The Lion King as the Hero’s
Journey
Springboard Lesson 1.5
8th Grade Language Arts
Sebring Middle School
The Ordinary World
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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.
Call To Adventure
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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.
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.
Meeting the Mentor/Beginning
of the Adventure
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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.
Crossing the Threshold/Road of
Trials
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.”

Tests, Allies,
Enemies/Unconditinal Love
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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 inmost cave.
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.
The Ordeal
The Ultimate Boon
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.

Refusal of Return
Simba refuses to return even after hearing
from Mufasa.
 He feels he cannot make a difference.
 It will be too painful to return

The Magic Flight
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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.
The Magic Flight
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In the magic flight, 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.
Rescue from Without
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He has reconciled
what he has learned
in the Special World
with his life in the
Ordinary World.
He has become the
true Hero.
The Crossing or Return to
Threshold

Simba has become king, and he and Nala
now have a cub of their own. The cycle is
complete.