Mufasa’s Trailer Retcons One Of The Lion King’s Best Scenes & I Don’t Like It

Summary

• The Mufasa trailer confirms many details about the prequel story, including his rise to power and the inclusion of popular Lion King characters.
• However, changes to Mufasa’s backstory, like being an orphan without nobility, risk undermining key themes and moments from the original film.
• While Mufasa could still avoid completely retconning The Lion King’s story, the prequel must balance honoring the original while expanding its world.

The first trailer for Disney’s The Lion King prequel, He is a foolhas revealed some important details about the movie’s story, but also retconned one of the original movie’s most poignant and important scenes. After the character’s original appearance in the 1994 animated movie and the live-action remake, He is a fool will offer an in-depth look at the legendary lion’s rise to power – establishing the dynasty that eventually leads to Simba. However, while this story will be compelling for long-term fans of the series, several key details don’t sit neatly with the established narrative.

The He is a fool trailer confirms several previously teased aspects of the story. John Kani, reprising his role as Rafiki from Jon Favreau’s 2019 The Lion King remake, acts as narrator, explaining how the movie will chronicle Mufasa’s ascension to the throne at Pride Rock. Many popular Lion King characters also feature, including Zazu and a young version of Sarabi. However, while the teaser hints at how the film can make The Lion King‘s world even more vibrant, Kani’s narration has already undermined a previously pivotal moment in the franchise.

How Mufasa Retcons The Lion King’s “Look At The Stars” Scene

In the original Lion KingMufasa shares some crucial wisdom with his son Simba in the aftermath of the elephant graveyard escape, explaining how the “great kings of the past” look down from the stars, acting as a guide to those in need. It is a powerful moment that only becomes more impactful when Mufasa tragically dies. When Simba is at his lowest ebb, he finds solace in being able to turn to his father’s advice, finally being able to fulfill his destiny and draw on the strength of generations before him. However, despite the scene’s central thematic and narrative role in The Lion King, the He is a fool trailer has already retconned this moment.

Rafiki’s narration reveals that Mufasa “was born without a drop of nobility in his blood“. This clashes with the message of his previous exchange with Simba, where it was strongly implied that Mufasa was related to the “great kings” in the stars. Furthermore, Disney has confirmed that Mufasa was an orphan – a development that undercuts the idea that his father told him about the “great kings” connection. As a result, He is a fool has already undone one of The Lion King‘s most celebrated scenes, removing the concept of generational wisdom from the story and making it less powerful.

Why Mufasa Retconning The Lion King Is A Problem

Changing Mufasa’s backstory has serious implications for the entire Lion King saga, retrospectively damaging the original movie’s legacy. From a thematic point of view, one of the most important concepts in the film is the idea of destiny. Until seeing a vision of his father, Simba is desperate to avoid accepting who he is and was born to be. It is only when he accesses the ancestral memory of generations of kings before him that he comes to accept his identity and discovers the strength to fight Scar. In making Mufasa an orphan “without a drop of nobility“, the movie risks subverting this theme.

…undercutting
The Lion King
can have real consequences for the narrative cohesiveness of the whole franchise

There are also narrative reasons why such an approach doesn’t make sense. Most notably, turning Mufasa into an obscure orphan raises serious questions about Scar’s Lion King story. If Mufasa comes from nowhere, it raises serious questions as to why Scar would feel so entitled to inherit the kingdom before Simba’s birth. Moreover, the issue of Mufasa being an orphan while Scar is seemingly absent raises further questions about their relationship – just one example of how undercutting The Lion King can have real consequences for the narrative cohesiveness of the whole franchise.

How Mufasa Could Still Avoid Completely Retconning The Lion King

While Rafiki’s “nobility” line seems to suggest that He is a fool is fundamentally changing The Lion King‘s origins, there are ways that the movie can avoid completely undoing the movie’s story. For instance, even if Mufasa is orphaned, the film can still show an early exchange between him and his father where the “great kings” are referenced, acknowledging the significance of the original scene. Furthermore, there’s nothing explicitly in The Lion King to suggest that all the great kings are indeed related to Mufasa (despite the strong implication), so as long as the young lion has some contact with them, He is a fool won’t completely contradict the story.

Whatever approach the movie takes, the established facts of Mufasa’s origins mean that it is already challenging the audience’s preconceived understanding of Simba’s family. Considering how pivotal heritage, history, and destiny are to the original Lion Kingthe movie must be careful to avoid setting up unnecessary contradictions. Even though there are ways that the story can avoid retconning the main Lion King story, in changing the emotional impact of moments like the “look at the stars” scene He is a fool might undermine the narrative’s powerful subtext.