There are two moments in Disney movies that irrevocably scarred us for life: the death scenes in Bambi and The Lion King. Witnessing those tragedies in otherwise wholesome family films is a traumatic experience so many of us share, but I really wasn’t expecting this reaction to The Lion King. One TikTok has been going viral of a dog having a strong reaction to Mufasa’s death, and it’s actually got me so emotional about the scene all over again.
Zoe Ansary took to her TikTok earlier this week to share her pup’s reaction to watching The Lion King’s most emotional scene. Check it:
@bosco.and.the.fam ♬ original sound - Zoe Ansary
The rescue dog known as Bosco looked completely zoned in on the happenings of the classic Disney movie as Simba finds out Mufasa has been trampled to death by a herd of wildebeest, as planned by his Uncle Scar. It’s an absolutely tragic moment, and I can’t handle Bosco showing genuine concern for the characters in the animated movie, as he begins to whimper and cry over the scene. We can’t blame Bosco, because it feels like just about everyone who watches The Lion King reacts that way, but it’s actually so beautiful to see how perceptive the pup is.
Following the video being viewed over 5.5 million times in just a couple of days, Ansary also recorded Bosco’s reaction to the 2019 remake, which eclipsed the original movie’s box office success by earning over $1 billion ($1.663 billion to be exact) the summer of its release. Here it is:
@bosco.and.the.fam ♬ original sound - Zoe Ansary
Ansary commented that Bosco could definitely sense Scar was “bad” during their viewing of the photo-realistic adaptation, once again watching attentively at the screen during Mufasa’s death scene.
Say what you will about Disney’s approach to “live-action” talking animals in its remakes, but both of The Lion King movies really caught Bosco’s attention in similar ways. It goes to show how universal of a story the best of the Disney Renaissance Era movies is, even to the animal kingdom. It’s got me wondering how common it is for dogs to have this reaction to The Lion King.
The Lion King fans like Bosco might be interested and excited to know that Disney is set to continue to explore the world of Pride Rock with The Lion King prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, which will tell the story of Mufasa and Scar before Simba was born. The movie is being directed by Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins, and it will star Aaron Pierre as Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison as Taka (aka Scar). Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner are expected to reprise their roles as Pumba and Timon along with John Kani returning to voice Rafiki. Mufasa: The Lion King is among the upcoming 2024 movies, with its release date being July 5, 2024. So, we'll have to wait a little while longer to see how our good pal Bosco reacts to the prequel.
