The release of Jon Favreau's live-action take on The Lion King has also reinvigorated interest in the original film, prompting a number of questions that not even the wisdom of Rafiki could ever hope to answer.
Are Nala and Simba related? Why does Scar have a British accent in the African savanna? And how did Simba survive eating just bugs for so long?
Questions like these have bothered obsessive Disney fans for the better part of 25 years and for most, there's no easy answer. However, there is one particular mystery that we can solve for you now which revolves around Scar and his villainous namesake.
No one is born with a scar over their eye like that, so how did Simba's uncle first come by that name? Be prepared for sensational news as we dive back into a book from the '90s called The Lion King: Six New Adventures.
Scar's real name
First published by Grolier Books back in 1994, the official release includes a story called A Tale of Two Brothers, which explores the life of a much younger Mufasa and Scar. Of course, Scar wasn't known as Scar back then and instead, he went by the name Taka.
Not so bad, right? Well, some of the names featured in The Lion King have a specific meaning when translated from Swahili. For example, Rafiki means 'friend' and Simba means 'power' ('Mufasa' apparently means 'cigarette', unless Google Translate is punking us). 'Taka' can actually be translated in a few different ways, but one of the most common meanings in English is 'dirt'.
And you thought Simba had daddy issues.
Related: Does this cut Lion King scene confirm a popular conspiracy theory?
A Tale of Two Brothers is set soon after Rafiki first arrives at Pride Rock. In a bid to steal the throne from Mufasa, a young Taka tries to turn their father against him, but Rafiki overhears the plan. Unfortunately, the wise baboon isn't quick enough and Taka still manages to convince a buffalo named Boma to attack Mufasa.
Taka's plan would have worked, but things go sour when he starts laughing in delight at his own evil scheme. Hearing that signature cackle, the buffalo herd suddenly turn against Taka and although his father saves him, the young lion is soon left with a huge gash across his eye.
Rafiki tries his best to heal Taka, but medical training is hard to come by in the savanna (when you're a baboon) and while Simba's uncle does survive, the wound remains forever as a scar. As if that wasn't a strong enough reminder of what transpired that day, Taka then asks his father to only refer to him as 'Scar' from that day on, ensuring he'll never forget what happened.
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Although 'Scar' is indeed a step up from 'Taka' – or 'dirt' – you'd think that the evil lion would have perhaps considered a more inspiring name. Still though, it's easy to see why Scar would want to remember that day, and in the words of a wise baboon, "Change is good!"
The Lion King is out in cinemas now.
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Disney Classics Complete Collection
Encanto
Raya and the Last Dragon
Mulan (2020)
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Aladdin (2019)
Mary Poppins Returns
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Disney Princess Complete Collection Box set [DVD] [2019]
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
