Ever since 90s kids learned about the Circle of Life, there have been few other titles to touch that level of Disney Renaissance apotheosis we experienced 30 years ago.

It’s nearly impossible to hit that height again, but “Mufasa: The Lion King” nonetheless succeeds in building a world that has affected all our childhoods.

On the African savannah, a lion cub named Mufasa lives a happy life with his parents amid a drought-stricken land. When their kingdom suddenly sees a surge of rain, the young royal is swept away in a flood, miles away from everything he’s ever known.

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In his new surroundings, Mufasa is quickly saved from danger by another cub named Taka, the heir-apparent to another pride of lions, the leader of which reluctantly allows his mate to adopt Mufasa.

As Mufasa and Taka grow to adulthood, their brotherly bond takes a detour when they encounter a hostile group of white lions with an aim of ruling everything the light touches. Setting out to find where he came from and hopefully save the land from tyranny, Mufasa’s destiny may mean that things will change forever with his sibling.

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As the grown but young versions of two wholly different brothers, Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. provide strong vocal work for Mufasa and Taka, respectively — the former a humble outcast looking for his place in the world, the latter a sensitive prince who’s terrified of failing as a leader.

Of course, the fact that one name translates to “king” and the other to “garbage” in Swahili doesn’t bode well for their future relationship…

After portraying the paternal powerhouse T’Chaka in another Disney feline franchise, John Kani makes a worthy appearance as the mandrill Rafiki, whose shaman eccentricities are not fully developed at this point, but once he crosses paths with these big cats, his personality starts to take form faster than you can say, “asante sana squash banana.”

As the figure in the original movie who barely gets enough screen time, Tiffany Boone does what she can as Sarabi, a lioness also on the run from the new threat, who joins up with Mufasa and Taka, one of whom is indifferent to her and the other immediately enamored.

You may be surprised which.

They may have far too little to say and do, but Keith David, Anika Noni Rose, Lennie James and Thandiwe Newton all add a little something into the mix as the parents who impart some form of wisdom onto their boys, whether it’s instilling a greater wisdom in Mufasa by having him hunt with the females or keeping Taka morally ambiguous by teaching him that deception can be a ruler’s greatest tool.

No way that advice will possibly go wrong.

A cartoon that was loosely based on “Hamlet” and served as the 90s equivalent of “Bambi” — yes, nature is beautiful, but sometimes your parents die protecting you and it screws you up forever — is already rife with influences, so it’s fitting that its prequel would do the same.

If you’re keeping track, it borrows plot devices from “An American Tail,” “The Good Dinosaur,” “The Land Before Time” and “The Princess Bride,” just to name a few.

That last one is a framing device as Rafiki tells the tale years later to Simba’s daughter Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) and a certain warthog-meerkat duo.

You knew they were going to be in there one way or the other…

With the early 2000s direct-to-video pieces “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” and “The Lion King 1½” already rounding out its universe, this backstory for one of the most compelling Disney figures — RIP, James Earl Jones — has a lot going for it in terms of breaking down the simplistic dichotomy that we just accepted back in the day.

Yes, one brother was born noble, the other is pure evil, say no more. Now let’s listen to Elton John sing again!

Showing how Scar came to be the twisted, treacherous type rather than just establishing it makes for a more satisfying look at the title character and how being a king means giving second chances, even if that decision isn’t ultimately sound.

If your brother has always dug his claws into you out of love, I’d hate to see what he does out of hate.

It’s tricky to judge these live-action remakes of the Disney classics because the 2-D drawing with a modicum of computer wizardry will always feel more inviting to Millennials and older, especially when the uncanny valley is so glaring in a movie that’s fully CGI.

If you didn’t love the look of the unflattering realism of the 2019 update, you probably won’t have changed your tune, although the benefit of this story is not having an entire movie already ingrained in the minds of audience members as a comparison.

The music leans on the original motifs but also has its own distinct sound with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda standing out distinctly from the soundtrack we know by heart.

Only time will tell if “Tell Me It’s You” will become the new “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?”

Is “Mufasa” poised to become the bigger, better, new and improved “Lion King?”

It does have its strengths and helps fill in some blanks, though it may have its work cut out for it convincing the staunchest fans of the 1994 original.

But maybe one day, a wise monkey will regale us with the story of how younger generations accepted it without question…