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.
