Mufasa: The Lion King continues the beloved Disney franchise with frequent Easter eggs and references to previous ones The Lion King installments. This franchise started in 1994 The Lion Kingbut that was far from the end of Pride Rock's tales. Along with several animated sequences, the House of Mouse delved into the world of CGI photorealism, with 2019's The Lion King duplicating Simba's original story in an entirely new medium. Now, Mufasa: The Lion King continued this trend with a sequel and a prequel all in one.
Mufasa: The Lion King features the CGI version of Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara, who adapts Rafiki's story about how his grandfather Mufasa became king of the Pride Lands. As the story jumps between the past and present, it becomes clear that Disney has altered its canonical story. Things went in a different direction than The Lion Kingprequel and sequel stories, including The Lion King II: Simba's Pride or the previous Disney books from the 1990s. Mufasa: The Lion King contains several references to these works within the beloved franchise.
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Tribute to James Earl Jones
Actor James Early Jones memorably lent his voice to Mufasa in 1994 The Lion King film and the 2019 CGI remake. Like a prequel movie Mufasa: The Lion King needed to revamp the character, giving Mufasa the younger voice of Aaron Pierre. However, the 2024 film debuted with Jones' voice as Mufasadelivering some words of comfort to his son before the story officially begins.
Jones' narration was followed by a text paying tribute to the actor, who passed away on September 9, 2024. It was a moving way to remind the audience of the man who made Mufasa so memorable, ensuring that the continuation of this character's story was still honored. Jones.
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The opening scene in the Pride Lands
Perhaps the most iconic scene of 1994 The Lion King is the opening sequence, which shows the animals of the Pride Lands greeting the sun before heading to Pride Rock to welcome baby Simba. The 2019 remake doubled this to spectacular effect and now, Mufasa: The Lion King caught with something similar.
As the beginning of Mufasa: The Lion King welcomes the public to the Pride Lands ruled by SimbaIt's clear that this paradise is just as prosperous as it was under Mufasa. We see many of the same groups of animals, from huge elephants and giraffes to tiny ants scurrying across the ground. The circle of life is still in full swing.
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Kiara – Daughter of Simba and Nala
Mufasa: The Lion King is clearly a different version of the canon than The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. The 2024 sequel begins with Nala ready to give birth to another cub, which never happens in the old direct-to-video sequel. However, Disney didn't abandon every aspect of the 1998 film.
Simba and Nala's daughter is introduced as Kiara in Mufasa: The Lion KingetThat's the same name she had in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. So far, there's no mention of Kovu, and the introduction of Kiara's younger brother further separates these two sequels. Still, Kiara's name was a significant reference for those who loved the original 1998 sequel.
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Timon and Pumbaa Hakuna Matata Jokes
Just like in 1994 The Lion KingTimon and Pumbaa broke the fourth wall in Mufasa: The Lion King. They often made meta jokes to entertain the audience, which was especially fun because it related to their iconic song, “Hakuna Matata.”
In Mufasa: The Lion KingTimon and Pumbaa joked that their musical number in the first film was powerful enough to catch Simba.”singing and dancing“, even when he believed he had just killed his father. Furthermore, they mentioned that they sang the song for six years straightreferring to the fact that “Hakuna Matata” also served as an aging montage for Simba, who was an adult lion when the song ended in The Lion King.
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“He lives in you, he lives in me”
Mufasa: The Lion King often featured original songs by The Lion Kingbut there were also some references to the musical numbers from Lion King musical and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. An example of this is the repeated use of the line “He lives in you, he lives in me”, which appeared in songs or dialogue.
“He Lives in You” is one of the songs on Lion King musical and THE Lion King II: Simba's Prideand although the number itself did not appear, its letter was a frequent presence throughout Mufasa: The Lion King. It was used during Mufasa and Kiara's stories to reference their ancestors' continued place in their hearts.
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Cameo from the song “Circle Of Life”
The song “Circle of Life” perfectly represents The Lion King, as its lyrics and overall tone perfectly match the film's themes. For this reason, it makes sense that the music and lyrics of this song would occasionally appear in Mufasa: The Lion King.
The memorable opening notes of “Circle of Life” can be heard at Mufasa: The Lion King when little Mufasa falls into the water and is pulled under. As he turns and turns, unable to swim, these notes play. It is a demonstration of Mufasa's place in the circle of life and how being swept away by the flood is part of his destiny.
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Taka grabbing Mufasa's paws
Mufasa: The Lion King reveals that Mufasa and Scar were not biological brothers after all. Instead, Scar – originally named Taka – was a young prince who rescued Mufasa from the river after being taken away from his family.
Later in the 2024 film, when Taka is again faced with the choice of saving Mufasa or condemning him, he puts his paws on it in exactly the same way.
When little Taka saved Mufasa's life in Mufasa: The Lion Kinghe pawed at the cub and dug in his claws. Right now, the music changed to match the moment in The Lion King when Scar placed his paws over Mufasa's before pushing his brother off the cliff to his death. Later in the 2024 film, when Taka is again faced with the choice of saving Mufasa or condemning him, he puts his paws on it in exactly the same way.
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Mufasa: Lion King Age-Up montage
The Lion King The famous Simba aged during the song “Hakuna Matata”. He started music when he was a cub and finished it as an adult lion. Now, Mufasa: The Lion King did something similar with the song “I Always Wanted a Brother”.
This reference is interesting because both “Hakuna Matata” and “I Always Wanted a Brother” center on the relationships that Simba and Mufasa form after being separated from their family. Just as Timon and Pumbaa served as Simba's new family, Taka became Mufasa's brother. Of course, This aging montage is bittersweet as the audience knows what Taka and Mufasa will become.
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“Hakuna Mufasa” by Timon and Pumbaa
Timon and Pumbaa referenced their big “Hakuna Matata” moment earlier in Mufasa: The Lion Kingbutthey finally got a scene to perform the musical number. Of course, this time, they changed the lyrics to say “Hakuna Mufasa”.
Naturally, Timon and Pumbaa's silly new song came with a variety of jokes about legal rights and lawsuits. Breaking the fourth wall has always been a significant part of these characters' appealand they maintain this throughout their time in Mufasa: The Lion King.
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The parallels of the elephant stampede
The elephant stampede Mufasa: The Lion King was full of references and parallels to the great stampede that killed Mufasa in The Lion King. First, the soundtrack is highly similar, with several climactic moments from the original film carried over for the 2024 prequel.
Additionally, many individual shots in this scene Mufasa: The Lion King align with moments when The Lion King. Sarabi hanging from a branch parallels little Simba's desperate attempts to stay above the stampede, while Taka looking over the cliff's edge is similar to his later role.
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Timon and Pumbaa Reference The Lion King Musical
The Lion King The Broadway musical debuted in 1997 and has been a huge hit ever since. The costume is exceptionally breathtaking, but Timon and Pumbaa make some jokes about exactly that in Mufasa: The Lion King.
At a certain point in Rafiki's story, Pumbaa mentions the “to play“, and Timão is immediately agitated. He says he has seen this several times and it is presented as a “sock puppet“throughout it. This is a meta reference to the real world The Lion King musical, which uses puppets, among other creative methods of bringing animals to the stage.
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Taka gets his scar
One of the significant questions The Lion King it was where Scar suffered the eponymous injury. THE Lion King adventure book series provided its own explanation in the 1990s. That's when it was first revealed that Scar's real name was Taka, a detail that Mufasa: The Lion King he picked up. However, the 2024 prequel film presented a different explanation for how Taka became Scar.
Mufasa: The Lion King took things in a different direction, and Taka received his scar when he saved Mufasa's life.
Node Lion King books, Taka is scarred when he recklessly disobeys Mufasa's orders and is gored by a buffalo. Mufasa: The Lion King took things in a different direction, and Taka received his scar from saving Mufasa's life (after he himself put his brother in danger to begin with).
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“We Are All One”
At the end of Mufasa: The Lion KingMufasa gives an inspiring speech to Milele's animals, encouraging them to help against the Forsaken instead of sitting back and watching. He says the phrase: “We are all one”, explaining his view that they are all essential parts of the circle of life.
This line is significant because “We Are One” is another song from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. Simba sings this to Kiara to explain his place in the Circle of Life, which brings even more attention to the lessons that began with Mufasa and were passed down through his royal lineage.
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The iconic Lion King logo in the sky
Kiara struggled to be brave in Mufasa: The Lion Kingbut Rafiki's story about Mufasa reminded her where courage really comes from. She climbed to the peak of Pride Rock and roared through the storm, which finally revealed the face of a lion in the clouds – just like when Simba looked up to the sky for his father.
Interestingly, the lion's face seen in the clouds at the end of the Mufasa: The Lion King it wasn't a CGI photorealistic lion. Instead of, was the familiar 2D image that Simba saw in the 1994 film. The proud face also brings to mind the iconic logo of the musical version of The Lion King. It was the perfect reference to end this exciting sequel and prequel in one.