It is evident that Mufasa It would not exist if, in 2019, The lion king would not have become the highest-grossing animated film of all time. In its day it caused quite a surprise that the film directed by Jon Favreau reached such a position: on the one hand because he was a remake of a title as beloved as the one from 1994, and on the other because its members did not even seem to consider it animation per se.
The lion king was part of that curious set of live-action revisions that Disney has been manufacturing for a few years, taking advantage of nostalgia and hyperrealistic CGI to continue earning millions. So in this lion king We found animals that looked like real ones, starring in a story extremely similar to the one that was inspired by Hamlet. Somehow the move worked, and the House of Mouse foisted him on Barry Jenkins the responsibility of dedicating a prequel to the origins of Mufasa: the imposing father of Simbamurdered as we all know at the hands of his stepbrother Scar.
What may be most curious, then, is not the reason why Jenkins wanted to direct such a blockbuster after his work on the independent scene (and that Oscar that moonlight stole from La La Land), but where does it come from? Mufasa the inspiration for the story with which we now continue The lion king
And in these we find that Mufasadespite having that layout, is not entirely original: it is also based on the animated production prior to Favreau. In a light way, but worth reviewing.
‘The Lion King’ from the 90s also had a sequel
A blockbuster like The lion king in 1994 (thirty years have already passed, which is said to be soon) it was not going to remain without a sequel. What happens is that at that time Disney already had a specific production company to give continuity to its greatest animated hits, so it was DisneyToon who took care of that and made another film four years later from a very nice idea: yes The lion king adapted HamletWouldn’t it be logical to adapt another work by Shakespeare next?
So The Lion King 2: Simba’s Treasure is Romeo and Juliet. Simba’s daughter, Kiarafalls in love with Kovu. This turns out to be related to Scar and therefore to a family of lions rival to Simba’s, so the conflict is served. The lion king 2 It was a direct-to-video film and that explains why it didn’t have much publicity, but it is remembered as the best of this type of sequels (there is practically no Disney classic that did not suffer the “DisneyToon treatment” until this studio closed in 2018), and had a surprising influence before Mufasa.
Without going any further, it turns out that one of his songs (He lives in you) became part of the very successful musical version of The lion kingwhich has been represented beyond broadway all over the world. It was also dropped in Favreau’s version, and although it doesn’t sound in Mufasa that is far from meaning that Simba’s treasure does not have a presence in Jenkins’ film. So it comes to pass that Kiara, Simba’s daughter introduced in the sequel, is a central presence in Mufasa. It is the lion cub to whom Rafiki’s story is directed, telling him about the life of his grandfather. And the character is essentially the same, not just the same name.
Wanting to continue tracking the footprint of Simba’s treasurewe can also find it again in Taka/Scar’s family (which refers to Kovu’s) and in another musical theme: Milele, which is greatly reminiscent of that of Upendi of the video sequel as a paradisiacal place to which the protagonists want to go.
And then there’s ‘The Lion King 3’…
The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matatareleased for video in 2004, is not exactly a third part despite its title in Spanish (the originall The Lion King 1 ½ is more rigorous), as it is a new version of the first film told from the perspective of Timon and Pumbaa. Evidently it is a fundamentally comic film, light years away from the solemnity it pursues. Mufasabut for that same reason it is nice to find that its spirit survives in some way in Jenkins’ film. And Timon and Pumbaa reappear in Mufasa.
They are not part of the central story, but they are with Kiara at the moment when Rafiki initiates the flashback. Simba and Nala have left them in the care of their princess (as happened on the other hand in Simba’s treasure), and they keep interrupting the baboon wondering why they don’t have a role in Mufasa’s story. They continually break the fourth wall, and that call to attention about their “protagonism” is just like the starting point of Hakuna Matata. Which seems very good to us: it was time to vindicate this little film.
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