The release of Disney’s live-action Snow White was surrounded by controversy involving its star, Rachel Zegler. Many rumors spread alleging Zegler was fired from the project, stirred up by her outspoken political views and a supposed feud with co-star Gal Gadot. It’s hard not to believe the rumors with all the backlash toward Zegler, but the truth is simpler than it seems. 2w4si

Zegler’s public comments caught a lot of attention. She openly criticized the original 1937 animated Snow White, pointing out its outdated depiction of women and the “guy who literally stalks her,” as the prince chasing Snow White. She later reversed and reiterated her comments in interviews, as reported by the New York Post, but the damage was done by then.

I love older Disney movies, and my personal favorite film from the studio is Beauty and the Beast. However, it is hard to want to watch a remake knowing the lead bouthed the original, even after it gets backtracked in future interviews. Unfortunately, it seems that the controversies only got worse from there.

Has Rachel Zegler been fired from Disney? 2d5j3e

Rachel Zegler has not been fired, but keep in mind that these rumors shouldn’t be taken seriously anyway. It is nearly impossible to fire Zegler because the movie is already out and paid for. Right now, the part of Zegler’s contract that needs to be fulfilled is press interviews and appearances. Unless Zegler starts bouthing the movie or saying something too outrageous, Disney only benefits from having her promote the movie — she’s already been paid to do so.

If Disney were to pull Zegler out, it would only confirm that the movie did not go Disney’s way, which would hurt it. Snow White is an important movie to the studio because it represents Walt’s first huge achievement, and Disney wouldn’t dare harm it purposefully. However, based on everything that’s happened, Zegler likely won’t be working with Disney again anytime soon.

Some people think Zegler has been fired because of the many controversies over what she’s said. She expressed her for Palestinian liberation on social media, which likely clashed with her co-star Gal Gadot’s stance as a strong er of Israel and a former member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The significant difference in their political views reportedly created tension between the two actresses. There were reports of a difficult relationship, culminating in a reportedly awkward moment at the Academy Awards when they presented an award together but did not interact warmly. This rumored feud between Zegler and Gadot, reported by Style Caster, is thought to have negatively impacted the film’s marketing efforts.

Within Disney, there were concerns about Zegler’s outspoken behavior. Sources told Page Six that Disney executives reached out to Zegler and her management, asking her to tone down her public comments. “Disney’s lead actress is out of control. They don’t know what to do,” an insider told the outlet.

According to the source, “She’s an outspoken 20-something and Disney chiefs have called her directly and asked her to tone down her posts. They’ve called her management, but she won’t listen.” These requests reportedly did not work, leading Disney to minimize the film’s promotional efforts. The press tour and premiere were much smaller than expected, which further fueled speculation about a divide between Zegler and the studio.

While this could all be overlooked if Snow White did well, this isn’t the case. According to Forbes, Snow White has gotten around $43 million in the opening weekend at the box office. The weekend numbers tend to have a lot to do with how much money a movie makes, and Snow White needs to bring in 209 million to break even with production costs.

Unfortunately, it seems like the issues behind the scenes have affected the movie, and getting 44% on Rotten Tomatoes didn’t help either. Zegler hasn’t been fired, but it is doubtful if she will be rehired for any future movies under the studio.

Dust off your surfboards, Elvis cosplay, and drag outfits (if you’re Pleakley, that is), because Disney is taking us back to Hawaii! 2025 delivers not just March’s Snow White remake, but also a live-action redo of Lilo & Stitch, which follows its forebear into theaters this spring.

Lilo & Stitch is one of the most influential Disney movie franchises of the 2000s, with its first feature often considered an all-time favorite for children. Set on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the franchise introduced one of the most iconic and adorable characters in Disney’s canon — namely Stitch, the mischievous blue alien that lands on Earth and is taken in by eccentric local girl Lilo. With Stitch masquerading as Lilo’s extremely weird dog, the two get up to all kinds of hijinks while trying to avoid Stitch’s capture by the Galactic Federation.

The first movie was so successful that, over the years, Disney went on to produce three more animated Lilo & Stitch movies, as well as a trio of animated series. While the shows can be watched on their own, the movies follow a timeline, and, unfortunately, their release order doesn’t quite match up with the franchise’s chronology. Before you dive into the animated universe ahead of the live-action, here’s the best way to enjoy the various movies on your walk down memory lane.

• Lilo & Stitch (2002)
• Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005)
• Stitch: The Movie (2003)
• Leroy and Stitch (2006)

As you can see, the best way to revisit the Lilo & Stitch films is to switch the second and third movies around in your watch order. Stitch: The Movie was actually the first sequel released and was essentially a pilot for the spin-off Disney Channel animated series in which Lilo and Stitch rescue the alien’s fellow genetic experiments, or “cousins,” that have crash-landed in Hawaii. The third, confusingly titled Lilo & Stitch 2, is a much more standalone story that is set before the events of Stitch: The Movie and the TV show.

The reason why Stitch Has a Glitch is so standalone is because it was released as a straight-to-DVD film whereas the others were Disney Channel originals. As such, the final film, Leroy & Stitch, again ignores it and instead concludes the narrative that began in Stitch: The Movie and continued in the TV series. Stitch later returned, however, in the 2008 anime Stitch! and the 2017 donghau (Chinese animated series) Stitch & Ai. These latter two shows are harder to access, though, as they are not readily available on Disney Plus like the American-made entries in the franchise.

The 2025 live-action adaptation is unfortunately being hit by controversy from a few different quarters (so pretty much par for the course for Disney’s remakes), which is a shame as the Lilo & Stitch animated universe is immensely beloved by any Mouse House-loving kid of the early aughts. Still, rewatching all the original movies should help you block out all the bad news and prepare you for Stitch’s return. Ohana means family, and in this case family means no Lilo & Stitch film gets left behind.

Fresh off the release of the trailer for Lilo & Stitch, fans are questioning whether Disney made the decision to ‘un-woke’ one of its most beloved characters, Pleakey.The trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of the beloved animation just arrived ahead of the film’s release in May.

In it, we get all sorts of insights around what awaits us in the movie, from what’s sure to be a star-making turn for Lilo actress Maia Kealoha to the long-awaited return of everyone’s favorite alien not-dog, voiced by original Stitch actor (and creator) Chris Sanders. 

Amid all the mayhem that naturally follows the blue alien, fans caught what they deemed to be a major change to the original costuming and design of Pleakey, the fellow alien sent to earth to retrieve Stitch. In the first animated film, which was released in 2002, Pleakey delivers comic relief as he dons female clothes and accessories as human ‘disguises’ in his mission to retrieve Stitch, but the 2025 version of the character seems to have done away completely with that long running gag.

Played by Billy Magnussen, the live-action iteration of Pleakey makes his disguise out of the human form of the actor himself. Even then, Magnussen is not seen wearing any of the gender-bending disguises that became a beloved hallmark of the original character. This move, according to some fans, was Disney’s attempt to prevent any backlash that might have arisen from having a male character dressed in drag. Truly, a sign of the times. 

i was never gonna watch this anyways but omfg they're really unwoking lilo & stitch https://t.co/5xtGYwtaJL

— travis (@kermiggys) March 12, 2025

“They gave Pleakley normal human disguises instead of their girly dress ups?” one X wrote in response to the change in characterization, with another adding that “they’re really ‘unwoking’ Lilo & Stitch.” Many other Disney-heads agreed with this sentiment, saying their “only criticism” of the Lilo & Stitch trailer was that “Pleakley has a human disguise instead of his cross dressing.” According to some fans, this change was an attempt to appease certain audiences, since “conservatives would have a meltdown” if Pleakey dressed in drag for the reboot.

I feel like conservatives would have a meltdown if they did this today.

— JaceAVinson #PhysicalMedia (@JaceAVinson) March 12, 2025

Going a step further, one fan theorized that Pleakey’s non-drag disguises prove that “Disney can and will cater to the Right if they think it’ll help the bottom line.” Even beyond Disney’s supposed intentions in removing Pleakey’s crossdressing, some fans simply found the change lacked the fun and novelty of the original character. “The original made it a lot funnier,” one X wrote, with another lamenting how “there is no color” for the live-action version of Pleakey. 

"It looks pretty good actually" bla bla bla

The removal of *these* two aspects of Lilo and Stitch is showing us (like we all knew) that Disney can and will cater to the Right if they think it'll help the bottom line, and it still won't matter 1/4 https://t.co/nQ4GZRPlLi pic.twitter.com/e4v3gPXNPH

— RyeToast (shh on ) (@RyeToastYT) March 12, 2025

While it remains to be seen whether Magnussen will remain completely out of drag for Lilo & Stitch, this isn’t the first time the reboot has attracted controversy. Disney received criticism in 2023 when it announced that the iconic role of Cobra Bubbles would not be played by Ving Rhames — who voiced the character in 2002 — but by Courtney Vance. Then, the studio was yet again under fire for the casting choice of light-skinned Hawaiian actress Sydney Elizabeth Agudong in the role of Nani, which some took as evidence of whitewashing. 

i know in the new lilo and stitch trailer, jumba and pleakley are using their technology to make more convincing human disguises but i honestly think the original made it a lot funnier pic.twitter.com/acLrI6wIZi

— squee/krazykupcake (@happyfunf3tti) March 12, 2025

Meanwhile, Kahiau Machado — who was tapped to play Nani’s love interest David Kawena — was at the center of similar accusations given his lighter skin tone. We’ll see whether all the hullabaloo affected the film’s quality when Lilo & Stitch hits cinemas on May 23.

The trailer for Disney’s live-action version of 2002’s Lilo & Stitch just dropped, and star Maia Kealoha is stealing hearts worldwide with her vibrant take on Lilo — the quirky, big-hearted girl who’s all about ohana with a side of playful mischief.

In an adorable interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 8-year-old actress shared the delightful ways she connects with her character, listing off all the things they have in common. Like Lilo, Kealoha hails from Hawaii and is also a skilled hula dancer. She’s “very crafty” too, saying, “Every time my mom enters the room she’s like ‘what is these papers doing all over the place?’ I’m like, ‘oh, I’m trying to pick ‘em up, but there’s too much falling out of my hands!’”

Kealoha is a newcomer to the industry and has no professional acting credits prior to Lilo & Stitch, but has always wanted to be an actress. At the Moana 2 premiere in Hawaii last year, she shared that when she was 5 years old, she declared that she wanted to be an actress. Lo and behold, five weeks later, there was a casting call for the live-action Lilo & Stitch, where they were looking for a 6- to 8-year-old girl of Native Hawaiian, Polynesian, or Maori descent to play the role of Lilo, who was described as someone who had “a propulsive imagination and a colorful rebellious streak that often lands her in hot water.”

Lilo & Stitch follows the story of Lilo and her sister Nani, who are facing challenges in life after the loss of their parents. Their world changes when they adopt Stitch, a mischievous alien experiment posing as a dog. As the chaos unfolds, they find the true meaning of “ohana.”

Kealoha’s mom helped her submit an application and after a month, she got the role, which she said made her speechless. When asked what she re most about auditioning, Kealoha said it was the “chem reads.” Chemistry reads or chemistry tests are part of the audition process where potential actors read scenes together to gauge their on-screen compatibility. According to Kealoha, she had to read about 15 times before she got the role.

Her infectious energy and bubbly personality during interviews won people over, with many saying that she was the perfect girl to play the role of Lilo. “She’s the cutest,” one said, with another adding, “She’s adorable and already a star.” Last year, Kealoha offered a playful tease of what audiences can expect from the live-action Lilo & Stitch. Without giving away spoilers, she shared, “It’s gonna be very touching, happy, exciting. There’s gonna be a lot of music, and we’re gonna be, like, dancing, stuff like that,” before cheekily adding, “pushing Mertle off the stage!” — a little jab at Mertle Edmonds, Lilo’s not-so-friendly rival and bully.

ing the cast of the remake are Chris Sanders (reprising his role as Stitch’s voice), Sydney Agudong (Nani, Lilo’s sister), Zach Galifianakis (Jumba, an alien scientist), Billy Magnussen (Pleakey), Kaipo Dudoit (David), Tia Carrere (Mrs. Kekoa, a social worker), Hannah Waddingham (Grand Councilwoman), Amy Hill (Tūtū), and Courtney B. Vance (Cobra Bubbles, a former CIA agent). Lilo & Stitch is slated to hit theaters on May 23, ready to bring heart, humor, and playful antics to the big screen.

As the live-action Snow White edges closer to its premiere, the shadow of controversy still lingers. It’s been some time since backlash erupted after the film’s teaser was released, and it seems Disney is now opting for a scaled-back debut.

Disney is known for its grand red carpet premieres, especially for movies like Snow White — which has a budget of a whopping $270 million. But this time, the fanfare will be watered down. According to reports, the Hollywood debut will be a much smaller affair, a surprising move for such a high-profile release.

The premiere of Snow White will take place on March 15 at El Capitan Theatre. However, it won’t spawn the typical media circus usually reserved for Disney premieres. That’s because, according to reports, the event will be covered by only a select group of photographers and crew. Meanwhile, in the U.K., an extravagant premiere has reportedly been scrapped, with smaller press events taking place instead. Many are speculating that the decision to tone down the film’s release was because of the back-to-back criticisms the film — and its star — have received.

The backlash began when Rachel Zegler — who is of Colombian descent — was cast as Snow White, a character described as having “skin as white as snow.” The controversy deepened when Zegler’s “woke” comments about updating the movie upset fans who were hoping for a live-action adaptation that was faithful to the beloved 1937 original. She described the prince as a stalker and called the situation “weird.” In a separate interview, she said “it’s no longer 1937″ and that Snow White was “not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love. She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”

Even the original Snow White’s director’s son weighed on the controversy and said he disagreed with the “different concept,” adding that Disney was “making up new woke things” that were disrespectful to his father and Walt Disney. “I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves,” he added.

Politics didn’t escape the controversy either. Zegler has been outspoken on social media of her for Palestine, while her co-star Gal Gadot — who portrays the Evil Queen in the movie— is Israeli and has expressed for her native country. The opposing views of the two lead actresses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict further intensified the film’s controversy. While the two stars have since appeared together as presenters at the Academy Awards, the public noticed their dynamic, with a body language expert saying there seemed to be a divide between them. 

Amid the speculations about the less grand movie premiere, a source told TheWrap that a smaller event was always what was intended for Snow White. The premiere will be attended by about 1,000 guests, with stars of the movie — including Zegler and Gadot — expected to attend, as well as other celebrities. With early projections suggesting a box office flop, it’s uncertain how much the surrounding controversies will influence moviegoers. The true verdict will come when the film hits theaters on March 21.

Rachel Zegler is trying to calm the waters surrounding the live-action Snow White film after her previous comments landed her in the crosshairs of angry Disney fans. Speaking to Vogue Mexico, the actress diplomatically stated that she “[interprets] people’s sentiments towards this film as ion.”

The target on Zegler’s back was put there the minute she was cast as Snow White. Although she considers herself a white Latina, the more conservative audiences were hoping for a typical Caucasian beauty to take on the role, attributing Disney’s decision to its supposed “woke agenda.”

So, when Zegler called the themes in the 1937 film “dated,” the stage had already been set for anything she said to be blown out of proportion. “She’s not going to be saved by the prince [in the new movie], and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” she told Variety in 2022. Further comments about how Snow White’s love interest in the original film acted like a stalker and how she had only watched the film once as a child added more fuel to the fire. Soon she became the target of an online “anti-woke” hate campaign in the molds of what happened to Marvel actress Brie Larson.

Suddenly, everyone had a very personal connection to the Snow White film from the ’30s, taking Zegler’s words as an attack on their childhood and sense of being. How dare she and Disney critically examine the original and try to adapt it to more modern perspectives?!

In fairness, I agree that both Zegler and the Mouse House’s talents would be better employed making original fairytales that could rival the cultural significance of the original Snow White. However, if they’re so adamant about remaking every classic, they might as well use the new versions to inspire this generation of little girls to want more out of life than a Prince Charming.

Still, with a couple of years worth of hindsight and with the film about to hit theaters this March, Zegler is trying to rebuild those bridges. “What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so ionately about,” she continued in the recent interview, conceding, “We’re not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us and all we can do is our best.”

With how much the film cost after expensive reshoots (Variety reported a $240 million budget), it’s been speculated that Disney could be pressuring Zegler to tone down her outspoken nature to not alienate any more possible ticket buyers. It’s noticeable in these distinctly conciliatory comments and in the public apology she issued after sharing a ionate anti-Donald Trump message to her socials in the aftermath of the November elections. “I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their opinion, even when it differs from my own. I am committed to contributing positively towards a better tomorrow,” she stated.

Another point of possible friction is Zegler’s vocal of a free Palestine, especially considering her Snow White co-star, Gal Gadot, is an Israeli with a military past. The controversy-riddled film, which is directed by The Amazing Spider-Man‘s Marc Webb and written by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, comes out on Mar. 21.

Did Disney just issue a not-so-subtle warning to viewers after losing 700,000 subscribers? That’s what some people are saying after the media giant’s eyebrow-raising Super Bowl ad, which left social media buzzing.

When the Walt Disney Co. reported its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the company revealed that it beat expectations on revenue and profit. However, it also acknowledged troubling signs for its streaming service. Apparently, Disney Plus lost 700,000 subscribers in the final three months of 2024, marking the first decline since its 2019 launch. ESPN+ also took a hit, losing another 700,000, though Hulu managed a slight bump to 53.6 million subscribers.

Disney did warn investors back in November that a “modest decline” in core Disney Plus subscribers was coming, but the loss still raises questions about the company’s pricing strategy and content appeal. The subscriber dip coincided with price hikes Disney announced last August, pushing the ad-ed tier to $9.99 and the ad-free version to $15.99. The move was intended to drive profitability, but some customers clearly weren’t sold.

In response to the subscriber drop, Disney rolled out a dramatic Super Bowl ad titled “What if?” The ad, filled with ominous music and fading beloved characters, asked audiences to imagine a world without Disney’s biggest franchises, including Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The message seemingly hinted at the company’s desperation to secure growth for its streamer as it threatened people to subscribe or risk losing access to their favorite stories.

However, instead of inspiring nostalgia and loyalty, the ad left many viewers rolling their eyes and scratching their heads. A number even took to X to poke fun at Disney’s questionable move. “What if Disney+ actually made good content instead of spending millions on Super Bowl ads?” one X quipped, while another wrote, “What if Disney+ put out better content? They wouldn’t have lost so many subscribers.” Someone else also summed up the backlash: “Disney, this ‘What If’ stuff only works when it’s clever. You’re just using it to ask empty questions [laughing emoji]. What’s the point of this commercial? That we’re lucky your products exist? Okay, whatever, Disney.”

Despite the streaming struggles, Disney’s financials weren’t all bad. The company’s net income soared nearly 23% to $2.64 billion, with revenue climbing 4.8% to $24.69 billion. Success at the box office helped fuel the gains, as Disney dominated 2024’s movie charts with Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Moana 2, the latter of which sured $1 billion in ticket sales.

The Disney parks division was a mixed bag, as international parks saw a 28% jump in operating income, but domestic attendance slumped 5%, with Disney’s report blaming this on hurricanes and cruise-related preopening expenses. Meanwhile, sports-content revenue climbed 13%, thanks to college football and an extra NFL game, despite Disney pulling out of the Venu Sports t venture, according to Fast Company.

Looking ahead, Disney isn’t out of the woods yet. CEO Bob Iger acknowledged during the earnings call that another subscriber drop is likely next quarter, signaling that Disney still has work to do to stay competitive in a streaming landscape dominated by Netflix and Amazon Prime. Still, despite the turbulence, Disney remains a major player. Statista recently reported that Disney+ reached nearly 159 million global subscribers in late 2024, a far cry from collapse.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion King.

Mufasa: The Lion King tells the story of Simba’s father from the time he was a cub until he first climbed Pride Rock as the ruler of everything the light touches. Additionally, the prequel movie explains how Scar grew so resentful of his brother that he decided to kill Mufasa and take the throne. There’s a lot of history to unpack in two hours, so let’s recap all the major plot points.

Why does Kiros want to kill other lions? 3m1d2

The main antagonist of Mufasa: The Lion King is Kiros (voiced by Mads Mikkelsen), the leader of an albino lion pride. As they look different from everyone else, white lions are cast away by their original families and forced to fend for themselves as pariahs. Moved by rage and revenge, Kiros has created his pride of outcasts to kill all the feline monarchs and crown himself as the new king of everything the light touches. In Kiros’ view, every royal bloodline must be extinguished so no one can claim the throne. Kiros is so determined to hunt down Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Mufasa (voiced by Aaron Pierre) to the end of the world because their survival threatens the white lion’s coup.

What is Milele? 6s4260

After they escape Kiros’ attack, Taka and Mufasa begin to search for Milele, a fabled place where the land is always lush green, no animal goes hungry, and everyone plays their role in the great circle of light. While initially, Milele sounds like the animals’ version of paradise, the place exists. As the prequel explains, Milele is the bushy kingdom Mufasa rules at the beginning of The Lion King, which Scar later usurps.

How did Mufasa become the lion king? 485g1m

Mufasa and his friends ultimately reach Milele, also bringing Kiros and his pride to the paradise. Since there’s nowhere to run, Mufasa decides to fight Kiros and end his threat. Mufasa’s allies are not strong enough to stand against Kiros, so the soon-to-be lion king asks for the help of Milele’s other inhabitants. As Mufasa explains, everyone has a role to play in the circle of life, and they must all rise against tyranny. Moved by Mufasa’s speech, all the animals forces against Kiros, defeating his pride.

After the battle, the animals crown Mufasa as a new king. Mufasa doesn’t want to rule, as he does not come from a royal bloodline. However, as Rafiki (voiced by John Kani) tells him, his bravery, humility, and willingness to respect every living being makes him the most suitable king Milele could ever have. With Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone) as his queen, Mufasa climbs Pride Rock and takes his place as Milele’s fair ruler.

Why does Scar resents Mufasa? 6l6p1f

Kiros reaches Milele because he’s helped by Taka, who betrays Mufasa by leaving tracks for the white lions to follow. Taka’s treason is motivated by his growing resentment towards Mufasa. First, Mufasa is the favorite son of Taka’s mother, Eshe (voiced by Thandie Newton), who taught him how to hunt. Then, Mufasa gains the iration of Taka’s father, Obasi (voiced by Lennie James), after he saves Eshe’s life from an attack by Kiros’ forces. Taka never learned how to hunt, could not fend for himself, and fled in fear when he saw his mother being attacked, which is why he was jealous of his adoptive brother.

Taka’s decision to betray Mufasa comes after his adoptive brother wins the heart of Sarabi, whom Taka also loved. Tired of being in Mufasa’s shadow, Taka decides to ally with Kiros. Taka eventually regrets his action, aiding Mufasa during the final battle. That’s how he gets his scar over his left eye, adopting the name Scar as a reminder of his treason. Even though Mufasa forgives his brother, everyone knows of Scar’s treason, making a pariah of him. That, combined with all the previous resentment, would eventually lead to Scar’s coup in the events of The Lion King.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion King.

Mufasa: The Lion King makes a bold move by expanding the canon of one of Disney’s most beloved properties while making controversial changes to what other movies had already established. Among these changes lies the origin story of Scar, the treacherous uncle of Simba.

While The Lion King teases that Mufasa is the heir of a long line of kings, the prequel movie reveals that the noble feline (voiced by Aaron Pierre) was born as a commoner in a distant land. After being separated from his parents during a flood, Mufasa washes away at the shores of a small kingdom led by Obasi (voiced by Lennie James), a monarch who believes that only bloodlines can justify a throne.

Mufasa quickly bonds with Obasi’s son, Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the true heir of their kingdom. Obasi, however, wants nothing to do with Mufasa, who he sees as a threat to his son’s legacy. Therefore, Mufasa is raised by Taka’s mother, Eshe (voiced by Thandie Newton), and the lionesses. Tragically, the status quo of Obasi’s kingdom quickly changes when they are attacked by Kiros (voiced by Mads Mikkelsen), a white lion who wants to destroy every royal bloodline so he can rule alone in the world. This vicious attack ultimately sets Taka on the path to becoming Scar.

How does Taka become Scar in Mufasa: The Lion King? 2k6p5o

While Taka and Mufasa share a brotherly love, the prince is jealous of his adoptive sibling because he gets to spend time with Eshe and learn to hunt like a lioness. Taka’s jealousy grows after the first attack by white lions, in which Kiros’ forces corner Eshe, almost killing her. Mufasa saves Eshe’s life, while Taka flees in fear, meaning the foreign stray shows more valor than the prince. To add to Taka’s shame, Obasi sends him away so their bloodline can be preserved, but Mufasa is charged with protecting the prince due to his bravery.

Taka’s breaking point comes after he meets Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone). While running away from Kiros, Taka and Mufasa cross paths with other outcasts who their search for the fabled lands of Milele. One of these outcasts is Sarabi, a Princess who also fled her country after Kiros murdered her family. Taka is immediately lovestruck, asking Mufasa to help him court the lioness. Mufasa tries to help his brother, but he also falls in love with Sarabi. As for the Princess, she is drawn by Mufasa’s nobility, refusing Taka’s attempts to get closer to her.

Once Taka realizes Mufasa and Sarabi are entangled, he feels betrayed. So much so that he reaches out to Kiros to strike a deal. Taka marks the path to Milele so the white lion forces can pursue Mufasa, setting a deadly trap for his adoptive brother. However, Taka regrets his decision during the final battle and saves Mufasa from Kiros’ final blow by throwing himself in front of the white lion’s paw. Kiros’ claw scars Taka’s left eye, leaving a permanent reminder of his treason in the former prince’s face.

After Kiros is defeated and Mufasa is crowned king of Milele, Taka begs for forgiveness. The animals clamor for Taka’s banishment, but Mufasa tells his subjects that as long as he is king, his brother will always have a place by his side. However, Mufasa can no longer usher Taka’s name, as the pain of the betrayal is too big. That’s why Taka proposes that people call him Scar after the wound Kiros left in his eye. That way, he will be forever reminded of his awful actions.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Mufasa: The Lion King.

It’s no surprise that Mufasa: The Lion King is Disney’s attempt to duplicate the billion-dollar success of 2019’s The Lion King. However, without nostalgia to fuel the ticket sales, Mufasa needed a story so good no one could ignore it. Sadly, they missed the mark.

Set before the events of The Lion King, Mufasa explains how the titular feline becomes the venerable king he is in both the classic Disney animation and the realistic remake of 2019. As it turns out, Mufasa does not belong to a great lineage of monarchs but is just a regular lion who rises to the occasion when tyrants threaten the lives of all the rulers of the African plains. As such, the movie turns Mufasa into the unlikely underdog who, in the end, gets a crown because he has to, not because he wants to.

The prequel sounds quite interesting when stripped to its bare bones. Everyone loves a rags-to-riches story, and Mufasa’s tale is the perfect reminder of how anyone can achieve greatness if they put the common good above personal gain. Sure, that changes the Disney canon established in the animation continuity, but we can all forgive some creative liberty if the tradeoff is a good movie, right? Well, spoiler alert: Mufasa is average at best, and its ending makes absolutely no sense.

Mufasa’s royal position is unearned in the prequel movie i6vh

For most of its runtime, Mufasa follows the titular hero (voiced by Aaron Pierre) and his adoptive brother, Taka (voiced by Kelvin Harrison Jr.), as they are chased out from their kingdom by a tribe of greedy white lions led by the villainous Kiros (voiced by Mads Mikkelsen). Taka is a prince, the rightful heir of one of the many lion kingdoms that used to exist before Kiros decided there could be only one true ruler. In his turn, Mufasa has just grown up with Taka’s family after being dragged away from his parents by a flood.

To escape Kiros, Mufasa and Taka journey to Milele, a fabled place where the grass is always green and animals can live in harmony, according to the principles of the cycle of life. Other animals soon them: Princess Sarabi (voiced by Tiffany Boone) and her loyal guard, Zazu (voiced by Preston Nyman), and the outcast monkey Rafiki (voiced by John Kani). The troupe does reach Milele. However, Kiros and his pride are right on their trail, thanks to the help of Taka, who betrays his brother due to a jealousy tantrum — yeah, that is the official explanation. 

Since Mufasa cannot fight Kiros’ entire army, he asks the local animals to him. After all, once Kiros kills the remaining lions, he will be the sole ruler of Milele, and his feline followers will feast on the flesh of the other animals. And so, Mufasa starts his revolution. There’s only one teeny, tiny problem with this. Mufasa also eats animals, as the prequel itself underlines multiple times. So why are giraffes, zebras, and all the fauna of Africa so ready to fight for a lion against a different lion? They will be prey for whoever rules Milele, so what difference does it make whose teeth will bite off their throats?

To make matters worse, the final battle happens five minutes after all the lions arrive in Milele. There is no time for any locals to measure the moral qualities of Mufasa or Kiros. Everyone just picks a side after Mufasa makes a shallow speech about union. The animals even crown Mufasa king, although Milele was doing just fine without a ruler before lions came to wreak havoc. It would be wiser for the animals to band together against all lions, including Mufasa, and then live free of predators. Instead, like a good populist leader, Mufasa uses ready-made words to reach a position of power he will use to exploit his subjects.

I don’t know, Disney. Maybe this version of the circle of life is not what we should teach kids these days.

Well or poorly received, empowered by time or otherwise, 2019’s Lion King was a cultural moment, or at least Disney did its very best to make it so. Its 2024 prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, on the other hand, is curiously the stronger movie of the two, but has largely felt like a quiet release. It’s been arguably overshadowed by other major end-of-year blockbusters like Wicked, Gladiator II, and even possibly Disney’s own Moana sequel, which has been breaking box office records left and right.

Did the studio feel threatened by the unenthusiastic place in history that Mufasa‘s predecessor carved out for itself? Did they not believe in director Barry Jenkins’ work enough? It goes without saying that Disney does not need to invest extensively in marketing for its films to make bank (well, that may not be true judging by Mufasa‘s early box office returns, though it is way too early to tell). Still, coming off of the Beyoncé-led showmanship of the 2019 film, which generated an entire side visual album, this prequel’s rollout has felt starkly minimalistic. As a result, and most likely also thanks to Jenkins’ cinematic vision and ion for the project, it feels like an altogether far less offensive movie.

The Lion King got a bad rap for remaking a film that did not need to be remade, using technology that was neither pure animation nor actual live-action. This ambiguity turned the final product into a strange experience that read more like a cash grab than an honest attempt to honor the original film. Regardless of the surrounding discourse, however, it still made a gazillion dollars at the box office, which could only have led to a sequel. And that’s where Disney’s redemption arc began.

So the Mouse House needed to make a sequel to a film that proved widely profitable yet had angered more than a few critics and to whom time hadn’t exactly been kind. Its first good decision was to go for an original story (penned by returning The Lion King writer Jeff Nathanson) set in the universe of the Pride Lands, instead of adapting the direct-to-video 1998 film The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride — a solid, sweet film, that, if remade, would have inevitably fallen into many of the same traps of the first “live-action” attempt. Its second not good, but great, decision was to appoint Oscar-buzzy, utterly talented Moonlight director Barry Jenkins to helm the production. Finally, Disney brought on Lin-Manuel Miranda, the king of musicals, to create the original songs.

All three of those elements inherently make Mufasa: The Lion King a more legitimate film. Besides, it would take fantastic effort or just incredibly bad luck for a Jenkins/Miranda partnership to produce bad results.

So, uhm, Mufasa: The Lion King is a decent movie. o6k5n

This origin story about the commanding father of Simba improves on so many of its predecessors’ mistakes, including a noticeable fine-tuning of the digital photorealistic animation. Jenkins has revealed the production employed motion-capture techniques that had not been present in the first film, aided by a team that has worked on James Cameron’s Avatar films. This immediately imbued Mufasa with a kind of emotional depth that had been noticeably and infamously lacking the first time around.

Also contributing to its emotional depth was the rich origin story of Mufasa (The Underground Railroad‘s Aaron Pierre) and his brother (Elvis‘ Kelvin Harrison Jr.), whom the public knows as Scar, but whom we meet here as an adorable if antsy cub named Taka. Their paths first cross when Mufasa is ripped away from his parents by a violent torrent and the river stream leads him to a foreign land where Taka’s father, Obasi (The Walking Dead‘s Lennie James), is king.

The place either lion occupies within Obasi’s pride swiftly begins informing the relationship we see develop throughout the film. It’s surprisingly gray and complicated, and it only grows even more tangled as new factors are added in, such as the special bond between Mufasa and Taka’s mother Eshe (Westworld‘s Thandiwe Newton), and the appearance of a lioness they both fancy, Simba’s mother-to-be Sarabi (The Chi‘s Tiffany Boone).

The brothers’ bond is the beating heart of the film, and it is put to the test by a menacing group of white lions known as the Outsiders, whose thirst for dominance and revenge has been terrorizing the entire savanna for a while. They’re led by a perfectly-cast Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Kiros.

Meanwhile, Rafiki (Black Panther‘s John Kani, reprising his role), who is narrating the story in a timeline immediately following the 2019 film, tells Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut) that this band of villains get their names from having been expelled from their respective prides for looking different. Though we couldn’t find any information that s this phenomenon’s occurrence in the real animal kingdom, the concept of deviation from the norm and subsequent ostracization from one’s group is a prevalent theme in the movie.

While accompanying Mufasa and Taka on their journey, we also meet a young Rafiki (this time voiced by South African actor Kagiso Lediga), whose origin story mirrors that of the white lions, only with a completely different outcome. This teaches young Kiara (serving as an audience surrogate) that it’s not what happens to you, but what you do with it, that defines the person (or photorealistic anthropomorphic animal) you become. The hero (Mufasa), the anti-hero (Taka/Scar), and the love interest (Sarabi) all adhere to a version of this framework as well — albeit with their own specificities — thus providing additional possible scenarios for what the aftermath of adversity and exclusion can look like.

Together, they embark on a quest for the promise land, Milele — a mythical place that Mufasa learns of from his biological parents, where all species live in harmony, and there are resources to spare. The parallels to our world write themselves.

It’s a strong hook for a film that appears deliberate and carefully crafted throughout, even though it never really sticks the landing. Mufasa‘s final moments lose much of the nuance that defined its first two acts, instead relying on flat, generic, awkward tropes and inspirational speeches that feel lazy in the face of the complex story world we had previously been introduced to.

Visually, it’s a lot more alive than its predecessor, with Jenkins and his visual effects team taking purposeful strides to create a more dynamic conversation between the characters, their surroundings, and the camera. Still, the CGI look never quite manages to shake off its plasticized dullness, lacking the kind of charm and fantasy that 2D and, to some degree, 3D, animation tend to bring.

Finally, a very important note toward Lin Manuel Miranda’s songwriting, allied with Dave Metzger’s score, which are soaring highlights in the film. It may not reach the heights of Disney classics of yesteryear, but Mufasa: The Lion King is a movie worth watching for the clear attempt to turn it into something it could never have been.

Episode four of Skeleton Crew has come and gone, and the Jon Watts-helmed coming-of-age miniseries seems destined to be one of the quieter entries in the Star Wars mythos. This likely has to do with an absence of tired fanbase uproar that has become so common in this era of the franchise, but I digress.

Those who do have Skeleton Crew on their radar have likely become familiar with one of the greatest Star Wars tales we’ve gotten in a hot minute. It may not have the genre charm of the original trilogy, the thematic/dramatic depth of Andor, nor the lucrative mix of the two that Revenge of the Sith had, but it has something even better; a creative heft that’s entirely its own.

Indeed, Skeleton Crew‘s Amblin-esque stylings and child ensemble are blossoming in a big way here, with the storyline exhibiting a tight grip on the adolescent capacity for intense wonder and terror, as well as the humanist wisdom that so many children play host to. And of our four plucky protagonists starring opposite Jude Law’s Jod Na Nawood, none stand out quite like Neel.

Let’s not kid ourselves; the Skeleton Crew brain trust knew exactly what they were doing when they stuck that thoroughly adorable, elephant-esque alien head on the most innocent, kind-hearted member of the Onyx Cinder‘s unlikely new crew. This show absolutely, positively intends for you to fall in love with Neel (voiced by Robert Timothy Smith) specifically, but those big eyes and floppy ears are just one small part of that equation.

All four of the kids are out of their depth here, but Neel especially so. Fern has an aptitude for leadership, Wim has a gung-ho enthusiasm and an adventurous itch to scratch, and KB has an eye for observation and is intellectually gifted. Neel has none of these traits; he’s anxious, ive, and a bit clumsy. You’d be as likely to pick Neel for a space expedition as you would for dodgeball in gym class.

And Neel knows that. He never hides how afraid or insecure he is, and that, importantly, extends to all of his emotions and natural ways of being. He’s the first to show fear, but he’s also the first to show love. He may not be brave or articulate or handy, but he won’t hesitate to give up his daily ration for two starving children, or advocate for no fighting in a world that seems pathologically obsessed with it.

This speaks to the rarely-discussed nuances of Neel’s sheltered upbringing. We learn early on that he comes from a fairly well-to-do family in a household full of love that he shares with his mom, dad, and little siblings. By all observations, Neel’s life experience has been one of very little conflict and about as much need for adjustment, and Skeleton Crew has been playing with that background in a multi-pronged way that’s also central to the show’s emotional thesis.

For one thing, the peace and kindness that Neel embodies and advocates for is one that we would all do well to adopt, but his lack of confidence is entirely a product of the fact that he’s never had to worry about being heard at home. He’s not used to using his voice or standing up for himself because of how safe he usually feels, and so when a situation inevitably comes along that requires that of him, he winds up retreating out of fear.

In this way, Skeleton Crew calls attention to the universality of human pain, regardless of your background, while simultaneously advocating for meeting that pain with an equally rich love and vulnerability.

All of this, without downplaying the importance of feeling that pain and insecurity in the first place. In Neel, we come to understand that pain doesn’t make you strong because it toughens you up, but because it deepens your empathy and subsequent depth of your love. This latest episode has seen him overcome his fear in a big way, drawing the attention of a malfunctioning SM-33 when it threatens his friends. He ends up ing out after the encounter, sure, but we’re reminded that the best kindness is one that’s active rather than ive; this lesson is Neel’s arc, and a fantastic one for viewers of all ages to learn from.

Indeed, it’s true that anything can happen over the course of these next four episodes (the finale is due on Disney Plus on Jan. 14), but at this point, it’s hard to imagine a world where someone eclipses Neel as the greatest, most important component of Skeleton Crew.