The Lion King as the Hero’s Journey

1. The Lion King as the Hero’s Journey Shannon Luster 12th AP English

2. The Ordinary World • Simba’s Ordinary World is the world that exists at the time of his birth. • The family is together and happy. • He assumes he will always have his father. • He also assumes he can do whatever he wants to do.

3. Call To Action • Simba’s call to action occurs when his father has to rescue him from the hyenas. • His father gives the call to action of growing up/accepting responsibility for other’s lives.

4. Refusal of the Call to Action • Simba disobeys his father’s advice by going to find Scar. He follows Scar’s advice to go into the valley to wait for his father.

5. Meeting the Mentor • It is important that you understand the audience may not see the mentor as a “good” person. • What is important is how the character views the mentor.

6. Crossing the Threshold • Simba crosses the threshold when he leaves his homeland at the insistence of his mentor. • He feels that there is no choice at this point because he feels responsible for his father’s death. • He has to enter a special world where he must learn to “grow up” and “take responsibility for his own actions.”

7. Tests, Allies, Enemies • Simba finds his allies, Timon and Pumba, in the Special World. These guys help him survive. They teach him how to survive on his own. • His true, “good” mentor, Nala, appears in this special world as well. It is she who gives him the courage to face his in-most cave.

8. Approach to the In-most cave • In The Lion King, this occurs when Nala tells Simba of his mother’s problems and of the destruction of the Ordinary World due to Scar’s rule.

9. The Ordeal

10. Reward • Once Simba faces his in-most cave(learning to accept the death of his father and learning that his father’s death was not his fault), he receives a reward. • He is allowed to speak to and to see his father once more. This allows him to have closure on his inner turmoil.

11. The Road Back • In order for a Hero to be called a Hero, he must return to the Ordinary World to apply the knowledge he has learned. • The allies will be with him, and sometimes the mentor goes with him too.

12. The Resurrection • In the resurrection, the Hero must face his toughest battle yet. • This battle will make the Hero pure; it will be a battle that is for much more than the Hero’s own life.

13. Returns With The Elixir • Remember that the elixir does not have to be a potion. • He has reconciled what he has learned in the Special World with his life in the Ordinary World. • He has become the true Hero.