10 Most Exciting Things To Expect From Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King is coming, and there is much to look forward to. The upcoming film is a sequel to the 2019 CGI remake of The Lion King, and it will continue Simba’s story while also filling audiences in on the wise King Mufasa’s past. News of Mufasa: The Lion King was no surprise since its predecessor brought in a whopping $1.7 billion at the global box office. Now, the new movie looks as if it could take the legacy of this beloved franchise even further.

Though Mufasa died in The Lion King, his character served as the story’s driving force. His wisdom was foundational in Simba’s story, and the idea that the king lived on forever in his son (and future descendants) served as the heartwarming theme that resonated with audiences of all ages. Still, a lot remained unsaid about who Mufasa was and who he had been before he was Simba’s father. These are questions that Mufasa: The Lion King seeks to answer, but based on the movie’s trailer, there is much more to anticipate than just this.

10 Mufasa: The Lion King Is A Sequel & Prequel In One

The New Lion King Movie Will Go Both Forward & Backward In Time

Mufasa: The Lion King will dive into Mufasa’s past and continue Simba’s story simultaneously. The trailer indicates that the mandrill Rafiki will narrate Mufasa’s story, telling Simba’s daughter, Kiara, all about the wise grandfather she never met. It can be assumed that Simba will face conflict within his tale as this story plays out. This past-and-present dynamic should make for an intriguing hook for the upcoming film, as it will expand the story in two directions, creating an even more immersive world.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that the primary story of The Lion King got a sequel. The original 1994 movie continued with The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, a direct-to-video release from 1998. In this film, a pack of lions who had been loyal to Scar and therefore banished from the Pride Lands waged war against Simba, with the leader, Zira, using her son Kovu to get close to Princess Kiara. It’s unclear how much of this story will come into play in Mufasa: The Lion King, though the presence of Kiara indicates Simba’s Pride hasn’t been forgotten.

9 Disney Has Improved Its CGI Photorealism

The Trailer For Mufasa: The Lion King Looks Breathtaking

The 2019 The Lion King was groundbreaking in its own right. Though Disney had already been adapting many of its animated classics into live-action movies, The Lion King presented a unique challenge since its characters are exclusively animals. The studio went with a CGI photorealistic approach, and the many colorful creatures within Simba’s story looked astoundingly realistic on screen. However, there were some problems. There were complaints that the animals in The Lion King still looked off at times, and their eyes especially gave away the fact that they weren’t real.

Based on the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, Disney has really raised the bar with the sequel. The animals are far more expressive than they had seemed in the 2019 movie, and the detail in their fur and eyes is unparalleled in CGI photorealism. The characters look far more emotive, which minimizes that uncomfortable “uncanny valley” effect. Then, the sceneries, which were already near perfect in 2019’s The Lion King, have been made even more impressive and breathtaking.

8 Mufasa: The Lion King Features New Music By Lin-Manuel Miranda

The Musician Behind Encanto & Moana Has Contributed New Songs To The Lion King Prequel

The original The Lion King score was composed by legend Hans Zimmer with additional songs by Elton John, allowing the music of the 1994 movie to remain iconic for decades. Disney’s 2019 movie continued with this same score and musical numbers, remastered to be of an even larger scale. However, Mufasa: The Lion King must forge its own path. While the movie will indeed have the essence of Zimmer’s score, it needs fresh and new musical numbers. Luckily, Disney has the best possible person for the job.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has become the golden boy of Disney Studios, having written the songs for movies like Moana and Encanto. The numbers for these films are critically acclaimed and award-winning, and it seems that anything Miranda touches immediately turns to gold. Though the Mufasa: The Lion King trailer doesn’t tease any of these new songs, the fact that Miranda was behind the wheel in this regard means something to look forward to.

7 Much Of The Lion King’s 2019 Cast Is Returning

Donald Glover, Beyonce, Seth Rogan, Billy Eichner & More Have Returned

Since Mufasa: The Lion King will explore Mufasa’s past, many new names have been added to the cast list. Aaron Pierre (Foe) will voice this younger version of Mufasa, with Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Chevalier) lending his voice to Scar and Tiffany Boone (The Chi) taking on the role of Sarabi. Other new cast members include Thandiwe Newton, Keith David, Anika Noni Rose, Lennie James, and Blue Ivy Carter (Beyonce’s daughter) as Kiara.

However, one of the benefits of the Lion King prequel doubling as a sequel is that many of the original actors from the 2019 movie are returning as well. Donald Glover will again play Simba, with Beyonce lending her beautiful voice as Nala. John Kani, who played Rafiki in 2019’s The Lion King, will reprise his role and also serve as the film’s narrator. Then, of course, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan will again be the voices of Timon and Pumbaa, respectively.

6 Mufasa’s Story Will Begin In A New Setting

Mufasa: The Lion King Reveals That Mufasa Wasn’t Born In The Pride Lands

Up to now, The Lion King has been set within the Pride Lands and its surrounding regions, but the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King reveals this will no longer be the case. One of the greater surprises of the teaser is that Mufasa wasn’t born in the Pride Lands and had instead been raised in a frigid mountainous home. The trailer begins with Rafiki saying, “This story begins far beyond the mountains and the shadows,” with a snow and icicle-covered cave spanning across the screen. It contrasts the green oasis that would be Mufasa’s home in The Lion King.

It can be assumed that a significant aspect of Mufasa: The Lion King‘s plot is how the Pride Lands were established, with a young Mufasa no doubt playing a role in this. If this future lion king led the pride to a home of peace and abundance, then it’s no wonder that his people loved him, which adds another layer of interest to Scar’s jealousy. Overall, this should be a much-needed distinction between Simba’s story arc in The Lion King and that of Mufasa in the 2024 prequel movie.

5 Mufasa: The Lion King Features A Young Rafiki

The New Lion King Movie Will Further Explore Rafiki’s Character

Rafiki serves as the mysterious and wise advisor to the king in The Lion King, but very little is known about his character. He seems almost like an omniscient spirit in the original story, less a character and more a guiding, formulaic force who connects the audience with this animal world. However, it seems that Mufasa: The Lion King will change this by giving Rafiki a backstory of his very own.

The trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King shows a much smaller and younger Rafiki with a group of other mandrills. Later, the little ape is seen holding a smaller version of his Lion King staff, holding a hand out toward Mufasa’s chest. Based on this, it seems that audiences will get to see the friendship develop between these two characters, but the fact that Rafiki never had family in The Lion King makes these teased scenes even more intriguing. It may be interesting to see what happens to the other mandrills and how this character became an essential figure within lion royalty.

4 Mufasa & Sarabi’s Story Will Be Further Explored

Sarabi Will Be A More Prominent Character In Mufasa: The Lion King

Sarabi was only superficially featured in the 1994 The Lion King movie. She was Simba’s mother, and she held her own against Scar for as long as she could, but there wasn’t much more to her story. However, 2019’s The Lion King remake subtly added more flavor to this character. While Simba was gone, Scar mentioned that Sarabi had chosen Mufasa over him and offered her the chance to repair this “mistake.” This presented several questions about the history between these lions, and it looks like Mufasa: The Lion King will come up with some answers.

Tiffany Boone is credited as the voice of Sarabi in Mufasa: The Lion King, so it’s evident that this character will be featured in the upcoming film. Given the story teaser in The Lion King, we will see the complicated relationship between Sarabi, Mufasa, and Scar. It will be interesting to see who this character is, how she was involved with Scar in her younger years, and how this impacted the rivalry between the two brothers.

3 Simba And Nala’s Daughter Kiara Will Be Featured

Kiara From The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Is In Mufasa: The Lion King

When it was announced that the 2019 The Lion King would be getting a CGI photorealistic sequel, a frequent question was if the movie would be based on the story of The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. This animated sequel was a surprising success for a direct-to-video release. However, there were some problems with the story of Simba’s Pride. The sudden reveal that there had been lions loyal to Scar was a little jolting since none were shown in the original movie. Additionally, the claim that Kovu wasn’t Scar’s son never made much sense.

Ultimately, it makes sense that Disney’s new Lion King sequel would go in a different direction than Simba’s Pride. However, the reveal that certain features from this film will be included in Mufasa: The Lion King is excellent news. Kiara has become a beloved character within the canon franchise, and it will be exciting to see her CGI photorealistic counterpart on the screen, especially if her relationship with Simba is just as contentious. In that case, it will make for an interesting dynamic in the upcoming movie, and the fact that Kiara is being voiced by Beyonce’s real-world daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, makes this all the more exciting.

2 Mufasa Will Somehow Become Royalty In Mufasa: The Lion King

The New Lion King Movie Reveals Mufasa Wasn’t Born A Prince

Another surprise of the Mufasa: The Lion King trailer is that Mufasa wasn’t born a prince. Rafiki states in his narration that “a lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood; a lion who would change our lives forever.” This indicates that Mufasa would grow to lead his people to a better life and be elevated to king. This retcons what has been established in The Lion King since Mufasa had told Simba that his ancestors—the kings of the past—were looking down on him from the stars. This contradiction itself makes the upcoming movie more intriguing.

It’s possible that Simba never knew that his father wasn’t born a king since Mufasa seemed to have purposely misled him in this regard. Mufasa: The Lion King may explain why this is and provide further details about what the wise king meant when he claimed his ancestors were kings. What’s more, a significant concern leading up to the prequel is that Mufasa’s story would too closely resemble Simba’s, but a leader liberating his people from a harsh, cruel life should be enough of a change to keep Mufasa unique.

1 We Can Finally See The Rivalry Between Scar & Mufasa Develop

Mufasa: The Lion King Will Finally Answer The Questions Surrounding Mufasa & Scar’s Rivalry

One of the more significant questions surrounding The Lion King is how Scar and Mufasa’s relationship had deteriorated. Mufasa seemed to love his brother in the original story, and despite his lousy attitude and clear desire to dethrone his brother, the king continued to trust him. Mufasa was a wise king but was oblivious to his brother’s true nature. There must be something behind this—a reason that Mufasa would hold out hope for Scar and that Scar would despise his brother so much.

A Lion King prequel following Mufasa’s past will have no choice but to address these questions. We will finally see the relationship between these two brothers when they were young and precisely what broke between them. Additionally, the moment in which Scar got his iconic scar may play out on screen, allowing Mufasa: The Lion King to not only serve as Mufasa’s story but also as Scar’s dark origin.

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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