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Mufasa's ghost appearing before the lionesses

posted 9 years ago by Cristianos
12 replies | jump to latest

Knowing how reluctant Simba was to take the throne, do you think having Mufasa's ghost appear before the lionesses (to explain what they must do to defeat Scar and perhaps reveal the true cause of his death) would have been a better option?

Obviously, this would make Simba irrelevant in his own story, but the lionesses proved to be more than capable of driving out the hyenas during the battle sequence. On top of that, Nala seemed strong enough to take on a full-grown male lion not at the peak of his strength.* Nevertheless, I'm curious about your feedback.

*Scar said at the beginning, "As far as brains go, I have the lion's share, but when it comes to brutal strength, I'm afraid at the shallow end of the gene pool."

What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

[–] WeirdRaptor 9 years ago

We don't know how the whole thing worked, so it might not be that simple. I guess we could have, but Mufasa likely had the stronger spiritual connection to Simba.

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you." -Gandalf

[–] wielderofspoons 9 years ago

Knowing how reluctant Simba was to take the throne, do you think having Mufasa's ghost appear before the lionesses (to explain what they must do to defeat Scar and perhaps reveal the true cause of his death) would have been a better option?

He wanted Simba becoming king, not just the end of Scar's rule.

On top of that, Nala seemed strong enough to take on a full-grown male lion not at the peak of his strength.*Scar said at the beginning, "As far as brains go, I have the lion's share, but when it comes to brutal strength, I'm afraid at the shallow end of the gene pool."

Scar meant he was weak specifically compared to Mufasa, not in general.

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

Taking into account that this is based on Hamlet, King Hamlet's ghost appeared before Prince Hamlet and not the kingdom's subjects when it was under Claudius's rule. So it's the same case here with The Lion King.

Metallica and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fan

[–] Cristianos 9 years ago

Just to make myself clear, I'm pointing towards a bigger argument here, which is "Why didn't Nala and the lionesses just defeat Scar and the hyenas by themselves?" I know the movie doesn't seem to concern itself with being feminist (argue back if you will about that), but it's a fair topic to discuss. I will "play the devil's advocate" to ensure more feedback.

What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

Just to make myself clear, I'm pointing towards a bigger argument here, which is "Why didn't Nala and the lionesses just defeat Scar and the hyenas by themselves?"

They're following their king.

I will "play the devil's advocate" to ensure more feedback.

How so?

Can't stop the signal.

[–] Cristianos 9 years ago

They're following their king.

They are obeying Scar's orders, but they are secretly hoping Nala will find help from a capable animal assumingly hoping he will help them to restore balance to the Circle of Life (and overthrow Scar's regime). Or at least that's what I interpreted from the details of the film.

How so?

By taking a contrarian perspective of your argument.

What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

but they are secretly hoping Nala will find help from a capable animal assumingly hoping he will help them to restore balance to the Circle of Life (and overthrow Scar's regime).

Did they know Nala's plan?

By taking a contrarian perspective of your argument

I'm still not sure. Contrarian to what argument?

Can't stop the signal.

[–] Cristianos 9 years ago

Did they know Nala's plan?

Well, she did say "I left to find help and I found you. Don't you understand? You're our only hope." Maybe, I'm mixing the content from the Broadway musical into the context of the film where Sarabi and the lionesses sing over Nala as she goes about her journey to find help. Perhaps, in the film, she left on her own terms, but it's never told in detail.

I'm still not sure. Contrarian to what argument?

Whatever argument you make, I'll take the opposite to see how if it holds weight.

What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

[–] PreachCaleb 9 years ago

Perhaps, in the film, she left on her own terms, but it's never told in detail.

Correct.

Whatever argument you make, I'll take the opposite to see how if it holds weight.

No, I understand that. What I mean is, What exactly are you arguing that's contrary to what I'm saying?

Can't stop the signal.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (64521885) 9 years ago

Mufasa was just telling him to overthrow his tyrannical uncle to allow his land to regenerate.

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] goranxii 9 years ago

And you don't think even a warning along the lines "watch out for Scar, he's manipulative as hell" would be worthwhile?

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realise the whole thing being in Simba's head (well not all of it, but the majority of it) actually makes sense.