Sarabi is the supporting character in the 2019 photorealistic CGI remake of The Lion King. In this film, she is given more screen time and a larger backstory.
She is based on the character from the character of the same name from the 1994 animated film.
Background[]
Personality[]
In her youth, Sarabi was pessimistic and anti-social, given how she lost her family and pride to the Outsiders. She was at first cold towards Mufasa and Taka when she first met them, but slowly began to warm up to the two lions during their journey together. Even in her youth, she had her limits on who and what to eat as she did not eat Zazu who was her father's advisor and shared a bond with him as she protected the hornbill from being eaten by Mufasa and Taka.
Physical appearance[]
As an adolescent, Sarabi was sleek and well-built, with a golden-tinted tan coat and yellow eyes. Upon reaching adulthood, Sarabi is an exceptionally large lioness, with a solid build, a wide head, a square jaw, and a prominent white chin. She has short, sleek, glossy golden fur, black lips, dark-lined yellow eyes, rounded ears, a white chest, and a thin dark stripe on her forehead.
Appearances[]
The Lion King[]
She is first seen during the musical number "Circle of Life" where she and her mate Mufasa present their newborn cub Simba (the novelization based on the film's plot implies that Mufasa followed his wife along with Rafiki back to his family's den while Mufasa made sure not to bother his wife or his newborn son and telling Zazu to tell Scar he is displeased that he did not attend the birth of Simba). Sometime later after Simba's birth, Sarabi next appears sleeping with her husband telling her that his son is awake to which he and Simba explore the world around them (the novelization, however, implies that while sleeping, she checks on Simba by looking at him to know if he has any injuries or he needs to be healed to which Sarabi checks that everything is fine with Simba). During a morning routine with Simba and Mufasa exploring the Pride Lands around them, Zazu reports to his master that he found out there are hyenas in the Pride Lands to which he warns Mufasa that Sarabi is leading the lionesses to ward off the hyenas (this was not mentioned in the original film), while Mufasa tells his advisor to take Simba home since he cannot allow his son to join him in taking care of the hyenas.
Sarabi later appears during the part where Simba meets Nala for the first time, which before Simba can go with Nala, Sarabi gives him a bath. After the short bath, Simba asks his best friend Nala to know if he could go to the water hole, but Sarabi tells the two not to go anywhere else or any further, to stay downwind, and that they need Zazu to assist the two in case danger happens with the cubs. When they question the idea, she tells them that either Zazu goes or they don't.
Later after Simba is banished, Sarabi is seen among the mourning lionesses when Scar explains that Mufasa and Simba died together as he takes over as king with the Pridelanders noticing the hyenas invading the Pride Lands to turn it into a deserted wasteland.
Later after Zazu is banished by Scar, he secretly sends messages to Sarabi, as he sneaks into Pride Rock, telling the lionesses about the bad news in the decimated Pride Lands, where she tells Nala to get used to Pride Rock with Scar as the new king, much to Nala's refusal just as Shenzi arrives and tells Sarabi that Scar wants to see her. Also, Scar mentioned that in the past, he wanted her as his mate, but she rejected him and chose Mufasa instead. Upon seeing Scar delivering an oryx carcass, he then tried to win her over and convince her to be his queen, but she kept rejecting him because she tells Scar that he is destroying the Pride Lands and the Circle of Life by overhunting. This did not happen in the original film, but in an earlier concept, Scar tried in similar ways to convince Nala, instead of Sarabi, to be his queen, only to be rejected. As a result, Scar allows the hyenas to eat first before the lionesses, much to Sarabi's worry. Later when Nala escapes Pride Rock with the help of Zazu, Sarabi watches over Nala's escape in worry.
Sarabi is later seen during the film's climax, where Scar wants Sarabi to be his queen again, but Sarabi rejects his offer once again and tells him he's nothing compared to Mufasa, causing Scar to attack her. Upon seeing Scar attacking her, Simba confronts him in trying to defend his mother. Hearing Sarabi thinking Mufasa came back, and Simba explains to her that he returned, Sarabi then sides with Nala, who leads the lionesses to prepare for battle against Scar. Later after Simba gets himself back on Pride Rock, Scar explains to the Pridelanders that Simba killed Mufasa and now wants to kill him. After Sarabi listens to Simba fighting his uncle who left Mufasa to die, Sarabi revealed that she overhear Scar said about how he saw the look in Mufusa's eyes before he died as he previously claimed that he did not reach the gorge in time while Simba calls his uncle a murderer. As the hyenas attack Simba under Scar's command, Sarabi and the other lionesses, lead by Nala, attack the hyenas in which, after Scar's death, the Pridelanders' victory over Scar was successful. Sarabi is later seen among the other Pridelanders who are proud of Simba, who saved the Pride Lands from Scar as Simba becomes the new king of the Pride Lands.
Mufasa: The Lion King[]
One day, Sarabi's pride was decimated by the Outsiders, and she only barely escaped alongside a protector her father had chosen for her: Zazu the hornbill.
Sarabi in Mufasa: The Lion King.
While searching for remnants of her pride, Sarabi stumbled upon two lion brothers, Mufasa and Taka. She began to follow them, and Mufasa eventually picked up on her scent and confronted her. She confessed that she was looking for her pride, which had been killed off by the Outsiders, then remarked that they should get moving. As she started to depart, Taka intercepted her and introduced himself. He added that he knew what it was like to lose everything and urged her to join up with them, but she insisted that she did not need help.
At that moment, Zazu revealed his presence and told Mufasa and Taka to move along. However, once the brothers had left to hunt, Zazu urged Sarabi to reconsider their offer, and she reluctantly followed them. While hunting together, the group stumbled upon a mandrill named Rafiki, who claimed to be seeking the mystical land of Milele. Sarabi scoffed at the notion that they should follow a "baboon's" dreams, but Rafiki countered that, sometimes, a dream was all one had. He then compared a dream to the "memory of a great king," which shocked and disturbed Sarabi. Eventually, Mufasa convinced the group to follow Rafiki to Milele.
As the group continued on their way, Taka confessed to Mufasa that he had feelings for Sarabi, and Mufasa suggested that he be a good listener and talk about the flowers from her pride's valley. Heeding his brother's advice, Taka caught up to Sarabi and awkwardly flirted with her. He remarked on the flowers from her valley, and she was touched that he had noticed them.
Shortly afterwards, the group reached a ravine, and Mufasa claimed that the Outsiders were approaching. Though Sarabi doubted him, he urged her to catch their scent herself, and she did, to her own astonishment. Together, the group descended into the ravine, only for the Outsiders to approach. Mufasa suggested that they ask a nearby herd of elephants for help, but Sarabi pointed out that they were lions and that no one would want to work with them. Instead, she heaved a beehive into the midst of the herd, inciting a stampede.
While the others managed to take cover, Sarabi got knocked unconscious, and Mufasa dragged her to safety under a rock. As he stood over her protectively, he repeatedly iterated, "I got you." Once the stampede had cleared and the Outsiders had been thrown off in their pursuit, Rafiki revived Sarabi and mentioned that "he" had saved her. She questioned who specifically had saved her, and Mufasa hastily claimed that it had been Taka. A grateful Sarabi thanked Taka and nuzzled him.
Continuing on, the group began to climb a snowy mountain. Worried that the Outsiders would follow their tracks, Mufasa instructed Zazu to cover their paw prints in order to throw the pride off their scent. Farther up the mountain, Mufasa began to carry Rafiki on his back, during which he remarked, "I got you." This made Sarabi realize that it had been Mufasa, not Taka, who had saved her life.
With Taka in earshot, Sarabi confronted Mufasa over his lie and deduced that he had not only been the one to save her, but the one to notice the scent of her valley's flowers on her fur. Though Mufasa initially resisted her advances out of loyalty to Taka, he eventually gave in, and the pair confessed their love for one another. Unbeknownst to the two, they were being watched by Taka from afar. Overcome by jealousy, he decided to betray Mufasa to the Outsiders and secretly lead them to Milele.
Eventually, the group reached Milele, and Mufasa and Sarabi played happily in the water while Taka watched resentfully. Before long, the Outsiders approached, and Sarabi rallied a nearby pride of lions to help them fight. Together, Mufasa's allies fought off the Outsiders, while Mufasa defeated Kiros. Afterwards, Mufasa became the new king of Milele, while Sarabi looked on proudly.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The sequence in the 2019 film in which Scar attempts to make Sarabi his queen is similar to "The Madness of King Scar" from The Lion King musical and a deleted sequence from the original film in which Scar tries the same with Nala.
See also[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ "Alfre Woodard Joins Disney's 'The Lion King' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter (August 7, 2017).
- ↑ ""Mufasa: The Lion King new casts"". Hollywood Reporter (June 18, 2024).
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