Disney's the Lion King: Sundiata in Disguise?

Ibn Battuta has idiosyncrasies, prejudices, and arrogance. He is also a man of curiosity, and conviction. It is because Ibn Battuta represents or comes across so much like ourselves that it is easy to dive more deeply into his writing and stories and see things through his eyes. What the reader can see is a picture of African civilization before European influence. Battuta’s stories

“The Lion King” is watched by children all over the world. It is a classic Disney movie that many watch for fun and entertainment, but could there be something else to this film? The plot of “The Lion King” is very similar to Shakespeare’s play,” Hamlet”. Some similarities include the lives of Simba and prince Hamlet are changed due to their evil uncles, both fathers die, and both fathers come back as ghosts. Each character in “The Lion King” connects with a character in “Hamlet”. Simba plays as prince Hamlet, Mufasa plays as King Hamlet, Gertrude plays as Sarabi, Scar plays as King Claudius, Nala plays as Ophelia, Rafiki plays as Horatio, hyenas plays as Laertes, and Timon and Pumbaa plays as Rosencrantz and

When contrasting the characters in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet to the characters in Walt Disney’s film, The Lion King, there are many differences in characterization. Hamlet is a play set in Denmark that tells the story of the tragic murder of King Hamlet and the emotional effects it has on his son, Prince Hamlet. The Prince’s mental instability causes him to go wildly insane over his love for Ophelia, who he will never have. He seeks vengeance on his uncle who is guilty of his father's murder. The Lion King is a film about Simba, a young lion prince who grieves over the untimely death of his father, the King of the Pride Lands. Simba discovers his Uncle Scar was the cause of his father's death. He must now return to Pride Rock in order to save his home and all who live there from the chaos under the ruling of Scar while he finds his place in society. When analyzing the characters Ophelia and Nala, they are dissimilar in their traits of obedience, dependence, and inner strength.

Under Mansa Musa, Mali became the the largest and one of the most renown kingdoms in Africa. Gold was abundant and the empire was prosperous; what more could one ask for? Though as it turns out fame and prosperity can be fleeting. The empire

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.

Sundiata an epic of old Mali is a story about Sundiata Keita who was the founder of the Mali Empire in West Africa. This story is an oral tale of a young king’s rise to power and is narrated by Djeli Mamoudo Kouyate’ who was a griot or traditional storyteller. Griots are known to be ancient historians, keeping track of their culture and passing down this information which lasts, generation after generation. In Sundiata an epic, Kouyate’ expresses how important it is to the Malinke culture to preserve this oral history. “I teach kings the history of their ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the world is old, but the future springs from the past” says Kouyate’ ( 1 ).  Preserving Malinke culture and history was ideal in teaching the younger generation of their rich heritage and what it means to live the life of a Malinke.

Although The Lion King and Macbeth seems like two different stories. One is set in the medieval era while the other is set in postmodernity, but both displays the similarities of the character’s strategic battle for power. Scar, known as the villain in the movie, The Lion King, committed selfish acts to fulfill his distorted desires. As Simba was at the edge of the cliff, about to be murdered by Scar, Scar snarled at him, “That [is] the way your father looked before I killed him” (The Lion King). Simba leaped up from the side of the cliff, and pushed Scar to the ground demanding him to confess to his crime of killing the king, his father, Mufasa. This quote proves that Scar’s ambition leads him to do ruthless acts, wanting to kill Simba, who was next in line of the throne. These malevolent plots are what fuels the battle of evil against the good. Scar stated to his three murders, the Hyenas, “We [are] going to kill him. And Simba, too” (The Lion King). In the movie, The Lion King, shows that Scar is resentful of the king, Mufasa, and the power he retains. In this quote, he plans a plot on who he wants to kill with the three hyenas to help him finish the deed, which shows his strong ambitions. Another

Heroes are the people who demonstrate qualities of courage or outstanding achievements and are recognized for their influence in the society. Heroic characters are defined similarly in literatures as well. In the two literatures, Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey, the main characters shape the plot the stories by their heroic abilities. The literatures also tend to illustrate how heroic qualities were perceived and portrayed in societies. Both characters come from different part of the world yet their plots are similar to each other. The protagonist from two literatures is on a quest to go home and to claim their ancestors’ throne, which is righteously theirs.

It can be argued that the orality of Sundiata versus the written translation is an important theme of the epic of old Mali. This story has been translated several times into several different languages. The epic of Sundiata originated as an oral epic performance that was performed by various African griots or bards. It was a challenge translating the oral tradition into written form. Thus concluded that orality is a better form of transmission than writing. Transmitting oral passages into writing can be easily falsified. Oral communication is more unquestioning than writing. Interesting enough, the griots are important persons who transmitted Sundiata: an Epic of Old Mali through many lineages. Griots were not only historical orators, but they were also important political figures.

The world of ancient Africa is a foreign one to many who do not live on the continent. The concept that Africa was once rather like Europe in its many medieval kingdoms, and their upheavals and struggles to be the greatest power, is not widely considered by the general population. Ancient Africa was a place of great tales, heroes, and conquests however. The memories of these still linger even today. The storytellers of Africa are griots. They are a mysterious group, who hold the legends and history of Africa, and orally pass them down father to son through the generations. One of these great stories is the Epic of Sundiata. Maghan Mari Djata, commonly known as Sundiata or Sundiata Keita, was a prince of the state Mail, who created the empire of

One of the main aspects that connects The Lion King and Hamlet is the characters. Simba and Hamlet are both princes of their kingdoms. Hamlet, a man, and Simba, a lion cub, are in the same situation which is coping with and avenging their fathers’ deaths. Hamlet goes crazy and creates a whole plan of revenge but Simba simply runs from the problem altogether

Summary of The Lion King: In the Disney animation loved by families everywhere, The Lion King, Simba, the young lion born into royalty. His parents have high expectation and have strict boundaries. The Lion King follows Simba as he explores the plains of Africa and stirs up trouble with his uncle, Scar.

In 1994, the critics hail an animated masterpiece, not only for its artwork and music, but also for the plotline: an evil uncle displaces the heir to the throne and sends him into exile. Years later, following both a prophecy and an encounter with the ghost of the old king, the heir is persuaded to return to his home, avenge his father's death, and take his proper place as the ruler of the kingdom. At first glance, Disney's The Lion King has all the classic motifs of the revenge plot. These archetypal patterns occur in many stories, and Disney writers Jim Capoblanco and Irene Mecchi may well have built the plot's structure from the ground up. However, if we disregard the Serengeti setting, the

The sacred traditions, customs, and beliefs of ancient Mali is a story of epic proportions. To retrieve the great lineage of the First Kings of Mali and learn the history behind certain rituals told by an exquisite narrative that is perfectly woven together through different stories. The legend of Sundiata stresses the importance of understanding and respecting one’s history. In D. T. Niane’s “Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali,” the African history of Mali is presented through tribal customs, honor, and jealousy between brothers.

This book has two objectives that it’s trying to convey to the reader. Firstly to provide those readers from outside the field of history with an introduction to the historical world from