"The Lion King" vs. "Hamlet"

I've seen The Lion King probably about a dozen times.  When I first watched it, finally old enough to not be intimidated by Scar and the hyenas, I was still too young to pick up on any of the racial undertones (which I discussed in a past article) or any of the parallels between the film and the famous Shakespearean play Hamlet.  As it turns out, the plot of The Lion King was based on Hamlet, with its sequel The Lion King 2 being based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (still no word on what the underrated spinoff The Lion King 1 1/2 was based on).

These similarities intrigued me, so I'm taking a break from analyzing Disney movies and race—instead, I'm going to compare the film to the classic play, which I'll admit I never read from cover to cover, but I have a fair amount of knowledge on.

CHARACTERS:

Simba, our main character, is a prince and is the Disney version of Hamlet.

Then we have Scar, the jealous uncle, who is called Claudius in the Hamlet production.  Claudius and Scar both kill the former kings, all because they want the throne.

This king is Mufasa in The Lion King, and King Hamlet in Hamlet.

(This was one of the saddest scenes in Disney history.)

Of course, our heroes need a love interest.  Simba has Nala and Hamlet has Ophelia.

...And a sidekick (or a few!)  Hamlet has Rosencrants and Guildenstern, and Simba has Timon and Pumbaa.

PLOT:

Both The Lion King and Hamlet follow the same basic plot: a jealous uncle tries to take away the kingdom from his nephew, and ultimately the prince undergoes a moral struggle and takes back what is rightfully his.  Likewise, both nephews are exiled.

I've done some research and found some quotes in Hamlet that parallel particular scenes in The Lion King:

1). Mufasa speaks to Simba, and King Hamlet speaks to Hamlet:

Act 1, Scene V: "Where wilt thou lead me? Speak, I'll go no further."

2). Scar exiles Simba, and Claudius exiles Hamlet:

Act 1, Scene III: "Hamlet, this deed...which thou has done—must send thee hence with fiery quickness."

MY OPINION ON THE FILM:

The Lion King ranked #8 in my top 10 Disney movies, so naturally, I love it.  It has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, which contributes a lot to the quality of the film.

I watched The Lion King most recently after reading this article on racism and Disney movies, so I went into the viewing a little skeptical.  However, I couldn't not enjoy the movie even if I'd tried—I curled up with a box of pizza and my computer and had a Disney viewing party with friends.  Not once throughout the whole film did The Guardian article pop up in my head.

I think this is part of the reason why Disney has slipped out of so many allegations of racism.  Once the questionable parts of the movie are buried in catchy songs, lovable characters, and an interesting plot, it's easy to forget about anything else.  Disney does such a good job of portraying innocence and magic that even the controversial parts of the film—whether or not they're intentionally controversial—seem to disappear.

After I watched the movie, I was able to sit back and think about Scar and the hyena's portrayal.  Again, I didn't even think about the color of Scar's fur or the dialect of the hyenas until it was pointed out to me again.  If eighteen-year-old me didn't think about these things, either I'm delusional or they don't affect little children, either.  That's not to say they're wrong—they definitely are—but allegations that movies like The Lion King turn eight-year-olds into racists have definitely taken it too far.