The Lion King
Megan Roeschlein
March 15, 15
Advanced English: The Hero
Mrs. LaMagdeleine
The Lion King - Hero’s Journey
The classic hero’s journey can be seen all around society. The journey is seen in our favorite movies, comic strips, and even in our peers. Even though the hero’s journey follows the same ten steps and could get quite boring and overworked, directors and authors still find a way to pull society back in. Two directors that did just that were Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, who directed one of the most popular Disney animated musicals, the 1994 Disney film The Lion King. The classic film follows the journey of Simba, a young lion cub in Africa, on his path to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. In the movie, we see Simba’s happy childhood turn tragic due to the plotted death of his father by his evil uncle Scar, who drives Simba away from the kingdom. We follow the journey of his growth outside the kingdom, with the help of his spiritual guides, which will lead him to the defeat of Scar and the return to the throne of the Pride Lands. The steps of the hero’s journey will help us follow the transformation of Simba from lion cub to king by seeing him mature and realize his need to fulfill his destiny. In the majority of society’s favorite heroic movies, the hero doesn’t come from a typical family or live a typical lifestyle. The hero, usually, comes out some form of hardship in childhood that plays a factor to plot line of the journey. This dramatic event could be, for example, being an orphan, having a traumatic birth, or being royal. In the case of The Lion King, Simba is born into royalty. This aspect of his life makes him different than the average man, or animal in this case. Simba learns from his father what it means to be a king in the Pride Lands, the name of the kingdom which this story takes place. Simba soon grows a little too eager to learn about his future causing him to be too ambitious about becoming king of the Pride Lands. The fact
March 15, 15
Advanced English: The Hero
Mrs. LaMagdeleine
The Lion King - Hero’s Journey
The classic hero’s journey can be seen all around society. The journey is seen in our favorite movies, comic strips, and even in our peers. Even though the hero’s journey follows the same ten steps and could get quite boring and overworked, directors and authors still find a way to pull society back in. Two directors that did just that were Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, who directed one of the most popular Disney animated musicals, the 1994 Disney film The Lion King. The classic film follows the journey of Simba, a young lion cub in Africa, on his path to adulthood and acceptance of his royal destiny. In the movie, we see Simba’s happy childhood turn tragic due to the plotted death of his father by his evil uncle Scar, who drives Simba away from the kingdom. We follow the journey of his growth outside the kingdom, with the help of his spiritual guides, which will lead him to the defeat of Scar and the return to the throne of the Pride Lands. The steps of the hero’s journey will help us follow the transformation of Simba from lion cub to king by seeing him mature and realize his need to fulfill his destiny. In the majority of society’s favorite heroic movies, the hero doesn’t come from a typical family or live a typical lifestyle. The hero, usually, comes out some form of hardship in childhood that plays a factor to plot line of the journey. This dramatic event could be, for example, being an orphan, having a traumatic birth, or being royal. In the case of The Lion King, Simba is born into royalty. This aspect of his life makes him different than the average man, or animal in this case. Simba learns from his father what it means to be a king in the Pride Lands, the name of the kingdom which this story takes place. Simba soon grows a little too eager to learn about his future causing him to be too ambitious about becoming king of the Pride Lands. The fact