Lesson 5) (Just Can't Wait To Be) The Lion King
Apologies for the lateness of this lesson! I am currently in a place with no internet connection; I had to borrow a muggle car in order to post. I would like to extend a very warm welcome (back) to Professor Penrose, the new Co-Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. As stated in Disney Lit Week 1, Professor Penrose went above and beyond the call of duty and volunteered to take over two Disney lessons. Please be sure to thank him when you see him.
In today's lesson, you'll also hear from Professor Morgan (Ancient Studies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/782075055162942/) and Professor Stevens (Ancient Runes: https://www.facebook.com/groups/734347579956848/). Both Professors Morgan and Stevens are Co-Professors of the Yore Lore Track: https://www.facebook.com/groups/601897076606984/. To find out more, be sure to contact them!
EH
www.hogwartsishere.com/emmahart/https://www.facebook.com/emmaharthih
Lesson 5: (Just Can't Wait To Be) The Lion King
Good time zone, one and all! Welcome to another exciting Disney lesson. This lesson is probably my second favorite of them all, which was why I volunteered so eagerly to teach it! I'm Professor Penrose, the Co-Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, today I step out of the DADA classroom to talk to you about the The Lion King! This phenomenal Disney film is considered the most successful hand-drawn animated film. It has also been adapted from film into a Broadway musical. 
The Lion King tells the story of a lion cub named Simba (voiced by a young Jonathan Taylor Thomas) who is simply trying to find his place in the Circle of Life. When Simba is born to King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, Mufasa's brother, Scar, is less than thrilled. Scolded for not attending his nephew's "presentation" to the kingdom, Scar issues Mufusa a warning: "...don't you turn your back on me." While Zazu, Mufusa's "majordomo" (highest ranking official in charge of the King's appointments), suggests that Mufusa "take [Scar] out and beat him", his amusing joke (of making Scar into a "handsome throw rug") is not enough to distract us from the fact that we haven't seen the last of Scar's sinister attitude and actions. 
When Simba is older, Mufusa shows him the entire kingdom. It is during this moment that Simba learns that "everything the light touches" is their kingdom; however, he must never venture to "that shadowy place" beyond the borders of the Pride Lands. Simba also learns another important lesson: that we are "all connected in the great Circle of Life". While Simba does not necessarily understand these lessons immediately, he never forgets them. All that Simba seems to be concerned with, currently, is "that shadowy place". Like Belle who is forbidden to go to the West Wing (but does so anyway), Simba sets out to discover what lays beyond the Pride Lands. When visiting his "Uncle Scar", Simba appears to enjoy Scar's company. Too bad Scar's "weirdness" borders on the tyrannical mania, otherwise their cute banter might have made for an interesting Disney spinoff.
Learning that the "shadowy place" contains an elephant graveyard, Simba's curiosity is sufficiently piqued and Scar's malicious "secret" plan is put into action. Knowing his nephew would find the most convenient opportunity to slip away, he plants his trusted hyenas in the graveyard in order to kill Simba.
Simba, of course, drags along his best friend on the secret adventure, framed as a visit to the "water hole". However, their plans are momentarily foiled when Simba's mother makes Zazu chaperone their outing. While on the way, Simba and Nala become annoyed at Zazu's revelation that they are "betrothed". Pulling the "future King" card, the two of them then break out into song in order to "ditch the dodo". 
Simba's "pride", of course, almost gets them all killed. Simba may "laugh in the face of danger", but he, Nala, and Zazu are no match for Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed who have been sent by Scar to dispose of the cubs. After Zazu is putting in the "birdy boiler", he's "exploded" elsewhere (whereupon he retrieves Mufusa), leaving Simba and Nala to fend for themselves. After a particularly suspenseful chase scene (and Simba's successful clawing of one of the hyenas), Mufusa shows up just in the nick of time. The three hyenas feign innocence and high tail it out of there. As they return to Pride Rock, Mufusa asks Zazu to take Nala home, leaving Simba to face his father's anger and disappointment. 
However, instead of lecturing him on safety, Mufusa admits to Simba that he was afraid that he might lose him. Simba not only learns that his father is brave when he "has to be", but also that there is "more to being King than getting your way all the time". Imparting some of the very last words of wisdom to his son, Mufusa tells Simba that the great Kings of the past look down on them from the stars and that they will always be there to guide him. Most importantly, Mufusa reminds Simba that there may come a time when he will no longer be there. Like the Kings of the past, he too will be there to provide Simba with guidance. Of course, that time comes all too soon. 
During one of the most famous "Villain songs", Scar informs his band of hyenas that he intends to kill Mufusa and Simba so that he can take over as King of Pride Rock. In exchange for their help, Scar promises the hyenas that they will "never go hungry again".
Setting the stage for his eventual rise to power, Scar leads Simba into the gorge and informs Simba that his father has a surprise for him. The hyenas, once they get their signal from Scar, set off a stampede which results in one of the most tragic scenes in Disney history. Be honest: who else cried at this moment? ... Everyone who doesn't have their hands up just lied to a Professor!
Scar then convinces Simba that it was his fault his father died, forcing Simba to flee the Pride Lands, but not before sending the hyenas to chase after him and kill him, once and for all. Managing to break free of them on account of some nasty thorns, the hyneas call out to Simba, "If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!" Years later, Disney repeated the same motif in Hercules, when Pain and Panic tell Hades that they "took care" of baby Herc. Like all true heroes, both Hercules and Simba "return" and face down the villain for a final showdown.
During his exile, Simba is saved by two interesting companions: Timon and Pumbaa. Taking Simba under their wing, the meerkat and warthog teach Simba one very important life lesson: "Hakuna Matata" (a Swahili phrase loosely translated as "No problems"), which is line with what Timon translates it as in the song:
Around this time, Nala finds Simba, quite by accident (while accidentally mistaking Pumbaa for lunch). The two reconnect and Nala drops the "bomb" that Simba was meant to be King. The two then wander off on their own and share one of the most memorable moments in Disney history:
Although Simba is upset to learn that his home is overrun with hyenas, he refuses to accept his royal birthright and ignores Nala's plea to return with her to Pride Rock. The two argue and Simba soon finds himself face to face with Rafiki who reassures Simba by telling him that his father "lives in" him. And therefore will always remain with him. With Mufusa's words echoing in his head ("Remember who you are...you are my son. And the one true King"), Simba returns to the Pride Lands (but not before getting a smack on the head from Rafiki) with Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa hot on his heels. When they arrive, Simba sees with his own eyes the sheer devastation of the land. Although it technically isn't their fight, Timon and Pumbaa "are with [Simba] 'till the end".
Simba challenges Scar (who is surprised to see him alive). To bide time, Scar tries to throw Simba off his game by evoking the past and banking on Simba's guilt. While Simba acknowledges his own guilt in his father's death, he asserts that he is not a "murderer". However, once the two engage in battle, and right before Scar is about to throw Simba to his death, Scar admits the truth: "I killed Mufsa."
Empowered by this knowledge, Simba battles Scar above deadly flames, finally tossing him off the "throne" so to speak. Scar then finds himself at the mercy of the hyenas, who subsequently attack him. If someone tried to blame an entire scheme on you, would you be happy about it? Soon, they are all consumed by the flames, the rain soon washing away remnants of Scar's rule.
Now that Simba finally accepts his place in the Circle of Life, he assumes the throne and the lands are restored to their previous beauty. We are then left with the image of Simba and Nala's newborn cub--the perfect set up for the Lion King II: Simba's Pride!
Inspiration for The Lion King
While previously discussed Disney films have a very clear source text, The Lion King's origination may not be as obvious to others. There is, in fact, a much older tale about accepting your place in the world, remaining true to yourself, and making hard choices; however, it was written by a man with a quill rather than a man with a mouse. Some of you may know him by
his nickname, the Bard (no, not Beedle), while most of you will know
him by his common name.
The man I speak of is, of course, William
Shakespeare. Long before The Lion King, or even Walt Disney for that
matter, William Shakespeare wrote a play that followed a prince into
exile. This same prince was faced with a great moral dilemma while a wrongful king, corrupted with absolute power,
ruled on high. The play, as many of you may know, is Hamlet.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. When his father dies, he is still too young to become the king, which is why his Uncle Claudius (after marrying Hamlet's mother) takes over the role. As time passes, Hamlet begins to act strangely; one day, he accuses his mother of betraying his father by marrying his uncle. Unfortunately, Polonius (the father of Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest) is hiding behind the curtains. Assuming it is his Uncle, Hamlet runs Polonius through. Soon, he is exiled from Denmark, just as Simba is exiled
Hamlet’s Uncle,
Claudius, is in every way represented in The Lion King through Scar.
Claudius is jealous of Hamlet, and particularly the power that Hamlet
will attain, and will stop at nothing to get even a small taste of that
power, just as Scar does in the movie. While Claudius seems to be more of a cowardly fool (by killing his brother with poison while he is napping in the garden), Scar takes exquisite pleasure in watching his brother's face as Scar throws him off the gorge and into the stampede.
Three "Approaches" to The Lion King
Morality in the Mythic Narrative
According to Michael Real, "myths reflect and make sacred the dominant tendencies of a culture, thereby sustaining social institutions and lifestyles" (Ward 173). Moreover, narrative itself has "the power to teach what it means to be moral beings (White 253). Disney's The Lion King draws on a number of mythical narratives that deal with an explicit moral lesson; for example, Christian biblical allusions (which often take the form of "mythic narratives"). This is not to say that these stories are untrue; biblical stories participate in the mythic narrative genre, meaning that these stories often have the same conventions, such as an epic quest and equally monumental "stakes" in said quest. If you wish to discuss this in more detail, you are welcome to contact me privately.
The first biblical story The Lion King draws on is the story of Adam and Eve: specifically when God tells Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit. During their conversation on top of Pride Rock, Mufusa informs Simba that he can never go to the "Shadowy Place" beyond their borders. The elephant graveyard can represent multiple things: the Tree of Knowledge (as learning what's out there is ultimately what makes Simba want to go there), the world "outside" Eden (non-Paradise), and finally our own understanding of "Light" and "Dark". While the Dark may sometimes be tempting, following it may result in dire consequences.
The second biblical allusion The Lion King evokes is the story of Cain and Abel--the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was very jealous of his brother Abel, which resulted in him murdering his brother in the fields. In The Lion King, Scar is jealous of his brother's Kingship and wishes to take it for himself by murdering him. Like Cain, Scar ultimately suffers for his actions.
The contrast between the Pride Lands during Mufasa's reign and Scar's reign also represents a world gone wrong due to corrupt leadership. Scar's decision to walk an evil path results in his eventual and gruesome demise and restores the imbalance of power. Simba, while initially running away from his responsibilities, eventually makes the right (yet difficult) decision to return to Pride Rock. Simba's decision, in the words of Albus Dumbledore, was forced to choose between what was right and what was easy.
While the film does appear to be loaded with Christian biblical allusions, The Lion King also depicts other cultural practices, one specifically that emphasizes the importance of nature and a person's connection to the universe rather than the belief in a single higher power.
Shamanism, and the people who practice it (known as Shamans), have
their roots around the world. For our purposes, we will be
looking at Shamanism as it is seen in Africa. To begin, the African
culture believes that to be a Shaman, you must recover from a mental
illness in order to successfully become a shaman. There is an account of
a person who became a shaman that says, “the fairies "seized" him and
made him insane for several months. Eventually, though, he learned to
control their power, which he now uses to divine" (Mendosa 2000).
Rafiki, our playful baboon, tends to fit the characteristics of a Sangoma. He would often be found meditating and communicating with the spirits of the ancient kings of the past. However, he certainly appears to have knowledge of the Inyanga, as he is able to identify Simba's scent from the leaves. On top of this, Rafiki appears to possess intimate knowledge of the kingdom's past (though he tends to share this knowledge in a number of confusing ways):
Additionally, the film also depicts Rafiki's ability to "mediate" between the spirits and Simba.
While Rafiki pretends not to have anything to do with it--"That weather!"--his intention is clear. Were it not for Rafiki's interference, and Mufusa's encouraging words, Simba may have never returned to Pride Rock. When Simba returns, he is no longer the young cub "who just can't wait" to be King who can do "whatever he wants".
And that, my friends, brings us to the end of the thrilling journey through the movie, The Lion King. If you have any further questions, or wish to have further discussions about this movie, I can always be reached by Owl. Your Extra Credit assignments for this lesson will include one on styles of leadership/rule and adapting either one scene or the entire plot of The Lion King or Hamlet to a historical era, literary work, or musical production.
Works Cited
Ward, Annalee R. "The Lion King's Mythic Narrative: Disney as Moral Educator." Journal of Popular Film and Television 23.4 (1996): n. pag. 1996. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.Thank you so much for that wonderful lesson, Professor Penrose! It's hard to believe that we're more than halfway through Disney Lit Week 2. But the fun isn't over yet! Stay tuned for the next lesson on The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
If you would like to discuss today's lesson, please go here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kBvL3TLPndbQOT7zeMAs_cB_9iR-RYvZiMfPXp4Z8SI/edit?usp=sharing
EH
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