Rafiki is a character The Lion King (1994) who is loosely based on the character of Horatio from William Shakespeare's 1603 play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. He was a prominent character in the Jungle Cruise themed sections of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, and is a major character in the Africa portion of Disney's Animal Kingdom where he is connected to the story of Kilimanjaro Safaris.
History[]
Biography[]
Origins[]
Rafiki was a mandrill who travelled Africa, studying many different lands where he learned philosophy, spiritualism, healing and mysticism. Rafiki would come to the region known as the Pride Lands where he was attacked by the young hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Rafiki was however saved by the king of the Pride Lands, the lion Ahadi along with his sons Mufasa and Taka.
Rafiki would befriend Mufasa and saved him from being injured by a buffalo, causing Taka to be injured instead. Rafiki would use his gifts to save Taka however the experience left Taka with a scar over his left-eye, earning him the nickname of, "Scar". Rafiki would be given the position of Royal Mjuzi of the Pride Lands under king Ahadi, a position he continued under the reign of Mufasa. Rafiki made his home in the Pride Lands within an ancient baobab tree.
The Lion King[]
Rafiki would present Mufasa's son Simba following the cub's birth. Following Mufasa's death and Simba's disappearance at the hands of Scar, Mufasa's spirit contacted Rafiki to inform him of Simba being alive and outside the Pride Lands as an adult. Rafiki would find Simba and enlightened Simba on the nature of guilt and recognizing the past. After this, Simba saw a vision of his father's ghost who encouraged him to go and fight Scar. Rafiki assisted Simba in the fight against Scar and subsequent rise to the throne.
Later history[]
Rafiki would reclaim his place by Simba and present the new lion king's daughter, Kiara. Around the 1990s, Rafiki was involved in the operations of the Conservation Station along the Eastern Star Railway, outside the Port of Harambe in East Africa. This station would be used to help the world's ecology and animal life.
Jungle Cruise appearances[]
Africa (Disney's Animal Kingdom)[]
Festival of the Lion King[]
Rafiki is imitated by human performers in this show.
The Lion King Scavenger Hunt[]
A sculpture of Rafiki was placed on a shelf in the Mombassa Marketplace.[1]
Rafiki's Planet Watch[]
Rafiki is the namesake for Conservation Station which in-universe is located outside of Harambe and connected by the Eastern-Star Railway, through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. Rafiki's likeness is used throughout the premises.
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom[]
In this attraction Rafiki assists Merlin in his fight against Hades and a resurrected Scar in their attempt to conquer Adventureland. He greets guests in the jungles of Adventureland as Merlin rides on a boat from the Jungle Cruise dressed as a skipper. At the end of the mission, he rides on the boat from the Jungle Cruise with Merlin.
Other connections[]
Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions[]
The song Circle of Life from the Lion King plays while passing the African veldt in this version of the attraction. This song is affiliated with Rafiki and the royal family of the Pride Lands.
Skipper Canteen[]
In the Skipper Canteen's library there is a book titled Hamlet: A Lion's Tale by Shakes Speare. This references the Lion King and its origins as an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet where Rafiki's counterpart was Horatio.
Trivia[]
- In the 2003 DVD release of the Lion King, Rafiki's ancient baobab tree was given the name, "The Tree of Life" due to its resemblance to the icon of Disney's Animal Kingdom.
