dancehall influences too compelling to ignore.
Miranda explains, recalling her successful pitch to Jenkins, ‘I believe those two seem unusual, like peanut butter and pickles, but I’m convinced they make a fantastic combination.’
Read on as Miranda, Jenkins and the “Mufasa” cast discuss the film’s soundtrack.
“I Always Wanted a Brother”
Performed by Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somulo, Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison, Jr.
BARRY JENKINS: “I Always Wanted a Brother” was the initial track we produced. In this song, Taka and Mufasa develop their romantic feelings for each other. As they deepen their connection, they also share their perspectives on life. It’s quite challenging to balance these elements effectively, but I was intrigued by Lin’s attempt at handling it.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA: That song has a lot on its plate! It needs to establish the bond between the brothers when they’re young [with Rankins and Somolu providing the voices for Young Mufasa and Young Taka]. I suggested to Barry, “Why don’t we skip forward in time?” And that way, we introduce the lions who will be with us throughout the rest of the movie.
Watch the number below:
“Milele”
Performed by Anika Noni Rose and Keith David
ANIKA NONI ROSE (providing the voice for Mufasa’s mother Afia): When I study music, my initial step is to focus on the lyrics so I can genuinely connect with what I’m expressing and bring out the richness of my performance. After that, I concentrate on the sounds. There’s a line about our ancestors residing within us that struck me as particularly poignant and lovely. Though we may lose people during our lives, they don’t truly disappear. They might no longer be present physically, but they remain. They dwell within us, and we carry them with us, using them as guiding lights to progress forward.
“We Go Together”
Performed by Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Preston Nyman and Kagiso Lediga
KELVIN HARRISON JR. (Taka): I adore “Hamilton,” “Encanto,” and “In the Heights.” It’s incredible that I get to contribute to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s legacy as well. The sound of his music is unique, and as soon as I heard the tracks, I recognized his distinct style. I knew the tone, quality, and rhythm he uses. Collaborating with him was enjoyable, and I just took a chance, hoping he would be satisfied with my work.
AARON PIERRE (as Mufasa): We both felt quite apprehensive about every aspect of this adventure, but the singing part was particularly nerve-wracking for us. Collaborating with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the vocals only intensified our anxiety, given his exceptional talent. However, he was instrumental in helping all of us produce the stunning music that he had composed.
It’s quite amusing, Barry and Lin each have unique ways of expressing satisfaction when they succeed. Barry usually says, “Got it? Got it? Good,” which indicates he’s managed to do it successfully. When you hear Lin’s airhorn sound, you can’t help but feel relieved because that means he’s happy about the outcome.
Tiffany Boone (Sarabi) admits: I too felt quite anxious. There’s a fear of singing in front of others that I’ve had, or at least I used to. When they informed me that I indeed had to sing, following several months of auditions, I almost retreated with thoughts like, “What’s the point? I’ll only humiliate myself.” But everyone encouraged, “Just go ahead and sing, you’ll be alright.” And here we are.
It wound up being one of the best parts of the experience for me. It really freed up something for me that I didn’t need to have on me in the first place. To be able to have my debut into this big singing moment be in some songs written by Lin — that’s insane. It’s a blessing at the end of the day; a blessing I almost ran away from.
“Tell Me It’s You”
Performed by Aaron Pierre and Tiffany Boone
MIRANDA: I was raised during the time of Disney’s romantic ballads. For a film to be complete, Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion had to be singing on the ending credits. “A Whole New World” is another timeless hit. Therefore, when the opportunity came up to contribute to it, I couldn’t resist.
The subject matter of the song is so beautiful because it’s her pushing him to see his own self-worth, and to see — to borrow from “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” — the king she sees inside. That was thrilling to explore and [Aaron and Tiffany] were just so game. They’re both incredible singers.
“Brother Betrayed”
Performed by Kelvin Harrison Jr.
MIRANDA: Writing that song might have been the quickest, mainly because I had been writing in a row, so I was building up to that moment. As someone who often dramatizes moments through music, capturing the instant when Taka transforms into Scar was exhilarating to compose. I likened it to the “Phantom of the Opera” climax of Act 1: When the chandelier descends and the Phantom has been there all along. That moment was truly thrilling. And it was even more exciting when I saw Barry’s visuals for it, as he shares in Taka’s transformation heart-to-heart.
“Bye Bye”
Performed by Mads Mikkelsen, Joanna Jones and Folake Olowofoyeku
MIRANDA: The original script didn’t allow for a villain song, so I suggested adding one. I said something like, “I realize we don’t have the time for this, but we have Mads Mikkelsen – one of our famous Bond villains – and I hear dance hall music. It might sound odd, like peanut butter and pickles, but I believe these two unusual elements could create a fantastic combination.
A captivating villain is one who has their own motivations; they’re not simply evil for the sake of being so, but rather, they embody the opposite of your hero. Writing lyrics such as “The circle of life is a lie,” and witnessing an audience react with amazement, was truly exhilarating. This same fascination is behind phrases like “Killmonger was right” [from ‘Black Panther’] trending. When villains have compelling reasons, audiences often find themselves siding with them. A villain is at their most intriguing when they have their own reasons, and writing that song was a pleasure.
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2024-12-21 21:17