The Lion King

Everything in the animal kingdom had its place in the circle of life When the Lion King, Mufasa, and his queen, Sarabi, had a cub named Simba, Mufasa knew that one day Simba would be king Everyone bowed in respect as Rafiki the baboon introduced the young prince to all the animals
Only one lion ? Mufasa?s brother, Scar ? refused to attend the ceremony He was not happy that Simba would be next in line for Mufasa?s throne
But Simba grew into a happy, healthy cub One day he proudly told his uncle, ?Someday I?m going to rule the whole kingdom! Everything except that shadowy place
I?m not allowed to go there?
?You?re absolutely right, Simba,? his uncle agreed slyly ?Only the bravest lions can go to the elephant graveyard? Scar deliberately tempted his adventurous nephew Simba immediately raced home and convinced his friend Nala to explore the elephant graveyard It was creepier than they ever imagined
Zazu, Mufasa?s advisor, caught up with the cubs and warned them it was dangerous, too But Simba only laughed at Zazu Then he heard someone laughing back He turned to see three enemy hyenas ready for lunch ?He?s a king fit for a meal,? laughed one The nasty hyenas chased the cubs right into a trap Suddenly there was a tremendous roar Mufasa arrived and frightened the hyenas away
Simba was very proud of his father ?We?ll always be together, right?? he asked later that evening ?Look up at the stars, Simba,? said Mufasa ?Those are the great kings of the past looking down on us Remember those kings will always be there to guide you So will I?
Although Scar was very angry with the hyenas for letting Simba escape, he made a bargain with them If they helped him become king, they could have the run of the Pride Lands And Scar had a plan
Later Scar brought Simba to a gorge and promised him a wonderful surprise if he would wait on a certain rock Then he signaled the hyenas
The surprise was a stampeding herd of wildebeest! The earth trembled as the wildebeests headed right into the gorge and straight toward Simba Simba held onto a tree branch but was slipping fast In an instant Mufasa appeared and grabbed his son He got Simba to safety, but then he slipped off the ledge and fell into the thundering stampede When everything was quiet once more, Simba found his father lying lifeless at the foot of a cliff Simba had not seen Scar push Mufasa to his death Simba believed it was all his fault ?Run away, Simba,? Scar advised the young cub ?Run away and never return? Scar watched as the young cub ran away, chased by the hyenas Then Scar returned to Pride Rock and announced to the lions that he would be their new king Simba ended up in the desert where he collapsed from heat and exhaustion Luckily two curious creatures found him ? a meerkat called Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa Simba?s new friends took him home to the jungle where they introduced him to Timon?s idea of hakuna matata ? ?no worries?
Simba tried to put the past behind him, but it was difficult One day a young lioness appeared looking for help It was Nala She told Simba the sad story of what had happened since Scar had taken over the Pride Lands
But Simba could not face going back ? at least not until Rafiki appeared and led him to a vision of his father ?You are my son and the one true king You must take your place in the circle of life,? Mufasa explained So Simba returned to the Pride Lands with his friends by his side There was a great battle Finally, Scar cornered Simba and confessed what he had done many years ago ?You didn?t kill your father,? Scar said evilly ?I did? At last Simba found the strength to fight back He flipped the evil lion right over the edge of the rock into the jaws of the waiting hyenas When the fighting was over, Simba took his rightful place as king and restored the Pride Lands to a place of peace And when Simba and Nala?s little cub was born, a brand-new circle of life began