Okay. So I have seen ‘Black Panther’ twice in one week and am STILL tripping over how badass and afro-tastic the entire movie was! So forgive me for acting like an insane fangirl in certain parts of this article.
Now before we jump into it, my very good friend Tom Hiddleston has a lovely message for you all, so please read it first & proceed with caution.
If I see one whining moron saying “you should have warned us” in the comment section after this, then I swear to Bast. Honestly, if you STILL have not seen this movie, then I’m judging y’all so damn hard.
Now, ‘Lion King’ is one of the first Disney movies I ever saw. And mind you, I was in 3rd grade or something and this was back in 1997, so popping a cassette into a VCR and watching a movie on the telly was a pretty damn big deal for a kid at the time.
Anyway, the second I heard the Zulu chant in the ‘Circle of Life’, I remember every hair on my body was on its end. A teeny tiny sneezing Simba walked into my heart with his widdle baby paws & when Rafiki just lifted him like that over Pride Rock….oh God…
Simba’s relation with his majestic and handsome AF dad Mufasa was something I totally related too. Me and my old man share the same playful, love-filled bond and he always helps me in a tight spot. So you can imagine how my world crashed when Mufasa died horribly like that in a stampede by a herd of stupid Wildebeests, all because of *&%**#@$ Scar. But, what killed me the most is what happened next…
Guys, I’m tearing up right now…
What the hell, make it stop!
Now, remember the scene back from ‘Civil War’ when T’Challa cradled his dead father in his arms, after the attack on the UN? See any similarities?
Man the parallels are too much looking back at the death of T’Challa’s father on Civil War & Mufasa on Lion King. ðŸ˜#BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/piskpDvSed
— UrbanNoize2 (@UrbanNoize2) October 16, 2017
Simba and Mufasa shared the ultimate father-son relationship even after his death. So much so, that during a particularly low point in his life, Simba even spoke to Mufasa/Mufasa’s spirit thanks to Rafiki.
So, when a similar scene popped up in ‘Black Panther’ not once, but twice, it was such a throwback. A newly crowned T’Challa, after a Wakandan ritual, is transported to the ancestral planes with the help of his uncle Zuri, where he meets his father (who by the way transforms him from a panther into a human! (Yaas).
“Remember who you are.” The Black Panther and Lion King parallel. Wow. #BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/Zn3VPa2YS6
— UrbanNoize2 (@UrbanNoize2) October 16, 2017
They have a tender moment where T’Challa breaks down saying how he misses his father. Also, the music at that moment was so similar to the one from ‘Lion King’, I couldn’t help but make the connection.
The next scene where I saw a striking similarity with ‘Lion King’ involved Eric Killmonger. Yes, the badass rival of the Black Panther, who also turns out to be his long lost cousin.
So after an epic battle which ends with Eric getting stabbed by T’Challa, the cousins somehow seem to make their peace and end up watching a beautiful Wakandan sunset. And the first thing that came to my mind was…
The resemblance between the two scenes was so damn uncanny that I was thrown aback. Anyway, it was a welcome rush of memories. So watch out for these parallels when you watch this movie.
Also, I’m seriously considering watching ‘Black Panther’ for a third time in the hall. WHAT? I loved it, okay? Deal with it!
Also, I’m in love with General Okoye. This woman can throw her wig at me and crack my head open with a spear aaaaaaanytime she wants…sigh!
