Mufasa Hints The Movie Is Ignoring Its Best Prequel Story

The trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King offers a glimpse of what viewers can expect from the upcoming movie, but it also hints that the Disney spinoff is ignoring its best prequel story. The studio’s live-action Mufasa movie will dig into the history of Simba’s father from The Lion King, serving as both a prequel and sequel about the character. It will show how he came to rule Pride Rock, following the lion from his childhood into his adult years — and seemingly showing how he first met Lion King characters like Rafiki and Sarabi.

While the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King shows plenty of interactions between the title character and other animals in the Pride Lands, one familiar face is notably absent from most of the footage. This suggests that the Mufasa movie won’t explore one of the most interesting elements of Mufasa’s rise to power. That’s a shame, as that storyline is easily the most compelling part of Mufasa’s backstory, and it would give the upcoming movie a stronger connection to The Lion King.

Mufasa’s Trailer Basically Ignores Scar’s Story

This Is Surprising Given The Effect Mufasa’s Rise To Power Has On Him

It could be intentionally excluding scenes related to Scar, but Mufasa‘s trailer essentially ignores its title character’s brother. The footage offers a brief look at a younger version of Scar, but it doesn’t show much more of him. This is somewhat surprising, as the plot of The Lion King revolves around Scar usurping Mufasa’s throne. The original movie makes it clear that Mufasa’s brother has resented him for a long time, so one would expect his backstory to feature Scar prominently. Watch the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King below:

The fact that the upcoming spinoff will include Mufasa’s rise to power makes Scar’s absence even more surprising. After all, 2019’s live-action Lion King sees Scar challenging Mufasa for the throne. And while their relationship seems tense from the jump, it’s clear that things take a darker turn for them after Mufasa becomes king. The impact Mufasa’s journey has on Scar is one of the most interesting elements of The Lion King‘s backstory. It’s difficult to imagine how a Mufasa movie could ignore it. In fact, Mufasa: The Lion King would be making a mistake by overlooking Scar’s story.

Scar Is A Much More Interesting Character Than Mufasa

The Lion King’s Villain Has More Personality

Mufasa: The Lion King needs to cover Scar’s story because of its importance in the franchise’s narrative. However, it’s also worth digging into the villain’s backstory because he’s such an interesting character. One could argue that Scar is more compelling than Mufasa despite his many flaws. Scar has more personality than his brother in the animated and live-action Lion King movies, which showcase his wit and humor. His anger and resentment also make him a more intriguing character to follow, giving him more layers than most of the other lions in the Disney franchise.

It’s possible the upcoming Mufasa movie will give its lead more to work with, as he won’t be as grown up as he is in The Lion King. Mufasa wasn’t always the responsible father Simba looks up to, and the initial footage already shows less maturity during his younger years. The trailer’s suggestion that he takes the throne despite his lack of royalty also suggests there’s a side to Mufasa viewers haven’t seen yet. But even if Disney’s 2024 spinoff characterizes its lead with more nuance, his arc likely won’t be as intriguing as Scar’s descent into villainy.

A Scar Prequel Could Have Followed A $1.25 Billion Franchise Success

Maleficent Proves Villain Movies Have Potential

Scar’s actions in The Lion King suggest that Disney is making a prequel about the wrong character, as a Scar movie might have fared even better than a Mufasa one. It’s clear that villain backstories make for great films, and Angelina Jolie’s $1.2 billion Maleficent franchise proves their box office potential. With The Lion King being more popular than Sleeping Beauty, there’s little doubt that a Scar prequel would perform on par with the Maleficent movies — if not better. Unless 2024’s Mufasa has a really fresh approach to the original character, it’s hard to see it comparing.

Of course, any addition to The Lion King franchise is bound to do well in theaters, so Mufasa is still likely to be a success. Viewers will feel the absence of Scar if the film doesn’t feature him prominently, though, so hopefully the trailer isn’t indicative of his involvement. If Scar isn’t around much, fans will be left to wonder whether a prequel about the villain and his brother would have done better than Mufasa: The Lion King. Simba’s father is a beloved character, but his uncle is the one with the gripping backstory.

Mufasa: The Lion King

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.

Director

Barry Jenkins

Release Date

December 20, 2024

Writers

Jeff Nathanson

Cast

Seth Rogen , Billy Eichner , Kelvin Harrison Jr. , Aaron Pierre , John Kani

Main Genre

Adventure

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