Disney has given fans some of the best happy endings in animated films, but it also gave the most heartbreaking scenes such as that of The Lion King. Mufasa’s death wounded many hearts, but there’s actually an alternate ending where it would carve a permanent scar.
The story of The Lion King was adapted from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one of the most famous English plays of all time. The early conception of the movie had a lot of brainstorming, and they decided to go with the less gruesome ending.
The Lion King’s Original Ending Was Too Dark For Disney Audiences
The early storyboards of The Lion King in 1993 revealed that Simba and Scar had an intense duel on Pride Rock, and the latter manages to throw the former off the cliff.
The original plan was for Scar to utter “Goodnight sweet prince” which is a reference from the Shakespeare play. As the villain believes he already won, he does not realize that he got caught on fire. In a post from Yahoo, one person stated:
I think that this ending gives a better cap to Scar as a character than the final one. In this one we see Scar is completely consumed by madness and hubris as he believes himself to really be the proper ruler.
Disney Theatrical Group president Tom Schumacher explained another version of the ending while chatting on The Lion King’s Walt Disney Signature Collection:
The whole idea was that Simba didn’t run off with Timon and Pumbaa. Scar was going to kill Simba the same time he kills Mufasa. He’s holding Simba in his mouth, and he’s about to break his neck. Everyone comes in and says, ‘Oh my gosh, you saved him from the stampede!’
The final version of The Lion King saw Scar meet his death at the cruel hands of his own hyenas who mercilessly attacked him. The symbolism is quite on point here as the major antagonist got a taste of his own medicine, which is trickery and unfaithfulness.
Mufasa’s Death Defied Disney’s Rules
Mufasa’s manner of death traumatized a lot of young viewers. The Lion King co-director Rob Minkoff told Collider that the placement of his demise in the film was very significant in leaving an impact on the viewers.
“If we made this movie for the first time today, the studio never would have let us kill Mufasa the way we did because it’s not in the first reel,” he explained. If the act happened in the first scene, as with many Disney movies, it becomes a prologue, and there’s no emotional attachment anymore.
“To actually kill as important a character as Mufasa is, in the middle of the movie, I mean literally in the third reel, is not typical,” he added. The fans had to see how great of a leader and father Mufasa was before he gets killed, which would eventually create an emotional impact.
The Lion King is available to watch on Disney+.
