'Mufasa: The Lion King' shows

The prequel to Disney’s 2019 live-action remake (well, let’s call it a realistic animated remake) of ‘The Lion King’, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, is set to hit theaters. This prequel guarantees a success similar to its predecessor, but it raises questions about the originality of recent releases and the public’s options.

Numbers. ‘The Lion King’ cost 260 million dollars and grossed 1.657 billion worldwide. For a film that ranks 10th in box office history, these numbers are staggering. Only ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (in this vein that Disney discovered with ‘Alice in Wonderland’) outperforms it with 1.266 billion in box office take of 25th place.

Expect roars. As it must, ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ aims to match or exceed those numbers. It needs a good opening weekend, and US revenue forecasts are around 66 million dollars, which puts it in a good position. Better than ‘Sonic 3’, its main holiday rival, which aims for 50 million in its first weekend.

Same old thing. However, ‘Mufasa’ is another example of a trend we’ve been seeing recently and which we discussed a few weeks ago when we noted that the year’s ten highest-grossing films were all sequels (with the exception of ‘Wicked’, which is neither a sequel nor an original). It’s unclear if ‘Mufasa’ will make that top, but it’s clear that people don’t want to see original products.

Time to review. Hollywood must examine its productions for this issue. Because it is a problem: relying on past successes without creating new ones can be costly. Even ‘Mufasa”s soundtrack references The Lion King. Renewing audiences and stories requires new blood. How far can adults who saw the original Disney films as children take their kids to see new versions? How many stories can the Sonic franchise (which just announced a fourth installment) tell before it becomes clear that, as fun as his films are, he has only one trick?

The twisty sequel path. The true nature of ‘Mufasa’ shows Hollywood’s derivative situation. It’s a live-action or realistically animated prequel to a 1994 animated film (whose originality can also be questioned, but let’s stop here). Additionally, ‘Mufasa’ has scenes set after the original film, making it not a prequel. A mess of timelines, none of which propose what the mainstream needs most: a breath of fresh air.

The Lion King’s new Mufasa prequel shows a major difference between Simba’s kingship and his father’s. The 2024 film reveals how Mufasa and Scar met and why Scar was so bitter toward him as a child. The prequel also shows how Simba and Mufasa started their reigns differently, particularly in regards to Scar and his legacy.

Mufasa: The Lion King ends with Mufasa defeating Kiros and his Outsiders. He becomes the Pride Lands’ new king, even though Taka, Mufasa’s brother and Scar, was supposed to be king. Mufasa must make a decision after Taka’s betrayal, which his son Simba would later make when he rules. Simba makes a different choice than his father in The Lion King II.

Taka was furious that Sarabi chose Mufasa over him in Mufasa: The Lion King, believing his adopted brother, whom he saved as a cub, had betrayed him. Taka betrayed Mufasa by joining Kiros and the Outsiders to kill him. In the Pride Landers’ first battle with the Outsiders, Taka expressed regret for his actions and joined Mufasa against Kiros, who gave him his iconic scar.

After Taka’s actions, Mufasa was pressured to exile him. Despite renaming Taka Scar, Mufasa promised his brother a place by his side as long as he was king. This permanently reminded Scar of Taka’s transgressions, likely fueling his resentment of his brother.

‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ shows

By ki0nk

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