Teacher Notes
A Guide to
The Lion King (1994, U) 89 mins
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at young people from 5+. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Shakespeare and adaptations.
What’s this film about?
Song-filled Disney classic about a lion cub who runs away from the pride allowing his evil uncle
to become king.
Why this film?
On its release, The Lion King was hailed as an instant classic from Disney. This animated epic is
not only beautiful visually, but the story is equally captivating. Lion cub Simba runs away from
his pride, believing he caused the tragic death of his beloved father King Mufasa. With Simba
away, his evil uncle Scar can become king. However, while wandering in the African wilderness,
Simba meets Pumba and Timon, two colourful characters, whose friendship gives him the
strength to face his destiny. This tale of familial betrayal and retribution is loosely based on the
tragedy of Hamlet.
What the critics think
“The way this film was set out made my spine tingle the connection between Simba and his
Dad is extraordinary because when Simba is in trouble his Dad is always there for him”.
Film club member Evie, aged 10
“The plot is Hamlet in the African Wild, as young lion prince Simba witnesses the murder of his
father by wicked uncle Scar”.
Anthony Quinn, The Independent
A Guide to
Teacher Notes
Before the film: Starter Activity
What qualities to you think that a king
should have?
After the film: Discussion Questions
1. Why does Scar dislike Simba so much?
2. Why does Simba leave the Pride Lands?
3. What do you think the song ‘the Circle of
Life’ means in the story?
4. William Shakespeare wrote a famous play
called Hamlet about a Prince in Denmark
whose father is killed by his uncle because
he wants to become the King. Does this
sound familiar? If you could remake a
famous story as a cartoon what story would
you choose, and how would you make it
look different?
5. Timon and Pumba teach Simba about
‘hakuna matata’ and it stops him from being
so sad. Sometimes we need to have fun and
relax, but sometimes we need to be
responsible and do important things: can
you think of an example of a time when we
need to be responsible and a time when we
need to relax?
Next Steps
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an
Into Film club at www.intofilm.org
Related Resources
Create your own Shakespeare Week
screening of this film by using the Celebrating
Shakespeare Through Film with Into Film
screening Guide.
Teacher Notes
1.
It’s easy for the villain in a story to simply be
described as ‘the baddie’, but understanding Scar’s
motivations allows children to understand everything
in the story a little more deeply. We never
sympathise with Scar, he’s evil throughout the film,
but it can be interesting to remember that Scar was
going to be the next King before Simba was born. In
his own way, Scar went through feelings of strong
jealousy and anger, but what he did with those
feelings is unforgiveable. If you feel the class are
able, it’s interesting to ask them what Scar should
have done instead to deal with his negative feelings.
2. Simba is the victim of a plot created by Scar. But
Simba doesn’t understand the threat Scar poses,
instead he believes that he is personally responsible
for his father’s death. In addition, Simba is chased
away by the hyenas after the death of his father (but
again, he doesn’t know that the hyenas are working
to Scar’s orders).
3. The film starts and ends with the same event: the
birth of the next generation. Also, Mufasa explains to
Simba how after they die their bodies go back into
the grass and are eating by the antelope, and Rafiki
teaches Simba how the spirit of Mufasa lives on
inside his son, and so on. It would be possible to
include discussion about lifecycles (egg to caterpillar
to butterfly, frogspawn to tadpole to frog, etc.) when
discussing the ‘circle of life’.
4. This can be quite difficult so give young people a list
of well-known fairy tales to think about adapting.
5. Children may divide these concepts into the idea of
simply being responsible at school, and relaxed at
home, or responsible during class time, and relaxed
during break or play time. But try to get round this by
asking for two examples from home, or two
examples from when they’re on holiday.