Mufasa
From The Unofficial DisneyWiki
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Mufasa is a lion who first appeared in Disney's popular 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. He was voiced by James Earl Jones. The name "Mufasa" means "King" in the Manazoto language.
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[edit] The Lion King
A huge, powerful, male lion, Mufasa is the King of the Pride Lands at the start of the The Lion King, father of Simba and mate of Sarabi. He is shown to be a wise and fair ruler, who follows the "Circle of Life". However, his brother Scar is jealous of him and forms a plan to kill Mufasa and Simba so he can be king. Mufasa is ultimately portrayed as an "ideal king", strong, powerful, and kind-hearted, which is contrasted to the deceitfulness and lust for power of Scar.
Scar's first attempt to kill Simba is foiled when Mufasa interferes. He then takes Simba into a cliff-edged gorge and gets him to wait there, alone, while he triggers a large-scale wildebeest stampede directly through where Simba is waiting. Mufasa successfully saves Simba and struggles to climb up a cliff. Scar, waiting for him at the top, pierces Mufasa's paws hard with his claws and lets go after saying, "Long live the king". Simba doesn't see this happen and Scar makes him believe that he (Simba) had caused Mufasa's death.
Ridden with guilt, Simba runs away from the Pride Lands and befriends Timon and Pumbaa in their jungle home. After many years, Simba meets his old friend Nala, who tries to persuade him to return and take his place as king. Simba refuses and runs away from Nala to a field where he encounters the wise mandrill Rafiki. Rafiki takes him to a small, magical pool which brings upon Mufasa's ghost, up in the sky. The ghost tells Simba that he is his only son and the one true King of the Pride Lands. Simba then returns to his homeland, defeats Scar and takes his rightful place as king. In the final scene of the film, Mufasa (again in the clouds) says, "Remember" as Simba stands triumphant on Pride Rock.
[edit] The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
Mufasa makes a couple of brief appearances and dialogue in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
He first appears as an image in the sky again overlooking the presentation ceremony of his granddaughter Kiara.
His next appearance is in Simba's nightmare, where he is seen again clinging to the cliff right before his death. Simba tries to save him but is stopped by Scar, who morphs into Kovu (Kiara's lover and Scar's chosen heir).
He also makes more indirect appearances; it is Mufasa who inspires Rafiki to attempt to bring Kovu and Kiara together in order to avert war between the Pride Landers and Scar's group of loyal lionesses, and, once this plan has been achieved, his voice congratulates Simba as he, Nala, Kovu, and Kiara stand on Pride Rock ("Well done, my son. We are one!").
[edit] The Lion King 1½
In the 2004 direct-to-video interquel The Lion King 1½, Mufasa is seen in three scenes: At the presentation of Simba, in the elephant graveyard on the way to save his son and Nala from the hyenas, and when his ghost is forming from the clouds above the grasslands at night. Unlike the first two films, he doesn't speak any lines, instead, he just roars.
[edit] The Lion King (musical)
Mufasa's role is somewhat expanded in the musical based on the movie. He sings They Live in You (He Lives in You with the lyrics slightly changed) to young Simba in the scene when the two of them are looking up at the stars and discussing the Great Kings of the Past.
There is also an added scene in which Mufasa tells Zazu of his concerns about Simba's daring behavior. Zazu then reminds Mufasa of his early years as a rambunctious cub.
The role of Mufasa on Broadway was originated by Tony award nominee Samuel E. Wright in 1997 and is currently played by Nathaniel Stampley.
[edit] Backstory
Mufasa was the first son and heir of King Ahadi and Queen Uru, as evidenced in a set of prequel books released after the success of The Lion King.
In A Tale of Two Brothers, Scar tried to make a fool out of Mufasa when he was young (see more at Scar's Backstory). The storybook Friends in Need reveals how he met Zazu, his trusted hornbill "majordomo": he saved the bird when he was caught by none other than the three hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed in the elephant graveyard. However, this conflicts with another book How True, Zazu?, in which Zazu becomes steward to the king after Zazu's mother, Zuzu, retires.
[edit] Kingdom Hearts II
In the Disney/Squaresoft video game Kingdom Hearts II, Mufasa appears in Simba's flashback sequences and as a god-like figure in the sky as in the film. Archived recordings of James Earl Jones were used.
[edit] Appearances in other media
At the Disney theme parks, Mufasa was also one of the main characters in "Legend of the Lion King", a former Fantasyland attraction in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, which retold the story of the film using fully-articulated puppets. His face can also be seen in the Hong Kong Disneyland version of It's A Small World.
In the Simpsons episode Round Springfield, Mufasa appears alongside in the clouds with Star Wars character Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, and Bleeding Gums Murphy.
He is one of the guests in the House of Mouse.
[edit] References
| The Lion King | |
|---|---|
| Films | The Lion King | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride | The Lion King 1½ |
| Characters | Ahadi | Kiara | Kopa | Kovu | Ma | Mohatu | Mufasa | Nala | Nuka | Rafiki | Sarabi | Sarafina | Scar | Shenzi, Banzai and Ed | Simba | Timon and Pumbaa | Tojo | Uru | Vitani | Zazu | Zira |
| Songs | "Circle of Life" | "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" | "Be Prepared" | "Hakuna Matata" | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" |
| Books | The Brightest Star | Friends In Need | Six New Adventures |
| Games | The Lion King | Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games | The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure |
| Other media | Original motion picture soundtrack | Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable | Rhythm of the Pride Lands | The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa | Broadway musical | Festival of the Lion King | Festival of the Lion King soundtrack |
| Misc | Kings of the Pride Lands | In popular culture |
| See also | "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" | Kingdom Hearts II | Kimba the White Lion controversy |
fa:موفاسا fr:Mufasa it:Mufasa nl:Mufasa ja:ムファサ no:Mufasa ru:Муфаса
