Word: simba
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...certainly one of the more dramatic. The movie begins with Mufasa, king of the plains (NOT the jungle--the Disney people are too smart to fall for cliches here) presenting his small cub, Simba, to his assorted subjects. Elephants trumpet. The soundtrack rises in pitch. And then, the scene suddenly disappears from the screen, abruptly replaced with "THE LION KING"--blood-red, no less (more on that later...
...heard the story already, no doubt. Mufasa, a feared but well-liked ruler, his mate Sarabi and their son Simba live together in the seemingly harmonious land of Pride Rock. There's something rotten in the kingdom, though--Mufasa's brother Scar, the younger sibling simply green-eyed (literally) with jealousy of his brother's power...
Carrying out the Hamlet-esque overtones of the tale, Scar plots to kill Mufasa and Simba and seize power. While Simba survives his uncle's machinations, Scar manages to convince him that Simba was responsible for hid father's violent death, causing Simba to go into exile...
...Simba, thought to be dead, finds a paradise and some protectors. Eventually, he grows up and, prodded by his best friend Nala, returns to claim his birthright...
There are the bare bones (no pun intended) of the tale. Of course, in the 87 minutes of the movie, much more is presented. Simba's relationship with his father and the effect Mufasa's death has on the small cub is a prominent subtheme. Their bond carries even beyond death, and Simba's wish to make his father proud is a realistic drive. While the father-child relationship is a common element in Disney tales, this one is somehow much stronger, perhaps because the father is neither overly harsh (a la "The Little Mermaid") nor a bumbling fool ("Beauty...