Mufasa (Disney)

''"Simba, you have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba; you are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life. Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are."

- Mufasa's ghost guiding Simba ''

King Mufasa was the father of Simba, husband of Sarabi, older brother of Scar, grandfather of Kiara and formerly the king of the Pride Lands until his death. He is the one of the supporting characters in the 1994 Disney film, The Lion King.

Background
Mufasa was the first son and heir of King Ahadi and Queen Uru, as evidenced in a set of prequel books released after the success of The Lion King.

In a Tale of 2 Brothers, Scar (then known as Taka) tried to make a fool out of Mufasa when he was young (see more at Scar's Backstory). The storybook Friends in Need reveals how he met Zazu, his trusted hornbill "majordomo": he saved the bird when he was caught by none other than the three hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed in the elephant graveyard. However, this conflicts with another book How True, Zazu?, in which Zazu becomes steward to the king after Zazu's mother, Zuzu, retires.

The Lion King and The Lion King 1 1/2
Rafiki embraces Mufasa to welcome the newborn cub in the Pride Lands. He is later asked by Zazu in the midquel about how the animals bow to Simba's birth. He later confronted his jealous brother Scar when saying he was first in line. When Simba is now a juvenile, he teaches Simba the true meaning of the Circle of Life by respecting everything. In a deleted song, he sings his signature song about how to be a mighty king of Pride Rock. After talking to Zazu, he teaches Simba a pouncing lesson. He is later seen in the extended song, "The Morning Report". When the mole knows that scanners spotted Scar's henchmen, Mufasa tries to search for them, leaving Simba in the kingdom. When Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed are attacking Simba and Nala, Mufasa saves them from the angry hyenas. This made Timon and Pumbaa think that he is about to eat them, along with the hyenas in the midquel. Mufasa warns him about disobeying him. He sings his signature song "They Live in You" to know about the Great Kings of the Past. When Scar and the hyenas started a stampede of wildebeest in a gorge where Simba was, Mufasa charges in to rescue him. He manages to rescue his son and tries to climb out of the gorge but Scar grabs him and throws him back in where he is trampled and killed. Scar convinced Simba that he was responsible for his father's death and Simba ran away to start a new life. Mufasa's ghost appears before him years later to tell that he must go back and become king again. Simba agrees and does so. After Scar's death, Mufasa's ghost says his last line before Simba becomes king.

The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride
Mufasa's spirit is first shown in the opening song, "He Lives in You" watching his granddaughter Kiara's presentation. Mufasa is later seen in Simba's nightmare in which Scar (who has transformed into Kovu) starts a stampede in the gorge. He is later mentioned after Simba banishes Kovu believing he caused an ambush, where Kiara tells Simba that he will never be Mufasa (as Simba said that he must follow in his father's paw prints after saying that he knew Kovu was following in Scar's) to her father's shock. After Zira's death, Mufasa thanks Simba for saying his signature line "We are one".

Trivia

 * Mufasa is voiced by treasured actor James Earl Jones.