Hello, my name is Charlotte Hagerty, I’m nineteen years old and I had to fast forward through the scene where Mufasa died in The Lion King. I am still scarred (no pun intended) by that scene from when I first watched it in childhood. So apologies if there is a gap in my analysis from this pivotal, heartbreaking moment, I had to prioritize my sanity. Aside from this moment of unequivocal tragedy, The Lion King was a joy to revisit. I can see why it is so well received on Rotten Tomatoes, and am fascinated that it was intended to be the sidekick to the controversial Mulan. As I was watching the film, I was puzzled by the fact that Disney’s “B-team” was the driving force behind it.
If a film of that aesthetic grandeur and deep meaning was made by a B-team, that is a team I would gladly be a part of. Like Sundiata King of Mali there was a valuable message to be taken from the film regarding both the value of family and how to rectify and process the past.
From the beginning of the film, it is clear that family is of utmost importance. There is clear affection shown between Simba and his parents, and between the pride as a whole. What I feel distinguishes The Lion King from other Disney films that stress the value of family, such as the illustrious Frozen, is that chosen family is valued just as highly as biological family. Timon and Pumbaa came to Simba’s side when he most needed a companion, and they did not leave when times became tough. I think this is an important distinction, as many people do not have the “perfect” nuclear family that Disney promotes in corporate deals for its parks. By the end of the film, Timon and Pumbaa were just as valuable to Simba as were his mother and father. A chosen family is just as valid and fulfilling as a biological one.
Furthermore, I think Disney does a good job dealing with the past, a formidable opponent in most of our lives. As Simran alluded to in her blog, there have certainly been times in all of our lives where we wanted, more than anything, to just run and hide from our problems. However, as illustrated by Rafiki, “the past can hurt, but the way i see it you can either run from it or learn from it”. Childhood and adolescence, in particular, are marked by a series of inevitable mistakes. The value of growing up and maturing, comes from learning from such mistakes.
To be more film specific, I loved the comedic value that Timon and Pumbaa brought to the film, and I noticed some adult specific content, such as when Timon came this close to cursing that went over my head when I was younger. I was pleasantly surprised by the joy that the hyenas, intended villainous characters, brought me. I had to go to YouTube to watch the “Mufasa” scene more than once it made me laugh so hard. Speaking of villains, Scar, like Jafar, had that Snape-esque drawl that makes everything he says sound intimidating. This shot, marked by mysterious green smoke and menacing green eyes, is the quintessential Disney Villain scene…
In regards to criticism, I do not feel as though there is as much to unpack in this film as there is in its predecessors and successors. This is largely due to the fact that the protagonists are animals, instead of people, thus eliminating much of the room for error. However, potential criticisms could be the misuse of a British accent, American accents for presumably African lions, and the lack of African accents except for Rafiki. I look forward to further breaking this down in class.
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