Anthropomorphism in the Lion King

By Bruce Neufeld

May 20, 1996 ENC1102 10:00 a.m.
Professor S. Keyworth
Manatee Community College, Bradenton, Florida

A baby is born and he is ceremonially presented to his community. In time, he grows older, learning the lessons of life from his regal father. The father dies tragically and the son is exiled from his people. After a period of isolation and introspection, he returns to his rightful place in society. This story sounds unambiguously human, yet it is the plot of Disney's all-animal The Lion King. In spite of their exclusive use of animal characters, the makers of The Lion King present a story that is completely human, with very little relation to the animal kingdom. The behaviors exhibited by the characters in The Lion King are completely uncharacteristic of the wild animals they represent in their native Africa. Moreover, much of the interaction that occurs in the story can be correlated to human groups like the Bushman and Zulu tribes. Finally, the plot of The Lion King has remarkable parallels to the very human Shakespearean play "Hamlet." These three categories of analysis point to the conclusion that The Lion King is about human relationships, not animal ones.

The characters in The Lion King exhibit behaviors that are uncharacteristic of the animals they portray. The interspecific relationships in the film alone justify the conclusion that realistic interactions between animals are not taking place. From the script of the film, transcribed by Brian Tiemann, the character Timon, a meerkat, admits as much when he says, "We're talking about a lion. Lions eat guys like us." (NP) In spite of the obvious truth of this statement, the lion protagonist, Simba, develops a rather unnatural symbiotic friendship with Timon and his warthog companion, Pumbaa. Later in the film, as depicted in Tiemann's script, we see "Timon, Pumbaa and Simba, lying on their backs, looking at the stars." (NP) It would appear that Simba has somehow forgotten that he is a lion. Relations between the lions in the film are even less accurately portrayed. The film depicts a nurturing, loving relationship between the lion cubs and their mothers. The reality of nature is markedly different. George B. Schaller, after years of intense field study, states that "probably more [lion] cubs died as a result of having been abandoned by their mothers than ... any other cause." (190) Also, the film depicts Simba's father, Mufasa, as his benevolent educator. Ted Kerasote, writing for Audubon, describes a lecture that Mufasa gives his son Simba. Mufasa says, "everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect it." (132) In direct contrast to this relationship, Schaller has observed that "male [lions] either ignore cubs or rebuff them." In fact, "the [male lion's] presence may be detrimental because they appropriate ... small kills so persistently ... [that] they hasten the death of cubs through starvation." (362) These observations all point to the very unnatural presentation of animal behavior in The Lion King.

Conversely, the social interactions of the characters in The Lion King are not unlike that of native African societies, such as the Bushman and Zulu tribes. Familial relations, like that of the Zulu, are depicted with great accuracy in The Lion King. Aubrey Elliot, in his treatise on Zulu culture, notes that "the chief ascended to his position through a clearly defined pattern ... the elevation of the eldest son." (NP) This stands in stark contrast to the pattern of male existence in an actual lion pride. Schaller depicts the pattern of male existence within the pride structure as a tenuous and impermanent one. While lionesses tend to form the core of a pride, males tend to come and go, often reverting to a nomadic existence. (36) The pattern of royal succession seen in The Lion King is a direct analog of the Zulu pattern. Simba is the eldest son of the current king, Mufasa. The fact that Scar, Mufasa's brother, ascended to the throne was allowable only because of the mistaken belief that Simba had died. Another good parallel between The Lion King and African tribal society is the in practices of child rearing. In her work Child Rearing Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, Judith Evans states that in African society, "parental and community goals for children are centered around social values ... [such as] respect, self-reliance, and being helpful." (NP) Several scenes in The Lion King are particularly exemplary of this child rearing philosophy. When Mufasa takes the time to explain the interconnectedness of nature to Simba, one can see to parallel to African society immediately. Also significant is the scene where Simba and Nala are being groomed by their respective mothers. Social skills, respect and similar values appear in the forefront of pride life in The Lion King. The Bushman ethos is strongly represented in The Lion King as well. In The Bushman of the Kalihari desert, the unknown author opines that "the Bushman believes he is equal to all things in nature. He will hunt for and eat only what he needs to survive." (NP) This attitude is especially apparent in the first song in the film "The Circle of Life," as well as the talk that Mufasa has with Simba about ecology. Kerasote quotes this talk from the film. "When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass, and so we are all connected in the great circle of life." (132) The similarities between the society depicted in The Lion King and human tribal societies in Africa are too strong to be coincidental.

Most interestingly, the story line of The Lion King closely parallels the plot of the very human Shakespearean play, Hamlet. James Berardinelli, in his internet movie review column, feels that The Lion King should be called "Hamlet meets The Jungle Book". He adds that, "the Hamlet parallels are all there for the discerning adult to note." (NP) Brian Tiemann, in his The Lion King: Frequently Asked Questions article on the internet World Wide Web, devotes a section to plot parallels between The Lion King and Hamlet. He sees the following parallels:

Even representatives from Disney acknowledge the fact that The Lion King has strong Hamlet parallels. From The Lion King: Production Notes, released to the World Wide Web by The Walt Disney Company, the character Scar is described as "a very charming villain, although structurally, he's more like Claudius in Hamlet." In the same document, James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa in the film, says of the entire production, "I like the way the film resonates on other classic dramatic pieces, such as Shakespeare's Hamlet." (NP) This resonance is more than coincidental. The Lion King shows it's humanity through it's emulation of the humanity in Hamlet.

Like many children's films, The Lion King has been embroiled in controversy. A common complaint is that the graphic depiction of violence, especially the murder of Mufasa by his brother Scar, is too intense for young children. Others assert that the film eliminates the role of humanity. Kerasote says that "in the animated kingdom of The Lion King, the humans are nowhere to be found." He feels that in The Lion King, "people are made to pay a harsh penalty for their crimes against nature: we are given no role; we are made to disappear." (132) Perhaps Kerasote should look beyond the fur and fangs, and discover that there are only humans wearing wonderfully animated costumes.