We all need a little bit of Timon in our lives...
It had been a LONG time since I
watched The Lion King. The main memory I had that was related to the movie was
when I was younger and singing on our new karaoke machine. Yes, the song was
Hukuna Matata. After this whole semester of diving deep into Disney movies,
this one was a great one to end on. From a story that is like the hero's
journey, to the ever-so symbolic
Disney villain, and just I mean ANIMALS. I personally found it harder to
find anything controversial with the film, maybe mainly due to the fact that
all the characters were animals.
Though,
I did find it easier to relate parts of Sundiata to the movie. Zazu is pretty
much the griot of the story, there is separation and a coming to of the throne,
the death of a father, the jealously of a family member, and to name another,
the recruitment of evil witches in the form of hyenas.
However, just because I found it
harder to find controversial things doesn’t mean I didn’t find any. Should I
start with Scar hitting women? The continuation of Africa’s single story of
just being this desert land with a couple jungles and exotic animals? Or the creation
of otherness with the hyenas? For the latter, I find this movie hard to hold a
firm root in its moralistic emphasis as even though they encourage this balance
with the earth and everyone who is a part of it, they still separate society and
create significant difference. If I was a child watching this film again, I wouldn’t
want to be with anyone who was like a hyena. Moreover, on the topic of hyenas…
what is up with making one of them seem to have a mental disability? Actually,
I feel like saying “seem” doesn’t do it justice as they make Ed laugh like
crazy, his eyes can’t focus on anything, and for goodness sakes, he is the one biting
his leg in the end. Yes, sure, it creates humor for the film… but at the cost
of making fun of those with actual mental disabilities? I really REALLY hope
this gets addressed and changed in the upcoming live-action as mental health
and mental illness is such a heavy topic in societal climate currently.
Going
back to Scar hitting women, that’s an oof. I am happy that they associate this
with the bad and evil though, because it does help differentiate right from
wrong at least in my eyes. Lastly, the portrayal of Africa I feel just robs the
land of its dignity and diversity. In the film, we just see the exotic animals,
a desert, couple jungles, and some grasslands. This just continues to reinforce
the audience’s beliefs and imageries when they hear the word: Africa.
Overall, I did love The Lion King. The
songs are great, the love tale proves that it is possible to get out of the
friend zone, the conquering of evil, and really talks about the power of legacy.
I am going to miss having films to watch as homework. This, however, was a
great one to end on.
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