10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Animals In The Lion King

This year, The Lion King returns to cinemas through Jon Favreau’s remake of the 1994 animated classic. Using some of the most advanced CGI animation and virtual-reality technology seen in a blockbuster, the remake brings some of the most beloved talking and singing animals back to the big screen for a new generation of viewers to enjoy.

While the movie is tightly written as it is and leaves few rooms for inconsistencies, some of the more interesting facts and backstories of the characters have been left out. This may have been done due to time constraint or their stories were better left where they were first written. Here are 10 things you may not know about the characters in The Lion King that are worth giving a look.

10 Rafiki Was Saved By Mufasa’s Father

In the book A Tale Of Two Brothers, Rafiki was a traveling scholar of sorts who was studying Africa. When he arrived in the Pride Lands, Rafiki was ambushed by hyenas (a younger Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed) before Ahadi – Mufasa and Scar’s father – saved him. He stayed by the lions’ side ever since as a form of gratitude.

9 Mufasa Is A Nicer King Hamlet

In the play, King Hamlet is an angry ghost who orders his son to avenge him by killing his uncle Claudius for stealing his throne. Conversely, Mufasa is a kind father who looks out for his son even after death. Also, Mufasa’s wife Sarabi is fiercely loyal to him, whereas King Hamlet’s queen (Gertrude) is in love with his traitorous brother.

8 Zazu Helped Save Sarabi

In the book Friends In Need, Zazu was about to be eaten by hyenas before Mufasa saved him. Much to the lion’s annoyance, Zazu stuck around but the hornbill proved his worth when he alerted the king that Sarabi was stuck in a pit. Mufasa repays the bird by keeping him as his adviser. But in How True, Zazu?, Zazu claims to come from a bloodline of royal feathered advisors to the lions.

7 The Hyenas Are Scar’s Childhood Friends

When Scar was just a cub, his father Ahadi scared the hyenas off to protect the then-newcomer Rafiki. Intrigued by their presence, Scar meets up with the hyenas later on and gets some life advice from them. From then on, the unlikely group became inseparable despite the animosity between their races.

6 The Origins Of Scar’s Scar

The hyenas recommended that Taka incite a fight between his brother and some angry buffalo. Taka eagerly does so, but things go awry and he gets attacked by the buffalo herd where he gets slashed across the face. He renames himself “Scar” as a reminder of his first failure.

5 How Timon Met Pumbaa

The Lion King 1 ½ shows that Timon and Pumbaa met after the former got sick of life in the meerkat colony while the warthog stalked Timon because he was concerned for the lonely meerkat’s safety. The two then set out to find their dream home while discovering the true meaning of their unforgettable motto: Hakuna Matata.

4 Timon & Pumbaa Are Incredibly Popular

Their fame reached new heights when they got their own show separate from all of the happenings of the Pride Lands. Titled Timon & Pumbaa, the show followed their globetrotting adventures after the movie’s events. The series lasted three seasons and was adored internationally if not so much domestically.

3 Why Nala Left Pride Rock

In an early draft that was eventually scrapped, Scar propositioned that Nala becomes his queen so she could live an easier life. Nala refuses and is banished as punishment. This subplot is passed on to Sarabi in the remake, though she isn’t exiled by Scar following her rejection and biting insults.

2 Simba Originally Lost To Scar

Originally, Scar defeated Simba in their duel and threw the lion off the cliff. Simba survived but, thinking he finally won, Scar laughs victoriously as the fires of Pride Rock consume him. This ending was scrapped and not used in the remake due to being deemed too dark. Being eaten alive is somehow better than dying while laughing mad.

1 Simba & Nala May Be Siblings

In real-life lion prides, there are usually many females and only a single (or very few) male lions, leaving procreation to just one of the latter. The only logical conclusion that can be derived here is that Simba and Nala are siblings because outside of Scar, who’s off in his own corner of the Pride Lands, Mufasa’s the only father in the pride. Neither version of the story addresses this issue.

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