POV: 6 reasons why I cannot wait to watch 'Mufasa: The Lion King' this December!

Lion King is one of the most iconic Disney films to ever exist and now that we’re getting to see a prequel of how it all began, I simply cannot keep my calm!

Just like for many kids from my generation, Lion King is also my ultimate favorite Disney movie of all time! I know every song, every scene, every dialogue by heart like I watched it just yesterday. The story hits the same no matter how many times I watch it.  One of the most prominent characters of the film, Mufasa had an aura around him and a depth in his voice that just exudes wisdom while also portraying that he is not somebody to be messed with. But we all know how his evil brother Scar plans his fatal death. While we know how Mufasa and Scar's arcs end, we have no clue what they were like as mere cubs and this prequel will give us much needed insight into that.

The Mufasa trailer was dropped over the weekend at D23 where Disney announced its entire slate of content for the next two years. In the trailer, we see Rafiki narrating Mufasa’s story to a young Kiara (Simba’s daughter), Timon and Pumba. We go back in time and see cubs, Mufasa and Scar who were called ‘Taka’ back then. It's the story of how Mufasa was adopted by the current King’s family and how, after his death, he and Taka go from being the best brothers to the worst enemies. The cast who has voiced these characters includes Aaron Pierre as the older version of Mufasa, Braelyn Rankins as the younger Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison as the older version of Taka and Theo Somolu as the younger Taka. John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogan as Pumba, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe who is Taka’s mother and Mufasa’s adoptive mother, Lennie James as Obasi, their father and the king of the jungle. Beyonce as Nala and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter plays Kiara. The film will be released on Christmas Day.

Also Read: A love letter to the magic of Disney movies that will never grow out of me

Apart from the star studded cast, here’s why I really cannot wait to watch the film on the big screen!

We get an entire back story on Mufasa and Scar

Everyone has known Mufasa and Scar as rivals but after watching the trailer I was shocked to know that it was in fact Scar who let Mufasa into his family. Before all of this rivalry, the two were actually inseparable as best friends. It's the story of their youth, their journey as lions and I cannot wait to see how Mufasa actually ended up as the king when he does not have a drop of nobility in him.

The Hindi version is being dubbed by Shah Rukh Khan and his sons

Of course it only makes sense for the king of Bollywood to voice the king of the jungle in this story. The live action version of Lion King which released in 2019 also had Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan play Mufasa and Simba but this time around the pack is going to be complete with Shah Rukh’s younger son, Abram voicing the younger version of Mufasa in the Hindi version of the film.

This is Scar’s origin story

Scar is one of the most feared villains in Disney's history simply because we never knew what his twisted mind was upto next and of course the scar on his face. But before we hate on him as always, this film is a good way to get to know him before he had any malice in his mind. I am going to have to get used to the fact that he was called Taka because that was his actual name and let’s not forget this movie will have that iconic moment where he gets that scar on his eye and his identity is changed forever.

This is exactly the kind of nostalgia all of us have been craving for!

We 90s kids love some goold ol' nostalgia and this film's trailer does just that by taking me back to my childhood. It makes me reminisce about the day I first watched Lion King and how I fell in love with it. There are multiple life lessons that I took from the film like how we all play a part in the ‘circle of life’ or the best one being ‘Hakuna Matata- It means no worries!’. The story is an embodiment of good over evil and gives you hope that the truth will always prevail. You best believe I’ll be re-watching both the parts over the long weekend!

We get to compare the movie and the novel

While Lion King is an original story by Disney, after the film’s success, Alex Simmon’s wrote a novel called the ‘Tale of Two Brothers’ where he wrote about Mufasa and Scar’s childhood and their relationship with their father. In the book, Mufasa was never adopted, he was biologically his elder sibling and had more physical strength than Scar did. Hence their father was more biased towards Mufasa. The book also mentioned Scar having a very troubled relationship with his father ‘Ahadi’ who is renamed as Obasi in the upcoming film. It would be rather interesting to see how much of the book is kept intact here and how much has changed.

The songs already sound like something we’d love!

One of the best things about Lion King is the fact that it's a musical. Even today, when I hear the songs, I instantly feel-good, especially after a long day at work. I'm beyond excited to see, how with Mufasa, Disney takes that musical legacy forward. From whatever we have heard in the trailer, the songs sound like something that'll make us cry.

Are you excited for this film this December? Let us know in the comments below!

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.