The Lion King
“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope,” said Mufasa, a supporting character in the film depiction of Walt Disney’s: The Lion King (1994). The Lion King is a timeless archetypal work that time after time has given youth hope and has shown them that courage is not always innate, but can be learned from just living life with a little “hakuna matata”. The Lion King, through the use of classic archetype, vivid surrealism, and iconic symbolism, shows a coming to age story that shows children that life is an adventure worth the trouble.
The Hero’s Journey is an archetype that has been used literary works and film alike for ages. The Lion King is a work that leads in the front of the pack when depicting this archetype. Simba is called to this journey at fates mercy, when his father Mufasa is unbeknownst to him, murdered by Simba’s uncle, Scar. Through a series of unfortunate events, Simba is cast out on a journey in which leads him to meet his wise mentors, Timon and Pumbaa. The viewer gets to see baby Simba grow into a fearsome but compassionate Lion. Timon and Pumbaa only further complemented what Mufasa was trying to achieve before his death. Simba has his call to adventure when his childhood friend Nala reaches out to him to let him know that the Pride is in trouble. We see that Simba is now grown up because he views Nala in a different way now. Despite seeing that Nala was desperate for Simba to return to the Pride, Simba refuses to go because the guilt of his father’s death stills lays heavy on his conscious.
Simba realizes that he’s the Pride’s only hope and crosses the t...
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...n to teach a lot of youth views the values of growing up, and the tribulations of doing so. Showing how Simba grew from a tiny lion cub defenseless in the wild with the discipline of his father, help of his two friends Timon and Pumbaa, and the words of advice from his great guidance Rafiki to the strong and powerful king that he has become shows youth what it is like to grow up. Teaching how people will always try to bring your success down is showing how it is in the real life. The use of classic archetype, vivid surrealism, and iconic symbolism throughout the movie was very inspirational, and if viewers paid close attention to them, were very simple to find. The movie The Lion King will be an inspirational movie for many more generations to come.
Works Cited
Director: Roger Allers - Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones - Disney - 1994
Although the movie The Lion King is often times viewed as nothing more than a child-based movie, in actuality, it contains a much deeper meaning. It is a movie that not only displays the hardships of maturation, and the perplexities associated with growing, but it is also a movie that deals with the search for one's identity and responsibility. As said by director Julie Taymor, "In addition to being a tale about a boy's personal growth, the `Lion King' dramatizes the ritual of the `Circle of Life'." Throughout The Lion King, Simba must endeavor through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth to take his place in the circle of life, as king of the pridelands.
Disney has made it his life 's goal to create home entertainment for both young and old. From the creation of Mickey to his work in films, Disney had made it clear that happiness is something that everyone should have. Disney had also know that animations is not just for the imagination of the children. Early movies such as Snow White and Pinocchio have clear messages for the younger views. “In Snow White- the main characters are victims of injustice who are eventually restored to their rightful place. In Pinocchio, the characters Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and Geppetto are faced with dilemmas, and their own actions result in them becoming victims of ev...
The debate over the good and bad aspects of Disney movies has been going on for years. It has become a part of pop culture in a way never expected through things such as YouTube videos and meme’s. While looking at multiple Disney movies may give a wider range of example of both the good and the bad in Disney movies, to help depict the effects the movies actually have on kids it is most beneficial to study just one movie. Zia’s essay argues that Disney movies have a good influence on children by teaching them good life morals. However, one of her examples, Mulan, is not an example of achievement through hard work like Zia explains, but rather a change made through magic, and example of the horrible historical inaccuracies made in Disney movies and the lack of parental respect that they teach children.
The works of Karl Marx have had a great effect on the world. They influenced many people including Vladimir Lenin. The works of Vladimir Lenin have also been influential. Together they influenced the African Che Guevara who is named Thomas Sankara. Thomas Sankara was a revolutionary hero that enacted sweeping social and economic changes throughout Burkina Faso and inspired many people to believe that Africa could be autonomous and self reliant.
The “Circle of Life” is something that plays a prominent role in Disney's The Lion King. Focusing on the life as it pertains to an ecosystem, the lessons it teaches are universal. Everything in life is interconnected, and the obstacles that people face always impact other people. History has proven to be a great example of this, especially when it comes to fights for equality. Showing the progression of the lives of many different civilizations in relation to each other, can allow for anyone in the present to learn an incredible amount as to why people are the way they are. Unfortunately, interest in history has waned over the years. Therefore, very few people take advantage of the advantages of history. This ignorance is extremely ironic because the behaviors of teens and young adults, especially women on the east and west coasts, are immensely like that of those in the 1920s. Meanwhile, the mid-west reflects that of the 1950s. To think that two different eras are portrayed so accurately in today's society, simultaneously and with such ignorance to the fact, is nothing short of amazing. While one emulation is a chance to progress forward, the other may cause more problems than it would solve. This is especially true when one notes the liberties a woman had in the 1950s in comparison with the 1920s. One would think that the 1950s housewife had more freedom; however, the rebellious spirit of the 1920s flapper allowed them to be more active people. It goes to show that the longevity of the impacts of the feminist movements throughout history are based on not only on education of the subject but also the location in which they occurred. This cycle of going back and forth in the fight for womens' rights is something that ...
the king of a Pride Land, who is murdered by his brother and then the
In the story, the children are the dominant ones. They manipulate and boss around their parents to get exactly what they want. This is much like the lions in the African veldt. The lions are the most dominant creatures in their environment and they intimidate the rest of the lesser animals. Therefore, the lions symbolize the children. In addition, the lesser animals represent the parents. They are afraid of their children, as are the smaller animals afraid of the ions. The parents give their children whatever they desire in fear of their children becoming
The Lion King. Dir. Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. By Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda
When you envision your favorite childhood movie what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the adorable characters, the overwhelming feelings of joy you get as you sing along to the well known songs, or the life long moral lessons that you may hold dear to your heart? Now instead, imagine the feelings you get when you find out that this favorite movie may have contained subliminal messages and racist undertones. Does it still have the innocence that it did when it became your favorite movie? Surprisingly, this was the case for my favorite animated motion picture, Walt Disney’s 1994 classic, The Lion King. In this movie, the overall message is supposed to be about the importance of the circle of life, family and love. In contrast to that, many may argue that it also exhibits many negative signs of racism and discrimination towards certain characters such as the hyenas, thus placing them outside of the realm of
In once of his many escapades his evil uncle Scar is teaching him how to growl which results in a stampede of wildebeest to come towards him. Mufasa, who is Simba’s father, in an attempt to save him dies by the hands of his older, jealous, brother. Scar pushes Mufasa off the cliff into the stampede. When Simba discovers his dead father he flees, feeling responsible for the death of his father, and Scar becomes the new ‘king’ of the jungle. Simba is raised by two strangers he meets in the desert and after some time passes he discovers that his uncle is the reason his father is dead and that he has taken control of the prairie. After being conflicted by his emotions and meeting an apparition of his father he finally decides to confront his uncle and take back the kingdom. The film ends with scar, the uncle, being eaten alive by his minions and he is the cause of his own demise. Simba restores balance to the ecosystem and all is well, which is a beautiful ending to a Disney film.
Through the use of Christian symbolism, conflicts, and imagery, C. S. Lewis implements his religious background into his literary works.
The Lion King is a movie created by Disney and was released in the summer of 1994. It is about a pride of lions that uphold the cycle of nature, or as they call it “the circle of life” (The Lion King, 1994). The lion pride is considered royalty within the “Pride Lands” and are just and fair when it comes to hunting only what they need. A young prince named Simba is introduced and he is next in line to be the future king. However, Simba’s uncle Scar had other plans. He believed that it was his right all along to be named future king and wanted all of the glory to himself. Eventually, Scar comes up with an elaborate plan to rid the Pride Lands of Simba and the current King, Mufasa and take the throne for himself.
THE LION KING IS A MOVIE ABOUT A LION CUB’S LIFE AND HIS JOURNEY TO THE ROYAL THRONE. THE KING OF THE PRIDE LANDS, MUFASA HAS A SON SIMBA. SIMBA GROWS UP IN A VERY PROTECTED ENVIRONMENT WITH CARING FRIENDS AND FAMILY. BUT HIS JEALOUS UNCLE SCAR TURN HIS LIFE INTO A TRAGEDY BY MURDERING MUFASA AND CONVINCING SIMBA THAT IT WAS HIS FAULT. SCAR TELLS SIMBA TO RUN AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK SO SIMBA DOES.
What is the circle of life? In a time when the Disney animation renaissance ruled the cinema world, one movie had ruled entirely over all. In 1994 at the height of the company’s own resurrection, Disney released the epic musical drama The Lion King. It was a critically acclaimed movie that has spawned off into a Broadway musical, a spin-off show, and two sequels. I first saw the Lion King when I was three years old and to this day is one of my favorite movies. Little did I know the Lion King was much more than a movie about a young lion stepping in place of his father’s absence, but more of a spin on the Shakespeare play Hamlet. The movie resonates to me now more then ever as I am older and can identify the themes and influences in the movie.
"The Lion King (1994) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 04 May 2011. .