The Lion King universe is heading back to theatres for a new live-action movie. If you need a refresher before the prequel is released, here’s who Mufasa is.
Barry Jenkins’ new movie, Mufasa, focuses on his story before we watched him in The Lion King
In the live-action remake and the original animated movies, he’s one of Disney’s most beloved characters. Whether it’s been years since you’ve watched The Lion King or you’re curious about how the remakes differ, there’s a lot to parse through.
We’ve broken down the character, his story in the remakes, and who voices him below.
Contents:
- Who is Mufasa?
- Who voices Mufasa?
- Is the Mufasa prequel different from The Lion King?
- Who is older, Mufasa or Scar?
Who is Mufasa?
Mufasa from The Lion King is Simba’s father and the former King of Pride’s Rock.
Regardless of what version you’re watching, Mufasa is Simba’s wise dad and brother to the power-hungry Scar. Mufasa is heir to the throne, with his son next in line after he passes.
He’s characterized as a brave and powerful leader, but also quite strict with his adventurous son. His strength and support in his kingdoms is why, in the original film, Scar had to manipulate and backstab him instead of kill him in a straight-up fight.
Who voices Mufasa in The Lion King?
James Earl Jones voiced Mufasa in The Lion King animated movie and the 2019 remake. Aaron Pierre voices him in the 2024 prequel film.
Earl Jones is best known for lending his voice to masked Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies. His naturally deep tone and cadence made him perfect for The Lion King, who sounds like a wise elder.
Pierre has worked with director Jenkins before on the award-winning series The Underground Railroad. He also starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old.
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Is the Mufasa prequel different from The Lion King?
2024’s prequel frames him as an outsider who came from nothing. This differs from the original 90s film, which implied he came from a noble lineage and was well aware of it.
His power struggle with Scar in the 2019 remake when they’re adults follows the original film’s canon. However, the prequel does take a detour in his origin story: the Mufasa teaser trailer said he was an orphan “without a drop of nobility in his blood.”
This calls into question the later scrap with Scar for the throne, as technically neither of them would have a birthright to the throne. The prequel movie will likely lay out some breadcrumbs to explain how the brothers came to be before the 2019 remake.
Who is older, Mufasa or Scar?
Scar referred to Mufasa as his “older brother”, so Mufasa is older.
This is why he’s seen as the rightful heir to the throne in the original movie and 2019 remake. Scar isn’t just physically weaker, he’s younger too. To be next in line, Scar had to kill or otherwise usurp his brother.
You can watch all the previous iterations of The Lion King on Disney+, but you’ll need to sign up to the streaming service. You can do so by clicking the link below.
If you want to see how these re-imaginings are stacking up, you can find a bunch of them in the highest-grossing movies of all time.
Or, read why we think The Lion King peaked with this underrated sequel. And if you can’t get Mufasa’s fall out of your head, see the other best fight scenes in movies and TV.
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