Mufasa: The Lion King introduces an intriguing new ability for the тιтular character, accidently creating an odd plot hole. While the prequel does a pretty good job of enriching the story of how Mufasa became king of the Pride Lands, not all parts of his arc align easily with The Lion King’s canon. As his enhanced senses add to his heroic image, building him up to be more skilled than most lions, they also unintentionally complicate the logic of some key emotional beats in his journey.
Mufasa: The Lion King’s ending explains a major detail about Simba’s father’s strained relationship with Scar. However, the prequel’s changes to his character, while working in favor of Mufasa’s larger-than-life reputation, undermine his weakest moments, making them feel forced rather than central to his transformation. While these inconsistencies may not diminish Mufasa: The Lion King’s positive reviews, they raise questions about how much new backstory is good or detrimental to a franchise.
Mufasa: The Lion King Emphasizes Mufasa’s Incredible Sense Of Smell
Mufasa Is Unlike Any Other Lion Or Lioness
The movie establishes early on that Mufasa’s hearing is better than any lion. When hunting with Taka’s mother, she acknowledges his special skills and urges him to make Obasi see that he is gifted. Even if it appears that Eshe can too perceive animals walking in their direction, Mufasa goes one step ahead. He can recognize which creature is nearby by sensing the weight of their feet on the ground and the way the wind brushes against their heads.
While Mufasa’s strong smell and hearing usually work in his favor, sometimes they work against him, and sometimes they appear not to work at all.
True, the females from Kiros’ pride are also able to smell that a lioness and a mandril join Taka and Mufasa on their way to the bountiful kingdom. Simba’s father even teaches Sarabi to sense their enemies approaching by directing her to “clear [her] thoughts. Concentrate.” However, Mufasa’s smell is presented as overdeveloped, as he continuously smells his “home” in the wind — which shockingly turns out to be one of Mufasa’s lost parents who keep calling him from far away in Milele.
Mufasa’s Super Smell Doesn’t Pick Up On Taka’s Meeting With Kiros
Mufasa’s Heightened Senses Fail At The Most Important Moment
While Mufasa’s strong smell and hearing usually work in his favor, sometimes they work against him, and sometimes they appear not to work at all. Though his superpowers allow him to keep his friends safe and guide them to the original Pride Lands, they come to represent another thing that makes Taka resent him. As he can identify the flowers in Sarabi’s past valley, his insecure brother notes, “You just know things.” Additionally, Mufasa’s enhanced senses fail when they matter most.
Disney could explore what Mufasa’s power really means or where it comes from if someone in his family tree inherits it like Simba or any of his children.
Shockingly, the gifted lion doesn’t sense that Taka met with Mufasa’s white lions, even when his brother rubbed his head against their leader to seal their alliance. According to his incredible abilities, and the fact that he had been able to smell Mads Mikkelsen’s character from a distance to avoid him, Mufasa should have been able to perceive Taka joining Kiros’ Pride immediately. Though at first glance this seems like a mistake on the writer’s part, there are several explanations for his slip, some more tragic than others.
Why Mufasa May Not Have Noticed Kiros’ Scent On Taka
Mufasa’s Weakness In The Lion King Canon Is Taka
Early in the movie, Eshe teaches Mufasa that he must quiet his senses to hone his hearing and smell. Mufasa not being able to notice that Taka allied with the enemy could respond to his troubled state of mind, considering he felt guilty about getting with Sarabi. Notably, all through the movie’s tense third act, the future king of the Pride Lands doesn’t sense anything else. It is not until Kiros is defeated, and Mufasa is calm again, that he smells his mother and they reunite.
Mufasa’s senses relying on a quiet mind explains why he perceives the duck flowers in Sarabi’s scent after they spend some time free of the anxiety of Mufasa: The Lion King’s enemies following them. Undoubtedly, the franchise’s recent addition of Mufasa’s powers complicates his The Lion King death, which, interestingly, also has to do with Scar. Maybe the strange plot hole explains that Simba’s father tends to let his guard down around his brother, making Taka’s multiple betrayals in The Lion King movies even more tragic.
