The Mufasa prequel completely misses the point of Lion King

You may ask how can I say this about a movie that hasn't even come out yet. But the premise of it, "he came from nothing, to become king" had me rolling my eyes and tells me Disney doesn't understand the original movie. I hate this, not because it gives Scar a reason to be jealous, but because it fundamentally misunderstanding what Lion King is about. There are two types of stories, one where the hero has to come from being a nobody and through grit and hard work has to become "good enough", the second is where the hero is good enough already, he or she just has to believe it. Lion King is the second type.

There are many good stories using the first, most Shonen anime and sports movies work this way. In Dragon Ball, for instance, Goku starts out weaker than all the villains and yeachers he originally had, but through sheer grit and hard work he ends up surpassing them all. Also, consider Rocky. In the first movie, he is nowhere near as talented as Apollo Creed, but through intense training, and the refusal to give up, he pushes Creed to his limits.

While the second type of story is rarer, it too can be good with a powerful message. In the original Lion King, Mufasa is a good King and father, not because he had to earn it, but because that's who he was, and he was secure in his identity. Look what he tells Simba in the original movie. M: "You have forgotten me." S: "How have I forgotten you?" M: "You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me." S: "I can't go back." M: "Remember who you are."

Simba doesn't have to go on a training montage to defeat Scar and become King again, he wins because he already is the rightful king, he just needs to believe it. Another example of this kind of movie is Kung Fu Panda. Po is already the perfect fighter to beat Tai Lung. And while he does train, the training he receives helps him enhance who he already is, rather than changing him into someone else. Him being a "big, fat, panda" which everyone mocks him for, is exactly how he is able to defeat Tai Lung, his fat protects him from Tai's nerve attacks.

So, in summary, while the first type of movie will always be compelling, about how even a talentless underdog can go on to do great things through hard work, the second type of story I believe has a powerful message as well for people. You're already enough, you just have to believe it. That's what Disney is missing with this prequel.