Ruthy's review of Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King
Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people!
It has been almost two months since I last wrote and we will discuss the reasons, one day but today I have written like I used to write when I first started this blog six years ago. I am going to give you my opinion and review Disney's Mufasa. My younger sister has been asking me for weeks for us sit together and watch Mufusa. Earlier this week I finally decided to be a woman of my word.
There has been quite a debate on who has played the biggest role in Taka's villain arc and I have read that some people blame Mufasa for not forgiving Taka in Milele. After all, Taka did take a hit for Mufasa when Kiros was about to strike him and that is how he gained the scar on his face. His moment of bravery came just as his mother, Eshe had told him it would and he took that moment with both of his paws and all of his heart. He had apologised to Mufasa and yet Mufasa refused to ever call him Taka again. This resulted in him choosing the name Scar and embodying being an outcast in Milele. One could say that Mufasa and Taka, now Scar had exchanged energies or destiny as Taka had mentioned earlier in the film.
I strongly disagree with this point of view. I believe that Taka was a product of a troubled upbringing. I feel that using the word troubled is underwhelming. I believe that Taka was badly brought up. He had a good, loving mother and a lazy, bad father. I believe that God has given us all parents in pairs for a reason. There is great purpose and an important role that two parents play. I believe that masculine and feminine both play roles in the development of a healthy child, should both parents play their God-given role well. Taka had a loving, nurturing mother, Eshe who uplifted with him and bordered him with her love. While Taka's father, Obasi was a lazy, deceitful king who honestly in my option was not fit to rule. The Bible says, “ Train a child in the way that they should go and when they are big they will not depart from it.” Taka spend most of his childhood, very formative years in his life being molded by his father. He was being trained in the way that he should go, being fed Obasi's lazy, deceitful ways. When Taka was heartbroken, when he saw that Sarabi had chosen Mufasa, what was running through his mind?
His upbringing, Obasi's teachings were the automated response that were Taka's backing in his time of great distress. His father's words, “Deceit is a tool for a great king”. Which is nonsensical because by submitting to Kiros Taka would forfit his birthright as a whole and join forces with the lion who killed both of his parents and eliminated his entire tribe and all that he had ever known. He was so greatly blinded by his hurt and jealousy that he put everyone else in harm's way. Once again, he was not acting like a king. He was taking the easy, prideful, deceitful way out. Who else do these adjectives describe? Taka was walking in his father's teachings and robbing himself of his own future in the process.
I believe that this was when Taka finally became Scar. It was a process, as Obasi's teachings penatrated and molded his heart and character. All it took was one incident for who he was becoming to unveil. There are degrees of villains, some are villains, not monsters. Other villains are rotten to the core and have lost their empathy and have secured their seat in hell, unashamed and lacking in mercy, like Kiros. When Taka took a hit for Mufasa in the battle against the Outsiders in Milele, he still was a villain, he just was not completely ridden of his conscious.
All actions have consequences, no matter how sorry one may be. Taka's actions nearly caused imbalance in the circle of life. An inbalance that he would later still bring to Milele when he committed murder and began his reign of terror with the hyenas. Taka was no longer fit to be king, as he had lost the kingdom's trust, a trait that a leader needs. Your followers must trust you, otherwise why should they follow you? He was bound to put Milele in danger, once again.
If they had gotten to Milele safely without Taka's betrayal, I believe that he stood a great chance of becoming king. Sarabi was not the only lioness left, she did not love Taka and her choosing Mufasa should have been enough for him to give her up. If he had been patient, he may have found a lioness who loved him and who he truly loved. His lack of respect for Sarabi was something that I believe he learned, potentially from his father. Love, true love is mutual. Love is kind, love is patient, love sets you free, just like the truth. Love wants what is best for the one whom you love, even if that is a future without them, that is true love. Love is the ability to let someone go, because that is what they want. Love allows you to choose, true love never robs you of your autonomy.
What is a great king without love, faithfulness, goodness, honesty and a leader who is trustworthy? Scar, he is the epitome of a character that has been ruined by bad upbringing and has developed a tainted heart. He could have been a great king but his downfall started in his childhood and unfolded in his adulthood.
What I have learned from this film is to be cautious. Bringing and fostering life in this world is an honour and a responsibility not to be taken lightly. It is to be done with a great understanding, knowing that the children we bear affect so many around them. It is extremely important to raise offspring who are self - aware, kind, empathetic, respectful of boundaries and are loved, understood, respected and accepted at home. This all begins when choosing life partners, Obasi was not a good father and consequently he was not a good life partner either. He undid the work that Eshe did, filling Taka's heart with pride, laziness and jealousy of his future as king. Instead of teaching him how to rule, how to love, by being loving. The greatest teaching to our offspring are our actions, more than our words.
Falling far from the apple tree is not easy and it requires constant, conscious work. Taka could have overcome this but with him lacking self -awareness and a strong desire to change. To be a king who is truly worthy of his title, if that was the future that God had for him. As he lacked this, this much needed change was unfortunately impossible for him to make.
I thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack, it was beautiful and so heartfelt. It's one of the reasons why I love Disney films. Disney's Mufusa was a beautiful movie and I would rate it a 9/10, only because I actually would prefer it in animation! I enjoyed this movie especially as a South African, I am so proud of John Kani and any film or production that he is apart of, I will gladly watch! 🇿🇦 I only wish that the movie was available in more South African official languages. I love seeing African stories told by African voices. I also wish that the voice actors did not sound so British, I wanted them to sound more like the characters from the Black Panther. I want African animals to sound like they are from the African continent!
I highly recommend this movie for a wonderful evening with your family or to watch by yourself! I am an avid Disney fan and I am grateful for the insight into Mufasa's life and the genesis of Taka's bad character that Disney has given us. Truly kings are made not born, just as villains are too! No one is born evil, weaknesses and unhealed trauma lead to great damage. With a better father and/or self-awareness, Taka was an incredible male with great potential to lead and love Milele. But again potential is not what makes a great king or life partner.
PS. Does anyone else think that the name Eshe sounds like a Nigerian name? I love how inclusive Disney was when it came to naming the characters!
Question of the week: How do you feel about Disney's Mufasa? If you have not yet watched it, this is your sign to! It's a wonderful movie!
All my love ❤️
Ruthy
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