Like many critics, I despised the 2019 CGI version of “The Lion King.” The new animation was ugly and the rehashing of the story from the 1994 classic without many changes made the whole thing seem unnecessary.

But, unlike many critics, I’m not ready to throw prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King” away just because of the sins of its predecessor. I’m not saying that it’s not still inextricably tied to the 2019 film, especially with its still-terrible CGI animation, but the story and characters can do some roaming on their own that makes for a breath of fresh air.

The film opens with Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) going away on some adult lion business and leaving their cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) in the care of comic relief meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen).

A storm is approaching, Kiara is scared, and Timon and Pumbaa’s danger-fraught stories aren’t helping. Wizened mandril Rafiki (John Kani), an old friend of the family, steps in and tells Kiara a........

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