After the live-action reimagining of The Lion King grossed over $1 billion at the box office, it’s no surprise that the Walt Disney Company would want to follow up on its monetary success with another film. Thus, the prequel Mufasa was developed and is now slated to release as part of the 2024 Movie Schedule. Like its 2019 predecessor, the visuals are stunning, and it promises an exciting soundtrack, but I have one issue with the plot and their attempt at making Taka (aka Scar) a redeemable villain.
While Disney has shared a handful of teaser trailers in recent months, including one that assured fans that Timon and Pumba would be returning to the prequel, it wasn’t until D23 that they released the official, full-length trailer. I’ll admit I haven’t been super excited about the prequel story, but after seeing the official trailer, I can’t deny that the film looks and sounds amazing.
Mufasa Is A Visual And Aural Masterpiece
Like the 2019 live-action adaptation, Mufasa will use stunning photo-realistic technology to bring these beloved characters and settings to life. It’s definitely a choice that’s going to lead to a massive budget, but if the prequel performs as well as its predecessor, it will be worth the risk.
In addition to showing off the gorgeous, photo-realistic characters and settings, the trailer also gave fans a glimpse of what to expect in terms of the soundtrack, which Lin-Manuel Miranda is writing. It’s hard to live up to original, often uplifting, songs created by Elton John and Tim Rice, but if anyone can rise to the occasion, it's Miranda, who knows a thing or two about Disney soundtracks after working on Moana and Encanto. The trailer shows us a glimpse of one of the new songs, “I Always Wanted a Brother,” and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since.
But I’m Worried About How They’re Handling Scars Origin Story
For as long as I can remember, Mufasa came from a long line of kings who were always destined to be the ruler and protector of the Pride Lands, while Scar was the spare. However, that origin story is going to change drastically (which isn’t surprising since the 2019 film also made some changes to the animated flick) when Mufasa releases in December. In this version, Taka (aka Scar) is the rightful heir to the throne, and he rescues Mufasa and brings him into his family after learning that he doesn’t have a pride of his own.
This change may not seem like a major deal for the movie itself, but when one looks at the franchise as a whole, it has huge implications since Mufasa does, eventually, become the king. This means that the pride lets an outsider who doesn’t have royal blood rule their kingdom over the rightful ruler, Taka/Scar. My issue with this change is that it makes Scar’s actions in The Lion King redeemable. The death of Mufasa at the hands of his brother is one of the most heartbreaking deaths in Disney history, and now it’s going to be justifiable because Mufasa essentially stole Scar’s role from him.
Giving classic villains tragic backstories to make their actions in the original redeemable seems to be a trend in Disney’s live-action adaptations, and I’m tired of it. Not every character needs a good reason for why they acted the way they did, especially Scar. Sometimes, characters can be villains just because they want to be. If anything, this makes me hate the quintessential moment in The Lion King even more than I already did.
Regardless of my feelings for this plot point, I can’t deny that Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins is creating a visual masterpiece that I will definitely be checking out in theaters on December 20th. Until then, The Lion King fans can stream the live-action 2019 film and the animated classic with an active Disney Plus subscription.
