Essay on A Review for “The Lion King”

Disney movies have been the leading outlets for child education and social learning. Due to such power of influence controversies have been raised which include the following, but not limited to, gender roles and stereotypes, issues of independence, and misrepresentation. Many people argue that despite the morals and messages that occur within such films there are still underlying messages that deal with beauty standards and norms. However, others may argue that Disney is evolutionary and evolved the imagery of male/female standards. The controversy then becomes: are Disney films doing more harm than they are good? Due to certain themes brought on by such movies, it has left younger audiences with both positive and

This reminded me of a point made in the article “Representation of Black’s in Children’s Books” when Anthony J. Cortese argued that blacks appear in minor roles in books and occupy subservient positions such as maids, slaves, or servants (2004). This confirms that not only are racial messages uncovered in children’s literature, but they are making an appearance in children’s films as well. The hyenas in The Lion King support this argument because they are slaves to Scar and display behaviors that viewers might connect to African Americans.

The Lion King is a true hero's journey that takes place in the savannas of Africa. The title "the Lion King" emphasizes that a lion is king, most likely referring to the main character, Simba. Simba is the main hero in the story because he regains his kingdom and defeats evil. The main character's archetype is "king"; he takes responsibility for his actions and his kingdom, he regains order and control. Simba takes part in a hero's journey by being a part of the departure, initiation, and the return.

What images come to mind as one reflects upon his or her childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the fondest of memories. Yet, for many, mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept off their feet, and lions roar to their royal place in the animal kingdom. Disney films have captivated the American culture for years and have become a pivotal part of popular culture as well as a form of education. However, these films have devoured the youth of America and, in the process; have perpetuated an institutionally racist society based on harsh stereotypes. Minorities are often underrepresented, and even completely left out, of many Disney films such as Dumbo (1941), The Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), and

Almost everyone in the world is familiar with the infamous Disney movie The Lion King, but very few have gone into detail and analyzed the rhetoric within the film. Each scene is filled with a sense of pathos that tugs on the emotions of the audience and inevitably pushes them to one side over the other. It is interesting to see how the voices, color, and actions of each character have such an effect on their personalities which then has an effect on the audience and leaves them judging the morals of the characters. For people who grew up watching the original Disney movies, this is a great film to watch in depth and really figure out the meaning behind each scene.

Heroes are present in movies, tv shows or games. A “hero's journey” shows a character's journey on gaining the title of a “hero”. A movie or tv show may show a character or multiple characters go through very difficult times but it the end show how they overcame adversity and is now known as a hero. In the Lion King, Simba can be seen as a hero with the challenges he endures and what he overcomes by the end. Simba has many heroic qualities his wisdom, compassion for others, moral reasoning and responsibility makes him stand out above all other characters. Simba as a young lion, was very selfish and naive to many things happening at Pride Rock . His choice to run away at a young age showed he didn't want to face his problems or accept what he thought he did. Simba begins to gain heroic qualities as he is now living his own life in a faraway jungle, he is learning how to be independent, and how to live his own life instead of being in the shadow of his dad, the king of Pride Rock.

The 2016 film Lion, which was first a book called “A Long Way Home”, is a film where a boy named Saroo was separated from his brother in the train station, which leads to Saroo getting on a train taking him thousands of miles away from his family and his home. Saroo, who was only five-years-old when he got lost, had to learn to survive alone in Kolkata, West Bengal. Days after arriving to Kolkata, the city the train left him at, he got admitted into an orphanage, which later turned out to him getting adopted by an Australian couple. But twenty-five years later, he starts to wonder where his first home and family are at the moment. With only his memories, determination, and Google Earth he starts looking and searching where his small

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Disney creates gender roles, racial roles, and white supremacy through socialization within their motion pictures. For example, Walt Disney’s “Snow White”, “Fantasia”, and even “The Little Mermaid” all show females as obscenely beautiful, male dependent and flirtatious creatures who couldn’t save themselves from a Chinese finger trap. Males are the perfectly sculpted rescuers who can be easily wooed by a woman’s body; and these exaggerated roles create a false standard for children and can lead to severely underdeveloped sociological skills. Moving onto the racial roles; in the movie “All dogs go to

Lazarus states her thesis by saying: “The Lion King is breaking box office records. But it’s not breaking stereotypes (1)”. She discusses how at first she believes it will be different from the traditional Disney movies because it is based on a group of animals and not on sexist princess movies such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast (1). Lazarus says she had grown “weary of reinforcing women’s subordinate status by screening fables about a beauty who tames an angry male beast or a mermaid who gives up her glorious voice and splits her body to be with a prince.(1)”

Dr. Mark Lasser’s book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” gives insight to those who suffer from sexual addiction and to the families, friends and other people in their lives. Dr. Mark Lasser has chosen to write this book, to share with others his personal struggle and victory with sexual addiction. Dr. Lasser has written this book from a Christian view, to give other individuals hope in a difficult and growing disease, which is taking control and destroying our families. Lasser defines sexual addiction as “a sickness involving any type of uncontrollable sexual activity, and because the addict cannot control his

Michael Ondaatje's In the Skin of a Lion narrates the forgotten stories of those who contributed to the building of the city Toronto, particularly immigrants and marginal individuals. In the very first page of the novel, Ondaatje stresses the concern with personal narratives and the act of storytelling: "This is the story a young girl gathers in a car during the early hours of the morning [...] She listens to the man as he picks up and brings together various corners of the story..." (4). Similar to Crossing the River, there is a framework story, that of a man telling a story to a girl, that opens and ends the novel and gives coherence to

During the last several decades, the media has become a strong agent in directing and controlling social beliefs and behaviors. Children, by nature, can be particularly susceptible to the influencing powers of the media, opening an avenue where media created especially for children can indoctrinate entire generations. Disney movies, like all other media “are powerful vehicles for certain notions about our culture,” such as racism. (Giroux 32). Racist scenes in Disney movies are often identified as simply being “symbols of the time” when the films were produced. Furthermore, Disney racism is often passed over as simple humor, or as a simple guide to

Dr. Mark Lasser’s book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” gives insight to those who suffer from sexual addiction and to the families, friends and other people in their lives. Dr. Mark Lasser has chosen to write this book, to share with others his personal struggle and victory with sexual addiction. Dr. Lasser has written this book from a Christian view, to give other individuals hope in a difficult and growing disease, which is taking control and destroying our families. Lasser defines sexual addiction as “a sickness involving any type of uncontrollable sexual activity, and because the addict cannot

I choose to watch the movie “A few good men”. The story line goes as where Tom Cruise is asked to defend two marines who are charged with murder of a fellow officer. During the investigation it was found that the marines were ordered what they call a Code Red. A code red is where disciplinary measure is told to the marine when a member offends against his unit. This marine was beaten, gaged, bounded with tape by his fellow officers because in the squad’s eye he was not standing up to their needs. The two marines argue that they had a direct command from the higher authority to commit