American filmmaker, Barry Jenkins has said that the upcoming Disney musical film, Mufasa: The Lion King which he directed will be the first experience of Africa for some people.

“I think this story and the characters are so massive globally. For some people, especially children, this is sort of the first experience of Africa.”Jenkins said on Channels Television’s Entertainment on Wednesday.

He said this with regard to a new generation of movie-goers, mostly children who will be first introduced to the iconic franchise that has existed for three decades.

Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel film which centers on the origin of its central character, Mufasa as a young orphaned cub who befriends another cub named Taka, and is adopted by Taka’s family.

The 45 year old Oscar-Award winning director also stated he “loved the idea of now showing the character Mufasa as not just a monarch, but as a person and a human.”

Been aware of the cultural significance of the Lion King franchise , the filmmaker laid emphasis on authenticity of the portrayal of African culture.

“It requires a great deal of responsibility for me to listen to the people from the continent who are involved in the film, like Dr. John Kani.”

“I had to listen to their opinion on what needs to be on the film because it’s their story, not mine.”

The most anticipated Disney live-action film, starring Aaron Pierre, Kevin Harrison Jr, Seth Rogen amongst others is set to be released in theaers globally on December 20th, 2024.

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