@aericabison23

1 year ago

Fun facts about Mufasa’s costume: - Like all the costumes in TLK, Mufasa’s costume not only represents his animal species, but also his character. The mask looks like a crown on a king’s head and he has a beautiful multicoloured mantle that goes from the back of his collar to up between his legs. Rafiki later adorns Simba with a similar-looking mantle when he becomes king. - Mufasa’s mane is made of burnt peacock feathers. The face of the mask is made from carbon fibre and painted to look like wood. - Mufasa’s swords represent his forelegs. Simba uses the same swords in the final battle as well. - Mufasa’s mask is remote-controlled: the actor has a tiny remote control in the palm of his hand, which has two switches. He uses the switches to make the mask come up and down in front of his face. - During “They Live In You”, the actor who plays Mufasa removes his mask and puts down his swords before speaking to little Simba. This represents Mufasa going from being a mighty king to a loving and concerned father, laying aside his status in order to relate to his son on a personal level. - Mufasa’s collar-piece is inspired by Balinese outfits, his corset from the Masai culture and his pants from Indonesian culture. - Apart from this costume, Mufasa is also represented in the show via a small hand puppet during “Grasslands Chant”, a puppet of his face on wire during Simba’s flashback and finally by giant pieces of carbon fibre held up by hidden ensemble members during “He Lives In You”. His makeup is inspired by the war paint used by Masai warriors.

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