Plot

Mufasa, a cub lost and alone, meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of a group of misfits searching for their destiny.

Mufasa, a young lion cub separated from his parents by a flood, finds himself rescued by another cub named Taka. They form a strong bond despite their differing backgrounds, but their friendship is tested when a threat to their pride forces them to confront their pasts and determine their true loyalties.—Anonymous

After Simba (Donald Glover) becomes King of the Pride Lands, he and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) have a daughter named Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) and are expecting another cub. They leave for an oasis where Nala can give birth, while Simba asks Timon (Billy Eichner) a wise-cracking meerkat who befriended Simba when he was a cub, and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) a good-humored warthog, to watch over Kiara.

Pumbaa and Timon consider themselves as Simba's security detail and are not happy to be assigned as babysitters for Kiara. Timon and Pumbaa are terrible story tellers, and in their version, they are the ones who battled scar and defeated him. They end up scaring Kiara rather than reassuring her.

Rafiki (John Kani) a wise mandrill who serves as the shaman of the Pride Lands, soon visits them. Kiara admits that she is afraid of being left alone and is afraid of the storm. Rafiki decides to share the story about her grandfather Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), with Timon and Pumbaa providing color commentary in between. Rafiki says that Mufasa was born without any royal blood in his veins.

Mufasa and his parents Masego (Keith David) and Afia (Anika Noni Rose) search for the mythical oasis called Milele. Their own traditional grounds had not seen any rain for 20 months and the entire land was parched. But then, all of a sudden, the skies opened and it rained endlessly. A flood hits the watering hole where Masego had taken Afia and Mufasa. Mufasa was caught in the rising waters and is pulled to safety by Masego. But then an elephant comes sweeping down with the river and knocks down a dam holding the waters back. Mufasa is thrown by the force of the impact and lands in the river, separated by his parents.

The water sweeps Mufasa into a wetland where he meets Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a royal cub. Taka pulls Mufasa out of the river by extending his paw towards him. They are attacked by young crocodiles until Taka's mother, Queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton), intervenes. She accepts Mufasa, but Taka's father King Obasi (Lennie James) criticizes him for befriending an outsider. Obasi has a firm belief that the only true bond is that of blood, and the Outsiders will devour everything in their path. Obasi holds a race between his son and Mufasa to determine whether the latter can join his pride. When Mufasa lags due to exhaustion, Taka throws the race so he can stay. Taka knows that he is the future King after Obasi and expects Mufasa to be at his side, when the time comes.

As Mufasa and Taka grow up, they form a strong bond, though Obasi continually tries to keep Taka with him and orders Mufasa to stay with the lionesses. Obasi warns Taka that one day Mufasa will betray him as that is what strays do. Eshe teaches Mufasa to hunt and use his senses, among other life skills. While out hunting one day, two white lions attacked them. Eshe takes a hit, so Mufasa jumps in to help her. He ends up killing one, and together they force the other to flee. Taka witnesses the attack but retreats in fear.

Obasi finds out from Eshe and owes a debt of gratitude to Mufasa. Obasi secretly meets Taka and orders him never to reveal that he ran away from his own mother when faced with danger. Obasi says that the bloodline needs to be protected, and that deceit is the tool of a great king.

The survivor Azibo (Maestro Harrell) informs Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), leader of the Outsiders, a pride composed of lions who were outcast from their respective prides for their white fur. Kiros seeks vengeance for the death of his son Shaju, whom Mufasa killed, and approaches Obasi's pride. Sensing them coming, Mufasa warns them that the Lions are only a day away and is ordered to flee with Taka. Obasi asks Mufasa to pledge his loyalty to Taka. When they arrive, the Outsiders slaughter Obasi, Eshe, and the rest of their pride off-screen. Mufasa and Taka escape them by jumping off a waterfall and into a river.

When Mufasa and Taka reach land, they encounter a stray lioness named Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) whose own family was killed by the Outsider pride, her Hornbill scout Zazu (Preston Nyman), and, eventually, a younger Rafiki. Rafiki was banished from his tribe as they felt that Rafiki spoke to the demons in his dreams and summoned them in the form of Cheetahs and other predators. The tribe decides to send him away to be rid of his visions. The lions wanted to eat Rafiki, until he says that he is going to Milele, and has been there many times in his dreams.

Rafiki tells them he is going to Milele to find a "brother" he saw in prophetic visions, and the group follows him there. Rafiki knows that Mufasa is haunted by the dreams of his parents and tells him that his mother is guiding them to Milele where a family awaits Mufasa.

Taka develops romantic feelings for Sarabi. The Outsiders continue to pursue them, so Sarabi causes an elephant stampede to distract and disorient the Outsiders, allowing the group to escape. She is knocked unconscious after falling into the stampede's path, causing Mufasa to save her. Out of loyalty, he lies and tells Sarabi that Taka saved her.

The group heads through a snowy mountain range following Rafiki's direction, with Zazu covering their tracks in the snow with avalanches. Sarabi tells Mufasa that she knows he saved her, and they soon fall in love. Sarabi says that Taka's destiny was to save Mufasa and that Mufasa is the true royal bloodline.

Secretly watching this, a jealous Taka meets Kiros and the lost and hungry Outsiders, offering a proposition for Kiros to get revenge on Mufasa for his son's death in exchange for Taka joining his pride. The next day, the group reaches Milele, a lush oasis, with Taka secretly leaving marks for the Outsiders to follow. Kiros follows Taka and reaches Milele and prepares to attack Mufasa.

Rafiki finds the tree from his vision and claims Mufasa as his brother before the Outsiders attack. Mufasa learns of Taka's treachery while fighting Kiros. Taka says that despite being the blood of a King, Sarabi chose Mufasa. and this is what his mother did to his father.

Despite this, Mufasa rallies the animals in Milele to fight off the Outsiders. Kiros forces Mufasa into a cave and prepares to finish him off. Seeing his brother exhausted and realizing what he has done, a remorseful Taka intervenes, causing Kiros to slash Taka's eye, leaving a scar. Rafiki causes an earthquake, which kills the Outsiders and causing Mufasa and Kiros to fall into a cave lake.

Kiros attempts to drown Mufasa, but a falling rock allows Mufasa to send Kiros plummeting to his death and he swims away to safety. Mufasa has trouble getting out of the water but is again saved by Taka in a similar way to when they were cubs. Taka narrowly resists the temptation to drown him.

Mufasa and Sarabi exit the cave together as the animals celebrate their victory. The animals, in gratitude for Mufasa uniting them against the Outsiders, make him King of Milele. Mufasa is soon reunited with Afia, who tells him that Masego died in the previous flood. Mufasa confronts Taka about his betrayal and allows him to stay but refuses to refer to Taka by his name anymore. Taka renames himself "Scar". Mufasa then ascends upon the newly formed Pride Rock and roars triumphantly, becoming a king, with Scar watching from behind.

Back in the present, Kiara roars at the skies as the spirit of her grandfather looms over her. She and her friends soon reunite with Simba to meet her newly born sibling, to whom Kiara offers to tell Mufasa's story.