The Lion King Family

When Scar insults the newborn Simba by calling him a hairball, Mufasa is there to defend his young son and put Scar in his place.

Zazu's assurance echoes a timeworn truism: every family has its black sheep. Or scarred lion. Or general pain in the butt.

Mufasa takes his role as father very seriously and is always eager to remind Simba—who, in this instance, was almost just eaten by hyenas—that he's always going to be there for him.

This quote echoes the Circle of Life motif we discussed earlier: families grow, roles change, but events will always repeat themselves. In this case, Mufasa once received some loving wisdom from his own father and now feels the need to pass it down to his son.

Mufasa explains to Simba that the kings of past generations—i.e., Simba's great-great grandfathers—are chilling up in the stars, watching over him. Mufasa is giving his son a sense of family with a downright cosmic perspective, a perspective that Simba will make use of when he seeks guidance from his father's ghost after fleeing the Pride Lands.

In his typical malevolent fashion, Scar is mocking the close bond Mufasa has with Simba. This marks Scar as a family member who is utterly disrespectful of all things familial.

Simba says this to Timon and Pumbaa one night as the trio looks up at the sky. Although he doesn't want to reveal that that "somebody" was his father because the memory is far too painful, it's clear that what Mufasa said impacted his young son greatly.

Nala is shocked that Simba abandoned his family but eager to get him back home to them. Like Mufasa, Nala has a strong sense of loyalty to family.

These are the words Mufasa speaks to Simba from beyond the grave. He's not so much urging Simba to return to the throne as he is asking him to remember how important his family is. Which, of course, results in Simba returning to the throne.

Very telling that the only time Scar really cares about family values is when his life is in danger.