Real-life Mufasa and Simba: Cub gives his father a hug in a scene reminiscent of Lion King

A real-life Mufasa and Simba have been captured cuddling each other in the Masai Mara in the run-up to Fathers Day.

The adorable lion cub brought out his father’s softer side, as the pair embraced in a touching hug for a real-life Lion King moment.

Sabine Bernert, 53, from Paris, was documenting wildlife in Kenya, when she captured the heartwarming sequence.

The photographer’s images show a father gazing around his territory in the plains before his cubs sneak into the long grass, pretending to attack him.

Sabine captured the moment in the early hours of the morning while documenting wildlife for a children’s book.

A baby lion on the plains of Kenya has an adorable interaction with his father as the pair share a touching embrace that mirror a famous scene from the Disney classic movie The Lion King

The young lion was pictured in the Masai Mara in Kenya playing with his father as the cubs jumped from the long grass and playfully wrestled with him

Photographer Sabine Bernert, who snapped the pair for a children’s book, said: ‘The lion pretended he hadn’t seen the cubs until the last second. Then they started to play joyfully’

The dad and the young cub playfully wrestled with each other on the Kenyan plains as the majestic lion gazed out across the plains of the Masai Mara

Sabine Bernert added: ‘I especially love the moment when the male lion is hugging the cub softly. The contrast between his brute strength and his gentleness, the huge size of his paw very softly holding the little cub’

The photographer said: ‘I was amazed by the way this huge lion was playing so gently with the cubs.. They really looked like they were enjoying themselves and have fun. With the delicate light of the sunrise, it was a pure moment of grace’