The Lion King is an animated Disney feature film and an African Tale. It is the story of an epic battle between good and evil to restore freedom and harmony to the kingdom and also of the rightful ruler trying to regain the throne usurped by an evil uncle. The plot of the film has many similarities to the events that are now unfolding in the United States where the battle between freedom and communism is being waged.
The 2020 presidential election has been rigged against the people. The entire system is deeply infiltrated by the Godless communists. The voice of the people is being quenched and silenced. The entire world order is now on the brink of disintegration and humanity is in grave danger.
The Lion King is about Simba, (Swahili for lion) that as a young lion that returns to claim his rightful place on the throne in his native land, the Pride Lands of Africa, following the murder of his father, King Mufasa, at the hands of his paternal uncle, Scar. The story is based on classical themes and is filled with the traditional values of life for all cultures. The audience is moved by the affection that King Mufasa showers on his son, and all rejoice when Simba returns to regain the throne from Scar.
Justice and light
The lion is a huge and majestic creature on the vast plains of Africa and is regarded as a symbol of power and might. He is known as the “King of Beasts” and it has rich connotations and symbolism in both Eastern, Western and African cultures. It was said in the Buddhist scriptures that when Buddha Sakyamuni was born, one hand was pointing to the sky (heaven) and the other to the earth and he roared like a lion.
The lion was thus associated with the Buddha. After the belief was introduced to China along the Silk Road, the lion began to be thought of as an auspicious and honorable beast. This is the reason why stone lion statues were placed in the royal palace and are often now seen in front of houses and mansions. In Western culture, the lion symbolizes prestige, power, and strength.
The Lion King movie centers on the pride of lions, but its narrative can be expanded to cover the vast differences between two powers, the powers of righteousness and evil, light and darkness. The righteous force is naturally the pride of lions, including Mufasa, his son Prince Simba, and their supporters. The film begins with King Mufasa, standing awe-inspiringly on Pride Rock waiting for his subjects. The bright morning sun shines on him with his golden mane blowing in the wind and his whole body exudes a kindly demeanor.
Mufasa is the model of a king
Mufasa is a powerful king in the Pride Lands and he is also a devotee of the Light. He governs wisely and shoulders the heavy responsibilities that are required of a benevolent being in such a lofty position. The living beings in the Pride Lands are alike to reincarnated souls and are all inter-connected with the “cycle of life.”
Mufasa is prudent and thrifty. He puts these qualities into practice in his own life and he leads by example, for the entire royal family. Hunting is only meant to meet the needs of life. When governing the land, the king formulates a symbiotic, holistic relationship with all others in order to maintain peace and prosperity.
(Image: Screenshot via YouTube)
He has a balanced character of being both majestic and kind. If any living being is caught with the ill intention of upsetting the balance of the “cycle of life,” such as the greedy hyenas that are bent on killing, Mufasa spares no mercy and drives them away. When he finds out that his brother Scar is coveting the throne, he lets out a mighty roar to warn him off.
Whatever Mufasa does is for the good of his kingdom and he is well respected by his subjects. Mufasa’s rule is the choice of Heaven.
The young Prince Simba is also favored by the sun. He was born under the sun. He receives the cheers and worship of all living things under the sun, and he listens to his father’s wise teachings. Even when he has to wander far away after his father’s murder, the stars in the sky still shine on him during the night, keeping his inner faith alive.
Evil lurking in the darkness
On the other side is the villain, Scar. He is the only one that does not attend Simba’s baptism where, after his birth, Simba is anointed by Rafiki, who is the kingdom’s shaman (priest) and advisor. The newborn Prince is formally presented to the rest of the animal kingdom to celebrate his new life. Scar is King Mufasa’s own younger brother who has been coveting and plotting to seize the throne. He once challenged Mufasa for the throne but failed and his desire for Mufasa’s queen was left unrequited. Scar would have been expelled if not for Mufasa’s kind heart that spared him, hoping that the warmth of a loving family would subdue his obsession.
However, Scar does not appreciate his brother’s painstaking efforts of kindness. He becomes even more hostile and jealous of Mufasa. He hates the Pride Lands, isolates himself, and lives alone for many years which changes him into an extremely cruel character.
Scar appears from the shadows, pacing back and forth in a dark cave, and expresses his bitter feelings to a mouse that life is not fair since others are born to enjoy everything, while he can only hide and live in the dark. He believes it is unfair that Mufasa and Simba are gifted with dignity and glory, while he has to be at their mercy and live in pain and hatred in a dark place not blessed by the sun.
For his whole life, Scar has been living in the darkness. He hates Simba for taking away his succession to the throne, so he comes up with a vicious plot to end Simba’s life so that he himself can become the king. He tricks Simba into disobeying his father’s order not to explore a forbidden elephant’s graveyard where Simba is attacked by hyenas. Mufasa is alerted about the evil plot by the hornbill Zazu and Simba is rescued.
Meanwhile, Scar visits the hyenas. They are the Pride Lands’ main enemy. He wants to make a deal with them to help him overthrow Mufasa in exchange for hunting rights in the Pride Lands. The lions and the hyenas are bitter, life-long enemies. Nevertheless, the hyenas cannot resist the temptations offered by Scar so they collaborate together and hatch a vicious plan in the darkness, which they try to conceal from the sky.
Here, we come to the saddest and most tragic part of the film. For the second time, Scar sets a trap for his brother and nephew. He lures Simba into a gorge and has the hyenas drive a large herd of wildebeest (also called the gnu, or antelope) into a stampede to trample him to death. Scar himself informs Mufasa of the son’s peril knowing that Mufasa will rush to save his son. Mufasa is seriously injured by the stampede of the wildebeests. Simba just about manages to hang on to some dry branches, curled up and shivering. The heroic Mufasa saves his son but ends up hanging perilously from the gorge’s edge. Scar, instead of helping his brother, sends him falling to his death!
After the chaos, Simba comes to his father and cuddles beside him silently, but that stalwart, majestic body can no longer give Simba any protection. During this time, Scar appears and convinces Simba that the tragedy is Simba’s own fault and advises him to leave the kingdom and never return. He orders the hyenas to kill Simba but Simba escapes.
Scar then announces that both Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and steps forward as the new king. He also allows the clan of hyenas to live in the Pride Lands.
When evil takes power, it is against the will of Heaven and the choice of sentient beings
On the day Scar ascends the throne, clouds cover the face of the sun. From that time on, the kingdom enters a period of decline. Due to the continuous hunting by the hyenas, the animals in the Pride Lands have been driven away and the grasslands are no longer prosperous. Conditions go from bad to worse. During Scar’s reign, the animal kingdom is not only devastated but the land also encounters severe drought. Is this not God’s warning against tyranny and oppression?
Relying on killings, lies, fraud, betrayals and other unscrupulous methods to usurp the throne will not win the true support of the kingdom. How do Heaven and the living things in the Pride Lands react to Scar’s reign as the false king?
Firstly, the animals, one after another, migrate away. Secondly, the royal household refuses to cooperate with Scar. Queen Sarabi is only loyal to her husband Mufasa. She chooses to tolerate the conditions but leads the entire pride of lions to silently guard the devastated kingdom until a better heir to the throne can be found. She even tries to obstruct the tyranny of Scar over his allowing extreme hunting. Nala, Simba’s childhood friend, is even more adventurous. She is against Scar’s rule and manages to escape from Scar’s control to seek outside help.
All of these crises are calling for Simba’s return. Simba, who escaped from the tragedy, collapses in the desert and is rescued by Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat (a mongoose) and warthog. Simba grows up in the oasis, living a carefree life with no worries. He grows into a tall lion feeding on insects. Simba has forgotten his responsibility to the Pride Lands and he is unwilling to recall his tragic past.
One day, Nala finds Simba and they are reunited and fall in love. Even when Nala urges Simba to return, telling him that the Pride Lands have become a drought-stricken wasteland under Scar’s reign, Simba still refuses and storms off.
It is the will of Heaven that a strand of Simba’s mane is blown away by the wind and falls onto Rafiki’s hands. The shaman then predicts that Simba is still alive and there is hope that the Pride Lands can be revived. Rafiki immediately sets off to look for Simba and finds him. He tells Simba that his father’s spirit lives on in him. Simba is visited by the spirit of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him that he must take his rightful place as king. Simba finally decides to return to the Pride Lands.
(Image: Screenshot via YouTube)
With the help of his friends, Simba rekindles his enthusiasm for life. A roar reverberates through the air indicating that the lion Simba has risen! Simba fights side by side with the righteous forces of the Pride Lands to regain the throne and rebuild the kingdom left by his father. “My father once told me to protect everything under the sun and if I do not do it, then who will?” Those living things that love Mufasa abide by their conscience and give Simba a positive answer.
Even Timon and Pumbaa, who have been living a carefree life under the motto of “no worries” and believing that life is a meaningless straight line, choose to join Simba’s battle for justice. They say that their life’s straight line has met with Simba’s destiny and they want to help their friend to win the most important battle of their lives.
The great battle between good and evil
As the film draws to the end, the most exciting plot unfolds. The sky over the Pride Lands is overcast as Scar and the hyenas are engaged in a fight. At this time, Simba suddenly appears with the same demeanor as Mufasa, inspiring the entire pride of lions and terrifying Scar and the hyenas. Simba tells Scar firmly to abdicate and, if not, it means war!
What Scar relies on is only the group of hyenas that formed a pact with him for their own self-interest, while Simba has the support of Heaven and the subjects of the entire Pride Lands. Scar still tries to taunt Simba over his role in Mufasa’s death and backs him to the edge of the rock where he reveals to Simba that he murdered Mufasa.
At this moment, a flash of lightning in the sky ignites a raging fire under the rock. In that instant, Simba finds his long-lost light. Enraged by the truth of his father’s death, he is freed from all his self-guilt and inner torment. For his father and the kingdom, Simba receives infinite power. He bites Scar’s neck and gets hold of him before successfully jumping onto the rock.
Simba roars at Scar: “How could you kill my father who is also your own brother?” Simba forces Scar to tell the truth to the rest of the beings in the Pride Lands. Scar attempts to escape but is cornered by Simba at a ledge near the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for mercy. Simba spares his life, but orders Scar to leave the Pride Lands forever. He refuses to leave and attacks his nephew, but Simba manages to throw him off the cliff after a brief fight. Scar survives the fall, but is attacked and mauled to death by the hyenas.
As Simba is engaged in the battle with Scar, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses fend off the hyenas. The flames grow stronger while Simba and his friends become more and more courageous.
It is a decisive battle between the righteous and the evil forces. The darkness of evil is eliminated, the heavy rain pours and eases the drought-stricken land and washes away everything clean. At last, a ray of light and the dawn of hope appears.
Lion King Simba roars majestically, the barren grasslands usher in new life, and the animals return to the Pride Lands. On another sunny morning, all the living beings gather at Pride Rock where Rafiki presents Simba and Nala’s newborn cub to the assembled animals continuing the “circle of life.” The “circle of life” is endless; if one chooses justice, one will always be on the side of the light; if one chooses evil, one may be arrogant for a while but it will eventually be eliminated by justice.
In this chaotic world, it is good to hear the story of the triumph of righteousness. The Lion King story is really an excellent choice. It is simply not a story of a prince’s revenge nor is it a mere battle for the throne. What lies behind it is the universal truth that the righteous will be rewarded and the evil will be eliminated.
Translated by Chua BC and edited by Michael Segarty
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