Some catty critics have said that the characters in the new remake of “The Lion King,” featuring the animal kingdom animated with CGI technology, lack the “charisma” and expressiveness of the original cartoon version.

Zoologists and lion researchers, however, argue that the beloved Disney franchise has missed something even more crucial all along: scientific accuracy.

A scientist at the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota says that if “The Lion King” story were true to the big-cat community, the movie would not have been about Mufasa’s kingdom, but rather Sarabi’s. Sarabi is Simba’s mom — and many may not remember her name, since her role was so understated.

Craig Packer, a leading lion expert, tells National Geographic that, in reality, “females are the core. The heart and soul of the pride. The males come and go.”

Had Disney, with its long history of patriarchal tropes, cared to get the story straight, it would know that lion prides are actually matrilineal, where females lead the pack and loner males hardly stick around to form the bonds of family.

“Females define their territory. They’ve grown up there and have been listening to neighbors roaring their whole lives,” says Packer. They also appoint the younger females in the pride, 99% of whom are related, to lead new prides when theirs get too crowded.

Adult males, on the other hand, leave the pride when they come of age. As male cubs, father lions teach them how to fight and hunt until they’re old enough to leave and find an unrelated mating partner — because even lions don’t get down like that.

“Let’s say Simba comes back, and his grand prize for coming home and being the hero of the pride is he gets to marry Nala. But guess what — she’s his sister. Ewwww,” Packer tells the outlet. “If he did come home and he became the resident male, he wouldn’t just be having it off with his sister. It would also be his aunts, his mother, grandmother, cousins. All the females in the pride.”

If the story were true to nature? “Simba would have left and never come back.”

Since prides are mostly a women’s club, male lions live with the constant threat of a strong male from a separate pride unseating their coveted position as Pride Dad. While the competition between Mufasa and Scar was fierce, Packer says that they should have been working together.

“You have to have a partner in arms to withstand the challenges of all the other males that want to take over your family and kill your babies,” he says, which is why male lions usually travel with a friend or two. He adds that male crews usually move on to a new pride within a couple years — sticking around only as long as they can before another male overtakes their throne.

Meanwhile, females exist generally unbothered by male combat, and, furthermore, have agency to choose the men they want to keep in their pride. And what do these female felines want? A big mane, of course.

“If it wasn’t for the females, there would be no reason for the males to have manes. Females prefer the male who is the most conspicuous and has the clear characteristics they can rely on to ensure their babies are going to survive and be healthy,” says Packer, adding that manes are “a signal of quality.” In the film, he says, Scar would have been the choice suitor.

“Growing a black mane is a signal you’re genetically superior,” says Packer. Muscular male lions are prone to overheating, and a heavy black mane — which is not hereditary but varies with age and health — raises the body’s temperature even more, so the darker hue actually indicates “good physical condition, higher levels of testosterone, and they’re more likely to withstand [illness].”

Thanks to 2019’s “Lion King” all-star cast and landmark soundtrack, the film will undoubtedly be a runaway success — but it’s hard not to wonder what could have been. Queen Bey as Lion Queen: What could be more fitting?