Don`t get me wrong, I don`t dislike the character Mufasa in any way. That look and that gesture he gives Zazu that tells him to turn around again is just great.
What I dislike, is how so many movies focus on the father/son relationship, especially when it`s at the expense of for instance mother/son, or mother/daughter. Why isn`t Sarabi in Simba`s Pride, not even mentioned, but Mufasa`s there? Why is it when Kiara and Kovu are watching the stars, she says: "My father and I use to do this all the time", why on earth couldn`t it be "My parents and I use to do this all the time"? Would it be too trivial?
Just look at A goofy movie as well. Why aren`t Peg and Pistol even mentioned, they were both really entertaining characters. Is it just so we can focus on father and son?
A father/son movie that I really like is Kramer vs. Kramer, because it`s much more realistic, and it`s not at the expense of anything. It feels like the boy loves his father and mother equally. Of course I`m sure Simba loved his mother just as much as he loved his father, but that`s not the feeling I get from having watched the movie.
When I see Simba crying next to Mufasa`s corpse, what I feel is the movie makers telling us that the father/son relationship is the most special one. And I very much dislike that. I`m not a heartless person, but that scene just doesn`t move me very much. At least now I`ve explained why.