MM, on The Lion King: Mufasa as Simba's “Halo”

Commentary: For my second fan video, I decided to put together scenes from Disney's The Lion King to show how Mufasa is portrayed as a God figure to Simba. Throughout the entire movie there are countless religious symbols, from the very beginning scenes of Simba being raised up for the crowd below to the appearance of Mufasa in the clouds giving Simba advice when he needs it the most.

I selected Beyonce's “Halo” as the music for my video because I think that it works well with the theme that I am trying to portray. The song has religious connotations that tie into the clips from the movie and together, they represent the religious relationship between father and son.

Simba looks up to his father from the moment he is born. He wants to be just like him because he sees him as great and powerful. Simba defies his father by going into restricted areas; however, Mufasa forgives him for this indiscretion. When Mufasa is murdered, Simba blames himself and is sent into exile. He spends many days in the desert where he is tempted by the simple and carefree life of Timon and Pumba (just as Jesus, the son of God, was tempted by the Devil in the desert). Once Mufasa appears to Simba and reminds him that he must remember who he is and the path that he must take, Simba returns to Pride Rock to reclaim the throne and defeat his uncle Scar.

There is a strong argument that The Lion King contains several religious messages and the relationship between Simba and Mufasa is a central theme. My video represents this relationship and shows that in this movie, the love between father and son becomes the love between God and his servant.