Lion King’s “Scar” is just not cutting it for 2019
The 2019 remake of Disney’s “Lion King” is one taking the attention of all ages. The original 1994 animated film is a Disney staple. The music, adventure and emotion gave us exactly what we needed in a perfect family film. Any kid from the late ’80s, early ’90s and past 25 years or so was tuning in to the new take on the classic. The 2019 film gave the audience far improved graphics, the same classic characters, but apparently a less gay Scar?
As a kid, I always loved The Lion King for its diversified characters. The dynamic duo of Timon and Pumbaa will always be my favorite, but the way in which Scar carried himself always left a very devious, chilling feel. Scar, the brother of King Mufasa, was the classic two-faced villain looking to overthrow the king. Scar and his posse of hyenas are back in full force for 2019, but now, “empty” and just “angry.”
Jackson McHenry’s, Vulture article, “Scar Should Be Gayer,” strictly analyzes the characteristics of the classic character and how Disney seemingly took a step backward in their portrayal of him. “Gay villains, and especially the Disney kind that flourished in their animated movies in the late ’80s and early ’90s are, on the one hand, pretty obvious stereotypes. Scar is a preening lion with a limp paw who complains about being surrounded by idiots like he’s trying to establish some rules in his Fire Island timeshare,” (McHenry). As a kid, this is something I never thought twice about, but once analyzing the reception theory used by Disney, I can see how the encoding done from 1994 to 2019 left the audience decoding an almost different character. Production teams and writers can do all they can to portray meaning in media, but emotions are subjective. How an audience member feels towards a specific media symbol can greatly vary. McHenry finds The Lion King song, “Be Prepared,” to significantly separate the two portrayals of Scar. “In the original movie, Jeremy Irons plays Scar’s villain song like he’s leading a dance party in hell, with full-on sulfur and camp. By contrast, the 2019 version, performed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, is … fine? The new version is slower and lacks the edge and bite of the original. It feels a bit like it’s being read off of cue cards, or as if the direction was to make it evil, but you know, not evil and gay” (McHenry).
Now 25 years later since the original debut, it almost seems as if Disney played it safe in their new version Scar. Tying back into reception theory, the audience decoded Scar to be more angry, as if a more typical movie villain. Realistically, classic movie remakes are always going to receive flak. People love their classics, and the logic of safety does not always equal “safety.” In fact, their new take clearly raised some societal questions regarding character identification and what a villain truly “looks” like. The truth is, a villain is a villain. A villain can be gay, straight, a lion, or all of the above. I think that is what people miss most from the original version. Disney threw us classic villains that pushed the norm in a much more conservative time than now, strictly regarding the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. People miss the diversity and the risk in a time of pressing change and acceptance. Not all villains should be gay by any means, but there should not be a hesitation to accept characters choosing to identify as so. Was there intention by Disney to do any of this? Maybe not. That is the beauty of reception theory and media in general. It’s subjective to the audience. We can take any media message portrayed and have our own thoughts, opinions and feelings on the matter.
