Why “Mufasa: The Lion King” Might Be The Most Spiritual Story Disney’s Ever Told

This "Hindoo monk" was none other than Swami Vivekananda, and his fable, with its profound message of self-discovery, would serve as the seed for a cinematic masterpiece. A century later, in 1994, Disney brought forth a film that transformed this seed into a magnificent tree — a cinematic marvel whose magic has lasted till date even through the fast-changing technologies of animation.

As 2024 draws to a close, Disney expands the Lion King saga with Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel that delves into the history of Simba's father, Mufasa. The story expands into the movie as a story told by the mystic Mandrill Rafiki to Kiara, the daughter of Simba, to alleviate her fear of the storm.

The visuals are breathtaking, achieving a remarkable level of realism that transcends the boundaries of animation and immerses the viewer in a captivating experience. This is built on a benchmark already achieved in ‘Lion King’ — 2019 remake.

While certain plot points may feel predictable and some of the comedic relief provided by Timon and Pumbaa occasionally disrupts the narrative flow, these minor flaws are overshadowed by the film's grand storytelling and its unwavering commitment to the profound spiritual themes that defined the original Lion King.

The movie starts with finding Milele — a mythical utopia of the animals. Many lions dismiss it as a fable. The wonderful lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda sang to cub Mufasa by his mother Afia define the place thus:

‘Imagine a kingdom

(Ngothando, ngothando)

The water flows

The grass is high

(S'ofika)

It's not a dream

(Ngothando)

Someday, we'll go

…

Milele

(Milele)

It lives in me

(Sekuseduzani)

You'll see

(Milele)’

The lines stand in visible tension against the lines of John Lennon’s famous ‘Imagine’ of 1971: ‘Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try… ‘ If Lennon questions the heaven both as a literal place or even as a theological otherworldly prize, Lin-Manuel’s Milele is not only not a dream but could be achieved first in the heart and then in the acceptance of the eco-spirituality of the Circle of Life and one’s harmony with it. Thus, in a way the spirit of both the lyrics separated by more than half a century, is the same — a harmonious living, without all conflicts is possible here on earth.

The film delves into the transformation of Taka into the villainous Scar, illustrating how negativity, when allowed to fester, can corrupt even a noble person. Yet, it also subtly suggests that innate goodness is always there within and can still find expression, even in the darkest of hearts. To reveal how would be to spoil the movie. But this adds depth to the movie rather than a flat all-bad/all-good characterisation.

Furthermore, the film offers a nuanced critique of exclusivist and expansionist ideologies through the actions of the murderous albino lion king, who claims himself as the only Lion King and declares ‘Vengeance is mine’ (Romans 12:19) to justify his murderous elimination of other lion packs. This along with calling the others ‘heathens’ while not central to the plot, becomes an important side note.  

The movie is also about the outcaste — the pain and consequence of being an outcast.

The film poignantly explores the theme of ostracisation and its consequences. Rafiki, himself an outcast due to his misunderstood mystical gifts, imparts a crucial lesson to young Kiara: the rejection inflicted by one's own kind breeds a destructive force that will eventually devour that very society.

At the same time, Mufasa is also identified as a ‘stray’ not with royal blood. He was banished from being in the company of male cubs and made to be with a pack of lionesses. The humiliation becomes a blessing as Mufasa learns to smell the wind and infer from that the minutest details of prey-predator movement.

The film presents three distinct experiences of social exclusion: the white lions, driven by resentment to become ruthless predators; Rafiki, the wise mystic who finds kinship beyond blood ties, with a spiritual vision that leads all animals to wellbeing; and Mufasa, the "stray" who rises to become a leader despite his lack of royal lineage.

The way Rafiki recognises Mufasa's inherent strength and guides him towards self-realisation may evoke, for a Hindu viewer, the legendary mentorship of Chanakya and Chandragupta. It is not through birth status, bloodline purity or past glory but through the manifestation of the strength of the self in the present that one becomes the true leader.

This powerful dynamic that plays out so visually in the movie, breathes new life and inspiring meaning into the much-cited ‘Apta Vakya’ in Sangh circles: ‘Swayameva Mrugendra’

‘Swayameva Mirugendra’ — The film eloquently illuminates the path to true leadership: it is through the realisation and manifestation of the Self — the Swayam — that one organically ascends to the mantle of Mrugendra, the Indra of life.  This Vedantic wisdom is interwoven with the eco-spiritual reality of the Circle of Life.

When you come out of the theatre with your children, you know you’ve given them an important glimpse into the core values of Vedanta, from a Hindu pagan heritage. And there will be one nagging question: why are we not producing such movies?