Lion King prequel shines new light on Scar's origins

The follow-up to 2019’s photorealistic remake deals with the sibling love between future rivals Mufasa and Scar

- John Lui

If you think you know the characters from the much-loved animated musical The Lion King (1994) and its 2019 CGI remake, the actors playing key roles in the new prequel would like to surprise you.

Taka, as the young lion is known before receiving the wound that leads to his later name and original antagonist Scar, is voiced by American actor Kelvin Harrison Jr in Mufasa: The Lion King, which opens in Singapore cinemas on Dec 19.

Set several years before the events of the photorealistically animated 2019 film, it follows the life of the titular character before he becomes King of the Pride Lands and the father of Simba.

Here, viewers will see that Mufasa's adoptive brother Taka is rather different from the sinister sibling he eventually grows into.

"I think it's a nice opportunity for people to pull back the curtain and reassess that original first interaction with Scar. I mean, no one's born a villain," says Harrison Jr, 30, at an online press conference with the film's cast and director Barry Jenkins on Dec 10.

Harrison Jr, who performs his own songs in the film, believes Taka's journey towards the dark side - like the poor choices many make springs from the pain of betrayal and loss.