Religious Themes in “The Lion King”
Artists use different items like songs, books, and movies to captivate and educate their audiences. Movies are particularly a preferred channel through which society learns and strengthens morals, customs, and beliefs. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of religious themes portrayed in Disney’s “The Lion King” movie. The film’s storyline is centered on the life of “Simba,” a young lion cub chosen to rule the animal kingdom at an early age. However, Simba endures a lot of tribulations before finally ascending to his rightful position in the kingdom. The setting, the characters, the plot, and other literary elements like symbolism are used to portray several religious themes in the movie. Various events in “The Lion King” represent religious values that are common in Christianity and Judaism. Some of the most significant themes in different scenes include forgiveness, repentance, kindness and love, obedience, faith, and restoration.
Baptism and other religious rituals like circumcision are common in Christianity and Judaism. Christian and Jews believe that God appoints each person to their calling even before they are born. Followers of the Christina and Judaism religions believe that baptism symbolizes readiness to serve God’s will on earth. Simba’s anointing in the movie’s opening scene symbolizes baptism and divine calling to serve a greater purpose. A bright light is noted when Rafiki raises Simba, just like it happened when Jesus was baptized. Rafiki symbolizes John the Baptist by anointing the king’s successor and presenting him to the people gathered at Pride Rock. Therefore, the opening scene illustrates and emphasizes the role of baptism in Christianity and Judaism. The characters in the movie also symbolize significant persons in Judaism and Christianity religions. For instance, Simba’s character is comparable to Jonah and Moses in that he tried to avoid his destiny but later rescued his people from oppression.
Repentance and forgiveness are essential aspects of Christianity and Judaism. The two religions are founded in the principle that people should forgive one another without limits, just like God forgives them. The Bible dictates that Christians should repent their sins to seek God’s forgives. In the Lion King, repentance and forgiveness are portrayed in several scenes. First, Mufasa forgives Simba for going to the elephants’ graveyard. The king also forgives hyenas that threatened his son and his friend Nala. Simba acknowledged his mistakes and sought his father’s forgiveness. Although Mufasa was disappointed in his son for disobedience, he forgave him. Towards the end of the movie, Simba forgives Scar even after learning he killed his father. Simba tells his uncle to “run away and never return.” These scenes are consistent with Christianity, and Judaism principles in that people should forgive and avoid vengeance. Christians and Jews believe that sacrifices are an element of their religious beliefs.
In ancient society, Christians and Jews sacrificed animals and other goods to their God. Abraham’s obedience and faith in God were proven in the Bible as he accepted to sacrifice his son. The Lion King brings out the aspect of obedience and sacrifices effectively. According to Lefler, the theme of obedience is portrayed in several scenes in the movie. First, Mufasa risked his life, saving Simba. For instance, Mufasa appears to Simba at night, urging him to return and end Scar’s reign in the Pride Lands. Simba understands the risk involved, but he obeys his father’s command to other animals from Scar’s oppression. In the Bible, Jesus was crucified to save the human population and set people free of their sins. Jesus was a sacrifice to safeguard and eliminate the sins committed by many of God’s people on earth. More so, Jesus demonstrated obedience to his Father by accepting to die on the cross. With this in mind, it is justifiable to state that several scenes in the Lion King portray Christian and Judaism values of sacrifice and obedience.
Christianity and Judaism teach people to have faith in God’s power to restore. Restoration is all about regaining everything that is lost and achieving a better life. According to Kettering, Christian and Judaism believers often face challenges and temptations that end when God intervenes. The theme of restoration is portrayed accurately in the Lion King. Simba loses his royal status and faces many challenges in exile. Timon and Pumbaa rescue the young lion from dying of hunger and teach him to believe “hakuna matata.” The belief is founded on the faith that better days will come in the future. The kindness portrayed by the two animals in this scene is comparable to the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible. Towards the end of the movie, the outcasts in exile, Nala, and Rafiki persuade Simba to return to the Pride Lands. Rafiki urges Simba that Mufasa is “alive and I’ll show him to you.” Mufasa’s spirit appears to Simba, urging him to have faith that his ancestors are watching and will help him. Simba’s return and victory over Scar symbolize restoration in the Christian and Judaism religions. The storms that followed and the resurgence of life in the pride lands signify God’s blessings upon His chosen people.
In conclusion, the characters, setting, and plot of Lion King’s film portray several religious themes accurately. According to Lefler, many scenes in the movie are comparable to the events recorded in the Holy books used by Christian and Judaism believers. The main themes portrayed in the film include faith and restoration, forgiveness and repentance, obedience, sacrifice, love, and kindness. Most importantly, the movie reminds society of the benefits of upholding specific religious themes and the consequences of wrong behavior like murder and deceit.
Works Cited
Favreau, Jon. “The Lion King.” Walt Disney Pictures. (2019)
Kettering, Sloan. Theology in “The Lion King:” A Religious Analysis of the Classic Disney Animated Film. (2019). Retrieved from https://medium.com/@gothgordongekko/theology-in-the-lion-king-aaaa098b7772
Lefler, Rachael. Christian Symbolism in Disney’s ‘The Lion King.’ Reel Rundown. (2020) Retrieved from https://reelrundown.com/animation/The-Lion-King-Theory-Is-Simba-Jesus