Even Mufasa Knows There Are Other The Lion King Movies That Could’ve Been Made Instead

Warning! Spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion King ahead!

Mufasa: The Lion King told the story of Mufasa and Scar’s past, but the movie itself confirmed there are other The Lion King stories worth telling. This franchise got its start with 1994’s The Lion King, which saw Simba defend his kingdom from the uncle who murdered his father, Mufasa. Now, 2024’s new movie is a sequel and prequel in one, connecting the events of Simba’s future with the fateful decisions of Mufasa’s past. It’s certainly an intriguing tale that needed to be told. However, Mufasa: The Lion King may point out precisely why this wasn’t the best next step for the franchise.

Mufasa and Scar’s origin is a story within a story in Mufasa: The Lion King. The film picks up with Simba and Nala setting out to have another cub, and their daughter Kiara is left at Pride Rock under Timon, Pumbaa, and Rafiki’s care. To comfort the princess as she waited for her parents to return, Rafiki began telling Kiara about how her grandfather, Mufasa, came to be king in the first place and how and why he found his courage. From then on, Mufasa: The Lion King jumped between the past and present as Rafiki this story, but Timon and Pumbaa seemed to believe there were better tales to tell.

Timon & Pumbaa Confirm There Are More Stories With All The Lion King Characters To Tell

Timon & Pumbaa Teased More Recent Adventures

Timon and Pumbaa once again served as the comedic relief of Mufasa: The Lion King, and every time the movie jumped back to these characters in the present, they had a great deal to say. One of their repeated complaints was that Rafiki’s story didn’t include them. At one point, Timon even mentioned that there are “a lot of stories with all of us,” indicating that Rafiki should tell one of those to Kiara instead.

While this was only a joke, Timon’s words reflected a common complaint leading up to the release of Mufasa: The Lion King—this prequel story didn’t contain enough of The Lion King‘s lovable characters. Surely, there were other adventures that Disney could have explored within the Lion King universe that would have been a cohesive continuation of Simba’s original story. This would have allowed the first CGI photorealistic sequel to include more of Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, and more that were largely unnecessary in Mufasa: The Lion King.

Timon & Pumbaa’s Inclusion Proves Disney Thought Mufasa Needed More Lion King Characters

Mufasa: The Lion King Bent Its Format To Include More Characters

Though Disney chose to dive into the past with its first sequel to 2019’s The Lion King, the writers for Mufasa clearly agreed that the story needed more of the franchise’s original fan-favorite characters. It’s for precisely this reason that the movie was framed the way it was, with Rafiki, Timon, and Pumbaa telling Kiara Mufasa’s story rather than the entire film taking place in the past like a traditional prequel. Mufasa and Scar’s origin tale really didn’t need Timon and Pumbaa, but Disney must have known that such characters would be greatly missed. So, they were worked in.

Mufasa and Scar’s origin tale really didn’t need Timon and Pumbaa, but Disney must have known that such characters would be greatly missed.

The same is more or less true for Kiara, who is a character introduced in the 1998 animated sequel The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. While it was interesting to see how Mufasa’s legacy connected to the future generations of his line, Kiara’s minor adventure in overcoming her fears didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of the story. It seems, instead, that Disney threw in Kiara’s character for those who loved her 1998 movie, which the CGI The Lion King franchise has clearly overwritten.

Disney Should Have Prioritized Other Lion King Movies Over Mufasa

The First CGI Sequel Could Have Organically Contained More Familiar Characters

There’s no question that Mufasa: The Lion King told an intriguing story that needed to be brought to the screen. However, after the success of 2019’s The Lion King, it may have been better if Disney prioritized some of Simba’s other stories instead. This is especially evident since the House of Mouse clearly understood that audiences wanted to see more characters like Simon and Pumbaa or desired to see Kiara brought to the screen in CGI. Rather than squeezing them into a story they didn’t belong, a sequel could have explored their own organic stories.

The most obvious choice would have been a CGI photorealistic version of The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. This direct-to-video sequel to 1994’s The Lion King wouldn’t necessarily have to be adapted line-by-line like in the 2019 movie. Still, it would have been fun to see a true sequel surrounding Kiara and her romantic troubles with the outsider Kovu in some shape or form. From there, Disney would have been free to expand further, and it would have felt less unnatural to leave out characters like Timon and Pumbaa. Of course, Mufasa: The Lion King didn’t take this route. Still, there may be hope for more stories in the future.