A prince witnesses the death of his father at the hands of his evil uncle to keep the crown and establish a tyranny. The exiled prince seeks to avenge his father's death and regain the throne to restore order to the kingdom.
This synopsis could well be Hamlet or of The lion king. The Disney film is loosely inspired by the work of William Shakespeare: the murder of the king, the evil uncle, the exiled prince and the spirit of his father who appears to him to encourage him to claim what is his.
So does its sequel, The Lion King 2: Simba's Treasurewhich is inspired by the tragic work of Romeo and Juliet. The film, released in 1998, is now about Simba's daughter Kiaraa puppy just as mischievous and adventurous as her father when he was young. One day, he reaches the furthest lands of the kingdom, where lives a pride of banished lions that, in their day, supported the evil Scar.
There he meets That's itthe son of the leader of that pack. Although at first they become friends and play together, when their parents discover them, they reprimand them and forbid them to approach each other again. Years later, the two lions meet again and end up falling in love, ignoring that their families are enemies.
There was a third movie, The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata o The lion king 1/2. This is about a paraquel, since it tells the parallel story of the events of the original, but from Timon and Pumbaa's perspective. The same thing he did Tom Stoppard in the theater work Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. (1966), where the British playwright took those two secondary characters from Hamlet, Rosencrantz y Guildenstern, to narrate the events of Shakespeare's original work with them as protagonists, with their experiences, reflections and points of view.
Does 'Mufasa' adapt works by Shakespeare?
When the trailer the prequel about Mufasa came to light, its director, Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) received a lot of criticism, including one that read: “Barry, you are too good and too talented for this soulless Iger machine,” referring to Disney CEO Bob Iger. To which the director replied: “The lion king There is nothing heartless about it. For decades, children around the world have sat in theaters to experience collective grief for the first time, and to see Shakespeare for the first time.”
Mufasa: The Lion King It tells the story of Simba's father since he was orphaned as a cub and, lost in the savanna, Taka takes him into his pack, of which he is the heir. Faced with the threat of another pride led by the evil white lion Kiros, the two brothers flee in search of another home, Milele, but Taka's jealousy and envy move him to betray Mufasa. Finally, for his courage and braveryMufasa becomes king of all animals.
With this synopsis and following the example of its predecessors, if we have to relate Mufasa with a literary work, the first example would be found in The Biblespecifically, with the story of the brothers Cain and Abelin which Cain's jealousy killed his brother Abel. The composer of his songs, Lin-Manuel Miranda confirmed in an interview for CNN that the script draws on this story and that it also has echoes of shakespeare for “his family history of betrayal and lineage.”
For example, it could be related to Othello. In Shakespeare's play, this is an honorable general, known for his strength and bravery, but he is rejected because of his origin. Likewise, even though Mufasa hunts with the lionesses, it is not enough for him to be accepted by Taka's father, who excludes him for being an orphaned and lonely lion.
Also, the fact of having achieved love, from Desdemona or Sarabi, is a reason for Iago and Taka to feel jealous and betray them. Another inspiration could come from Coriolanusdue to the humble origins of its protagonists and their rise to power through their own merits.
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