Warning: This article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion KingMufasa: The Lion King is Disney's newest live-action film, serving as a prequel to the 2019 film The Lion King live action remake. The film differs from the previous entry in the series in that it takes nothing away from Disney's existing animated stories and tells a wholly original story about the origins of Scar and Mufasa, and how they rise to the positions we see during The Lion King. An interesting note about this new Mufasa story is that it shows a completely opposite character arc to Simba's in the original story.
While the characters in Mufasa: The Lion King are largely familiar, the story being told around them is entirely new, a departure from the almost shot-for-shot remake that preceded it, though Mufasareviews of are mixed, very similar to The Lion King's. While the film is by no means perfect, was able to find a new story to tell in this worldtaking Mufasa and making him different enough from Simba until Mufasais ending.
The Lion King prequel confirms that Mufasa wasn't born the heir to the throne like Simba
Mufasa was born without any notion of royalty, unlike Simba
The majority MufasaThe story revolves around the fact that the titular lion was not born into royalty, but was actually from a prideless pack, and was placed in the position of being king because of his actions and who he wasas opposed to the circumstances of his birth. Simba, on the other hand, is obviously a very different story, as he was born when Mufasa was already king and would be given the throne because of his ancestry rather than what he had done.
However, The Lion King It ends up showing that Simba earned the title of king just as much as his father did, which is a great parallel between the two stories, even if the way they got there was very different. Their births couldn't be more oppositeand their personal character arcs are very different from each other, but they end up in the same position, as kings who are loved by their people not just because of who they are, but because of what they have accomplished.
Mufasa and Simba had opposing thoughts about being king due to their different upbringings
Mufasa could wait to be king
Despite their eventual similarities, Mufasa and Simba had very different thoughts about the title of king when they were younger. Although Simba wanted to be king his entire life, which was made obvious by one of the The Lion Kingbest songs, Mufasa never wanted the throne, and part of his character arc is learning to accept that he needs to become king to protect everyone he cares about. Mufasa never saw the need for royalty due to his parents not belonging to a clan, but he was eventually made king.
By making Mufasa the complete opposite of Simba in terms of education, Mufasa: The Lion King managed to feel fresh by repeating some plot and character elements from the original.
This aspect of Mufasa's personality makes his character much more interesting, especially when it will inevitably be compared to Simba's arc from the original film and its remake. If Mufasa and his parents were as excited about becoming royalty as Simba was, then his character and the entire story of the film would simply seem repetitive and boring. By making Mufasa the complete opposite of Simba in terms of education, Mufasa: The Lion King managed to feel fresh by repeating some plot and character elements from the original.
Simba's Lion King arc is very different from his father's in Mufasa
Simba and Mufasa manage to have different arcs with the same result
While there are clearly similarities in Mufasa and Simba's character arcs, they are very different from each other in several ways, beyond the fact that their upbringings were very different. Simba's character enters The Lion King it's mostly about him learning to accept responsibility after distancing himself from all his problems with Timon and Pumbaa, while Mufasa remained more responsible throughout the filmcaring for the people around them while the group was being chased by MufasaThe villain Kiros.
Mufasa's arc is also centered on leadership, but where Simba had to learn to accept responsibility, returning to Pride Rock to face Scar, Mufasa's journey was a constant test of his abilities to lead people rather than accepting his own actions. . . He also needs to learn how to become king, but he goes through a much more constant ordeal throughout his life. Mufasa: The Lion Kingculminating in him being crowned king, where Simba had one more point where he had to prove himself.