When Mufasa: The Lion King dropped its first trailer in April, Scar’s storyline was notably absent in the prequel. However, Taka aka Scar appears in the new trailer released at D23’s Friday night presentation and a young Scar has a major role in the film. While fans expected to see a brother growing jealous of Mufasa’s ascend to power, the trailer completely threw us off with the good guy Taka.
Barry Jenkins managed to grab the audience’s sympathy for a character, whom fans have despised for years. The trailer shows Taka first meeting Mufasa, an orphan who’s lost. Taka wants to take him along as a brother, despite opposition from everyone, including his parents, since he is supposed to be the future king.
Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer Shows A Different Side of Scar Whom Fans Root For
The trailer of the upcoming Mufasa: The Lion King was released at D23 and the footage showed the childhood relationship between Mufasa and Scar aka Taka. Taka is shown as a kind-hearted young cub, reminding fans of Simba from the first film. The two cubs are playing in the initial scenes in the trailer as Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s I Always Wanted a Brother plays in the background.
Taka is the future king of the land and his parents don’t want him running around with another cub, much less adopt Mufasa as his brother. Taka wants Mufasa to feel at home and the whole trailer gives fans this beautiful friendship between them. As expected, the trailer managed to sway at least some fans who earlier believed Scar to be an absolutely despicable character.
Fans came to recognize that Scar had always been the rightful heir to the Pridelands. Some of them have even turned against Mufasa, whom they accuse of betraying Taka. Fans couldn’t believe that they could now see some justification for Scar’s actions in The Lion King.
However, some fans also pointed out that this new storyline in Mufasa was a rewriting of the actual origin story, where Scar was never the good guy. One fan shared that the origin story had it that Mufasa and his siblings were always royals, with him being the eldest. Fans will have to see the film to figure out where the duo’s storyline is headed. Some of the fan reactions read:
So Mufasa was an orphan and Scar saved him & got the pact to accept him & somehow he ended up as the Lion King? I would’ve killed his ass too https://t.co/ehimqKG7yx
— I appreciate you. (@DeeLaSheeArt) August 10, 2024
he is a Usurper???…justice for the one true King Scar, first of his name! pic.twitter.com/xIkBcp6EEm
— Divaerys Targaryen (@LibertyDrycarys) August 10, 2024
*gasp* what if Mufasa is the one who gave him the scar 😭
— gg (@gr6teful) August 10, 2024
It’s an unnecessary change to their origin that like you said, makes Scar’s position and actions seem reasonable.
— ThatDudeCurtis (@ThatDudeCurtis) August 10, 2024
the orig story had Mufasa and his sibling as royals, with Mufasa being the eldest, and it’s such a bummer they altered that
— alina 👼 (@iamalinaviolet) August 10, 2024
The trailer begins with a narration from Rafiki the mandrill, who tells Kiara about her grandfather Mufasa’s story. Fans also got to see the formidable villain in the trailer Kiros, played by Mads Mikkelsen, the leader of a pride of white lions.
What To Know More About Mufasa: The Lion King
Aaron Pierre will voice the titular character in the film, while Kelvin Harrison Jr. voices Taka. Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Kani, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reprise their respective roles from the 2019 film, The Lion King. Knowles-Carter’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter will make her feature film debut, voicing the role of Kiara.
When Fandango caught up with Harrison Jr. who played Taka in the film, he shared that the film portrayed Scar in a “hilarious and very, very spicy” way. He confirmed that Taka was a young and sweet cub and that the film explores how his relationship with Mufasa evolves. According to Disney, the official synopsis of the film read:
Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.
Mufasa: The Lion King‘s production was disturbed by the Hollywood strikes last year. The film now has a Christmas release date, reaching theaters in the U.S. on December 20, 2024.
