Hakuna Matata
Disney's the Lion King was released in 1994. It is inspired by the Shakespearean play Hamlet and the biblical story of Joseph and Moses. The movie follows the life of Simba, a young lion, as he deals with the death of his father, Mufasa, king of the pride lands. Mufasa is murdered by his brother, Scar, who wants to lead the pride lands as king. Simba flees after Scar puts the blame on him for Mufasa's death. Simba needs to find it within himself to face his past and save the pride lands from Scar's evil. [4.0]
Mufasa
Mufasa is the current king of pride rock at the beginning of the movie, he is the highest authority.
Mufasa is seen as a metaphor for god. at one point in the movie Rafiki tells Simba that even though Mufasa has died “He Lives in You” this is a very similar to the popular belief among Christians that God lives within us. as well that one can find themselves or “remember who they are” in Simba’s case through God within them [4.1]. Mufasa also appears to Simba in the sky like God in heaven is imagined, watching over him and speaks to Simba, through this preaching Simba finds himself and goes home to pride rock through the will of his father or “god”. |
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Scar
Simba: The Christ-FigureSimba can be seen as a prominent example of a Christ-figure in this movie for several reasons. Firstly, we have already established that Mufasa is a figure related to God in the movie and since Simba is Mufasa’s son, that would make him “the son of god” in the same metaphorical sense mentioned earlier [4.1].
Another parallel to Simba and Jesus is the birth ceremony. It appears that the animals of the various areas in and surrounding pride rock make an appearance to see the ceremony announcing the birth of the “newborn king” [4.4]. This is very similar to the birth of baby Jesus, surrounded by animals and people who have come from afar to see the birth of the “newborn king”. |
It can be argued that Scar is similar to Satan. Scar is jealous of Mufasa’s power and wishes to get rid of him and take over his power, much like Satan’s feelings towards god [4.2]. He appears to represent darkness, evil, and lies, coincidentally many of the things also associated with Satan [4.3]. He attempts to manipulate Simba by putting all the blame on Simba for the death of Mufasa.
[*] The birth ceremony scene.
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This photo is of the scene when Nala asks Simba to return to pride rock. He claims he cannot go back because he is "not who he used to be" [*]
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According to Christopher Deacy's Evaluation of the Role of Christ‐figures in Film, Christ-figures often “may be struggling to come to terms with humanity” [4.5]. This applies to Simba long after he has left pride rock because of his father’s death. Since he thinks he is to blame for the death he does not think he can not help the people and save them from Scar.
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Though Simba does not literally die and have a resurrection like many other Christ-figures, he experiences the exact same thing figuratively. When Simba leaves pride rock everyone assumes that he has died along with Mufasa, though he is very much alive. The resurrection occurs after finding the power within himself and Mufasa to return to pride rock and save his people from Scar. Both Scar and Sarabi even mistake him for Mufasa. He becomes a “savior who vanquishes evil”[4.1].
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Sacrificial Love
Mufasa sacrifices his life for Simba. Similar to Frozen, this shows the power of family love and is very important to most people. As well, this appeals to people’s emotions making the movie more memorable.