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| Stampede (event) | |||
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| Event Information | |||
| Location | |||
| Participants |
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| Outcome |
• Mufasa is killed | ||
| Appearances |
• The Lion King | ||
| “ | Simba: Hey, Uncle Scar, will I like the surprise? Scar: Simba, it's to die for. |
” |
The stampede was the veiled assassination of Mufasa, the king of Pride Rock, by Scar and his hyena cronies.
Contents
Information
Background
| “ | ” |
Scar took his young nephew, Simba, to the gorge under the claim that his father Mufasa had a surprise for him. He left Simba alone despite the cub's protestations. Above the gorge, a large herd of wildebeests grazed, with Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed watching from afar. Just then, Scar emerged on a promontory overhead, signaling for the hyenas to instigate a stampede.[1]
Stampede
| “ | ” |
Simba practices his roar in the gorge, after which the ground begins to tremble, and wildebeests flood into the gorge. Simba flees, but when the herd overtakes him, he climbs a tree for refuge. Meanwhile, Scar informs Mufasa and Zazu that Simba is trapped in the stampede. The three hasten to the gorge, and Mufasa jumps into the stampede. Zazu resolves to fetch the pride for help, but Scar knocks him out.
Scar prepares to heave Mufasa to his death
Simba's tree breaks, causing Simba to be flung into the air, but Mufasa catches him in his jaws and bears him to safety. Before Mufasa can escape the stampede himself, the wildebeests draw him back into the fray. Eventually, Mufasa jumps free and begins to climb up the side of the gorge, out of sight of Simba, who begins to climb up the gorge himself to meet his father at the top.
From his precarious position, Mufasa pleas for help from Scar, who is standing on a ledge above him. Instead of helping Mufasa, Scar digs his claws into Mufasa's paws and throws him to his death. Simba catches sight of his father falling and screams in agony.
Aftermath
| “ | Simba: There were wildebeests, and he tried to save me. It was an accident! I didn't mean for it to happen! Scar: Of course, of course you didn't. No one...ever means for these things to happen... But the king is dead. And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive. |
” |
Scar manipulates Simba into fleeing the Pride Lands
After the stampede passes, Simba searches for Mufasa. He finds his father's body at the bottom of the gorge and attempts to revive him. When Mufasa does not rise, Simba screams for help before curling up beneath one of his father's paws. Just then, Scar appears and accuses Simba of being responsible for the death of Mufasa. He then manipulates Simba into thinking that the pride will blame him for Mufasa's death, which prompts Simba to flee the gorge. Scar then orders the hyenas to kill Simba.
The hyenas chase Simba to a thorn thicket, where Banzai gets severely injured. Shenzi refuses to brave the thorns and so decides to tell Scar that Simba is dead, as they expect him to perish in the desert. This allows Simba to escape the Pride Lands.
Simba's nightmare
| “ | ” |
The stampede appears during Simba's nightmare. Mufasa clings to the side of the gorge, begging Simba for help. Though Simba attempts to save Mufasa, he is held back by Scar, which causes Mufasa to fall into the stampede below. Simba turns on Scar, who morphs into Kovu and heaves Simba into the stampede after Mufasa.
The Lion King 1½
| “ | Pumbaa: Shall we run for our lives? Timon: Oh, yes, let's. |
” |
While searching for a dream home, Timon and Pumbaa accidentally encounter a stampede of wildebeests. They try to escape, but fall into a nearby river and plummet off a waterfall, where they find their dream home.
The Lion Guard
"Battle for the Pride Lands"
| “ | ” |
The stampede is seen briefly as one of Scar's flashbacks during the "When I Led the Guard" musical sequence.
Behind the scenes
General
- In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the stampede is shown running in the wrong direction.[2]
In development
- During early production of The Lion King, Mufasa was going to save Simba from a flood instead of a stampede.[3]
- In another version, Scar lured Nala's young brother Mheetu into the stampede in an attempt to lure an adolescent Simba to his doom. Simba would've managed to rescue the cub, but nearly die in the process, resulting in Mufasa saving both of them, only to meet his downfall at the claws of Scar.[3]
- In an early script, Scar pretended to wait for Mufasa with Simba, then departed under the pretense that he was going to search for Mufasa.[4]
- Originally, Scar did not show Simba any sympathy after the stampede. Instead, he chased him out of the Pride Lands himself.[5]
Media
References
- ↑ Revealed in Disney's The Lion King (1994). Written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton, and directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc.
- ↑ Revealed in Disney's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998). Written by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus, and directed by Rob LaDuca and Darrell Rooney. Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
- ↑
- ↑
| The History of the Pride Lands |
| Preceded by | Reign of | Followed by |
| Simba's presentation | Mufasa | Scar's coronation |
| For more information about the history of the Pride Lands, click here. |
