With only a few weeks till the premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King, excitement is over the roof amongst fans. Trailers, teasers, and shorts for the movie have started rolling out. The director, Barry Jenkins, revealed that the upcoming animated film is both a prequel and a sequel. The trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King depicts Rafiki’s tale of how Rafiki met Mufasa. We also witness bits of how two brothers, Mufasa and Taka (Scar), gradually became enemies. The movie also introduces a new villain, Kiros, who seeks to overthrow Mufasa and become the ultimate Lion King of the Pride Lands. If you’re confused after watching all the trailers and teasers for the movie, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we provide the trailer breakdown and all the necessary plot information that you missed in the trailer of Mufasa: The Lion King.
Taka (Scar) Saves The Life of Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer
In the trailer, we find Rafiki telling Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa the tale of Mufasa. As he blows the dust from his hand, the movie takes us back to the first time Mufasa and Scar met each other. An unfortunate event separates Mufasa, a young lion cub, from his pride. Although the trailers have not explicitly stated the reason for Mufasa’s estrangement from his pride, we can make an educated guess about it. The blurb section of the book titled “Mufasa: The Lion King Novelization” says that a terrifying flood separated Mufasa from his pride. The book will be released after the movie’s launch. Moving on, Taka finds Mufasa, who is almost unconscious, hanging onto a tree log in a river. Seeing that the Crocodiles are about to attack Mufasa, Taka rushes in to save Mufasa.
Family Dynamics in Taka’s Pride
After saving Mufasa from drowning in the river, Taka introduces him to his mother, Afia. He pleads with Afia to allow Mufasa to join their pride. Afia rejects the idea, saying that her mate and Taka’s father, Obasi, will not accept a stray into the pride. But on further pleading, Afia agreed to take Mufasa to the pride to lodge their plea to Obasi. Back at the pride, King Obasi strictly forbids Taka from letting Mufasa join them since the latter is the odd man out. Such sceptical behaviour is understandable because having a lion cub from another pride leaves room for potential invasions from a rival pride. Also, Taka is the king’s heir and must protect the bloodline. However, Taka pleads again that Mufasa should join them since he saved Mufasa’s life after all.
Mufasa and Taka (Scar): Brothers From Another Mother
The trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King sheds more light on the plot of the movie. We learn about the brotherly relationship between Mufasa and Taka. Although not officially shown in the trailer, we can assume that Taka’s father, Obasi, finally agrees to have Mufasa in their pride. The screen transitions to Mufasa and Taka frolicking across the expansive African grasslands. As the two enjoy playing with each other, Taka tells Mufasa that he always wanted a brother. Taka’s remark is exceptionally ironic given the fact that how quickly their relationship changes in The Lion King (1994). Anyways, the bond between Taka and Mufasa strengthens as both grow up into adult lions.
Invasion of the White Lions and Departure From the Pride
Here comes the twist in the plot of Mufasa: The Lion King! Days pass peacefully until one day, a pack of white lions invades Obasi and his pride. The pride of white lions has been named The Outsiders in the movie. The leader of The Outsiders is called Kiros, and he wages war against Obasi in the movie Mufasa: The Lion King. Afia, sensing the impending death of their pride, asks Mufasa and Taka to leave and find their place in the great Circle of Life. We can assume that this is how Mufasa learned about the Circle of Life philosophy.
Why White Lions as Villains
While the choice of white lions as villains seems normal, however, it is not. In the mid-1960s, a Japanese TV series named Kimba: The White Lion (also known as Jungle Emperor Leo) was released. When The Lion King (1994) premiered, fans quickly pointed out the similarities between the two. In 1997, a Japanese animator who worked in The Lion King stated that the similarities between The Lion King and the Jungle Emperor amazed him immensely. This caused the 1994 movie a minor backlash. So did the scriptwriters of Mufasa: The Lion King willfully choose white lions as villains? Or is it just a coincidence? While we cannot provide answers, the incident is interesting and worth keeping in mind.
Mufasa Meeting With Zazu and Sarabi in Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer
Mufasa and Taka set off on a perilous journey to search for a new home. However, only two lions do not make a pride. Hence, the duo are also looking for a new family to set up their kingdom. One evening, the duo feels the presence of another wild animal stealthily following them. When confronted, the wild animal reveals itself to be a lioness named Sarabi. Does that name sound familiar? Well, Sarabi is Mufasa’s future wife, as depicted in The Lion King (1994). Anyways, Sarabi further informs them that she got separated from her pride. After the two brothers introduce themselves, Mufasa informs her that Taka will start a new kingdom.
Taka takes the opportunity to ask Sarabi to join them since she is lost and alone in the wildlands. Before Sarabi could answer, a voice corrected them, saying that Sarabi had him to protect her. A small red-billed hornbill spawns out of nowhere. Sarabi introduces the bird as Zazu, her scout, to Mufasa and Taka, asking them not to eat him. Thus, with nowhere left to go, Zazu and Sarabi join Mufasa and Taka’s cause of finding a new home and set off.
Mufasa, Taka and Team Meeting With Rafiki
Next, the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King shows glimpses of the journey of the three lions and a bird. However, the plot of Mufasa: The Lion King movie takes a different turn. Although Zazu helps them with his bird’s eye view, the team loses its way. With no food for days, the team is crestfallen. However, a weird-looking baboon holding a wooden staff pops out of nowhere. The baboon is a mandrill named Rafiki, although he is much younger now. Rafiki informs them that he knows where the team should head over to and joins them on their journey. However, Taka has always set his eyes on Rafiki as a source of food. The mandrill calmly says that if they eat him, they will never reach their destination. Hence, Mufasa stops Taka from eating Rafiki.
Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer – Journey To The Pride Rock
The trailers and teasers for the upcoming movie show the long and enduring journey that Mufasa and his team made to reach the Pridelands. The trailers also unveil a diverse range of biomes, including snowy landscapes, majestic mountains, and maze-like valleys, which the group has to overcome. The description of the upcoming book titled The Lion King Novelization informs us that Mufasa and his team are seeking a place known as Milele. Milele is a paradise-like place in the African savannah in which all creatures can live in harmony. Maybe Milele is the name of Mufasa’s kingdom in The Lion King (1994) before he renamed it The Pride Lands.
Second Invasion of The Outsiders and Enemity of Mufasa and Scar
In the official trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, Kiros and the Outsiders do not give up. Hungry for ultimate power and authority over everything, the pride follows Mufasa and his team to their new home. In the meantime, Mufasa and Taka have managed to unite all creatures in the Pride Lands. This results in an epic battle between two factions for the title of The Lion King – Kiros and his group of power-hungry, ambitious white lions and Mufasa and his army of wild animals.
Now, this is not the end yet as fans find cracks in the bond between Mufasa and Taka. In a teaser, Taka, now having his iconic scar on his left eye, confronts Mufasa accusing him of stealing his destiny. Here, Taka’s destiny is to rule as the Lion King since Obasi is his bloodline. In the mentioned scene, we also find a white lion steering behind Scar. So maybe Scar betrays Mufasa and takes the aid of the Outsiders to overthrow Mufasa. However, that’s just a speculation, and we have to wait for the movie’s premiere.
Details That You Missed in the Trailer
While the trailer and teasers are quite straightforward to understand, much of the plot, Mufasa: The Lion King, is left unanswered. In the official trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King, we find Timon and Pumbaa engaged in a skirmish with Scar. The scene is confusing from a chronological perspective. The movie Mufasa: The Lion King is both a prequel and a sequel to The Lion King (1994/2019). Hence, it’s weird how Timon and Pumbaa end up fighting Scar since they were not even born when Mufasa and Taka came to the Pride Lands for the first time.
Now, do you remember the scene in The Lion King when Simba looks up at the sky and sees his father, Mufasa? We have a similar scene in the trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King in which Mufasa looks up at the night sky and catches a glimpse of his father, Masego. Maybe, the movie will unveil who passed down the wisdom to Mufasa.