Warning: this article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion KingAs one of Disney’s most recent films, Mufasa: The Lion King is still finding its place in the pantheon of the company’s storied history, telling the story of the titular king and his brother Scar before they became bitter enemies during the original The Lion King. Mufasa‘s reviews are as divisive as the 2019 film’s, though praise has been given to the prequel for its originality, as opposed to the shot-for-shot remake of The Lion King. However, the characters in Mufasa are undoubtedly the most interesting part, and showcase brand-new dimensions of the classic characters Mufasa and Scar.
One of the most interesting parts of the movie was when Scar saved Mufasa from Mufasa‘s main villain, the outsider lion Kiros, after he had already betrayed his brother to those same lions. The main point of the film was to showcase the backstory of Mufasa and Scar, and make them both more fleshed-out characters in the process. Scar in particular is very interesting, as he does betray his brother and friends, similarly to what he did in the original film, but this time, he redeems himself by ultimately saving Mufasa.
Taka Saved Mufasa From Kiros Because He Still Cared For His Brother
Scar Wasn’t Too Far Gone In Mufasa: The Lion King
The answer as to why Taka saved his brother at the end of Mufasa is obvious, but nonetheless important, as Taka, despite the anger he felt, still loved Mufasa, and realized that what he had done was wrong. Taka betrayed his friends in a fit of anger, but deep down, he remained a decent person, and when he saw his brother near his death, he realized this, and decided to do the right thing and save his brother and, by doing so, save all of Milele.
Mufasa: The Lion King Makes Scar’s Future Betrayal Even Sadder
Knowing How Taka Ends Up Makes His Journey More Tragic
Unfortunately, as this film is a prequel, what eventually happens to Scar and Mufasa is already known, and Mufasa‘s portrayal of the characters changes how The Lion King will be viewed. Obviously, Scar ends up betraying Mufasa once again during the events of The Lion King, throwing him into the stampede of wildebeests, and this time he seems to have absolutely zero compunctions about the morality of what he does. His gleeful smile as he drops his brother to his death is made even sadder, knowing that once, he gave up everything he wanted to save him.
While the reason that Scar became truly evil between the two movies isn’t explicitly explained, it is likely due to the years of resentment that would have built up between Scar and Mufasa, never fully trusting each other but not wanting to move directly against the other.
Throughout the course of Mufasa telling Scar’s backstory, Taka is a character that becomes much more sinister and morally gray over the course of the film, though he ultimately remains someone the audience wants to root for. However, seeing Taka in this prequel, who so desperately wants power, but knows it would be wrong, become someone who would do anything to achieve his own goals in The Lion King, makes Mufasa: The Lion King‘s depiction of Scar the most tragic part of the film.
Mufasa: The Lion King is a prequel to the live-action remake of the original Disney animated film, The Lion King. The film will follow Mufasa in his early days; further plot details are currently under wraps. The film will likely explore Mufasa and Scar’s relationship and how it became as strained as it did. In the film, Timon and Pumba will return, with Billy Eicher and Seth Rogen reprising their roles.
- Main Genre
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Adventure
- Writers
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Jeff Nathanson
, Linda Woolverton
, Irene Mecchi
, Jonathan Roberts - Release Date
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December 20, 2024
- Runtime
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118 Minutes
- Director
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Barry Jenkins