Post #1707252
2026-04-18 06:38 UTC
@wilbr
Yeah, all jokes about smart ones aside, it's definitely problematic that the "king of the animals" is coded White and his spiritual guide is clearly African (not to mention using spiritual trappings that play into the "witch doctor" trope.)
There are a few characters who are voiced by Black Americans: Mufasa, Shenzi, young Nala, probably a few others I think. I was a kid in 1994 and I'm not American so I don't understand how progressive this was at the time, but filmmakers hiring American actors to play African characters is a problem we experience even today.
Replies (1)
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@wilbr@glitch.social 2026-04-18 15:00
@passenger moderately but not much especially since I couldn't tell based on hearing; Mufasa just sounds American to me. Featuring Black Americans in entertainment or animation, especially without their real faces but instead playing a non-Black character, is nothing new at all and dates back to the origins of animation. You can trace almost all "American" entertainment and music back to minstrel shows. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/cab-calloway-betty-boop-fleischer-cartoon-history-jazz/19500/