The Lion King
Modeled on Hamlet.
–How would knowing one story help
with understanding the other?
Christopher Vogler served as a story
consultant on this film.
Where is the Star Wars scene?
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Questions to Ask
What patterns do you see? What other
stories does it mimic?
What archetypal roles does each
character fulfill?
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Questions to Ask
What is the crisis that upsets the Ordinary
World, the balanced world?
What is the central idea that, like a sword,
empowers Simba?
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The Lion King
A New Hope
What other famous episode does this
remind you of?
The answer is in the title of this slide!
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Opening Song
How might the Heroes Journey parallel the
Circle of Life?
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Ordinary World
Who is Mufassa? Is he a good king,
father?
Simba—what archetype is he?
Rafiki—what archetype is he?
Zazu—what archetype is he?
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Call to Adventure
Could Scar’s talk with Simba be a Call to
Adventure? If so, how does this change our
understanding of the story?
Is the archetypal wheel inverted now?
Who becomes a Threshold Guardian?
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Threshold Guardian
What role does Zazu play?
What often follows when we fail to heed
advice?
What archetypal mask does Simba wear
to evade Zazu’s supervision?
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Simba as Trickster
What kind of king do you think this Simba
might become?
Is he tending towards the higher self or the
shadow?
What trait(s) push him in this direction?
– Humility and reason OR
– pride and naiveté
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Crossing the First Threshold
Entering the elephant Graveyard
– What happens when we play close to
the line?
Do we have two forces action as
threshold guardians?
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Approach to the
Inmost Cave
–Simba finds he is but a cub, not
yet his father
Ordeal
To succeed, Simba must recognize his
enemy.
Does he make this step or fail?
What is the price of narrow vision? Of
naiveté?
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Ordeal
The Mentor and Shadow
What makes Scar a villain? His
ambition, his desire for personal glory,
or his lack of concern for the greater
community?
How about all of these?
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Ordeal
Definition of a Shadow
Does Scar have any interest in the
hyenas? Are they seen as individuals
or as objects to manipulate?
Why is it that minions are always
stupid? Bonzai, Shenzi, and Ed.
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Shining in justice
Shining injustice
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Reward
What is Simba’s Reward for failing to
identify his enemy?
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Reward
Is Simba at fault for Muffasa’s death and
the loss of the cosmic balance?
What does Scar’s suggestion become for
Simba? What if Simba had ignored him?
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Separation
not Return
Simba’s departure signals his new role as
a lost soul, a failed hero. But hope springs
eternal.
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Flight
Simba’s flight signals the end of the minijourney of Simba the heir.
But a new journey begins. But what kind is
it?
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Lost Soul
Episode 2: A New Journey
“Please don’t throw me in that briar patch.”
Does the briar patch serve as a protective
barrier?
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Lost Soul
What is the importance of geography
in providing a threshold for this new
journey?
How might geography symbolize
Simba’s plight?
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Lost Soul
buzzard-bait
When our spirit reaches its lowest point,
the time is right to resurrect a hero.
But it will take time.
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Special World
Slimy yet satisfying
What is the function of this Special World
in which Simba lives?
Is it merely a diversion?
Hakuna Matata?
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Return of the King
Episode 3
“She’s gonna eat me!”
Using the hero’s journey, why are Timon
and Pumba upset?
Meeting of the Goddess?
Nala as Stormcrow and H?
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Return of the King
Refusal of the Call
What is it that prevents Simba from
answering the Call to Adventure?
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Meeting the Mentor
Identity: Who are you?
“Old [Yoda] Rafiki, he show you the way!”
Look harder.” “Remember who you are?”
“Doesn’t matter; It’s in the past.”
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Crossing the First Threshold
Crossing the same desert!
What is it that Simba remembers?
Can ideas be transformational?
Does how we think affect who we are?
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Allies
Who are Simba’s allies?
Timon and Pumba—what ever happened
to Hakuna Matata?
Timon and Pumba—what mask do they
wear? What kind of hero have they
become?
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Tests
What is the ultimate test that Simba must
face?
These tests are always about identity:
“Remember who you are.”
Scar truly demonstrates the power of
words over brawn.
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Symbolism
What is the role of fire in this story?
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Tests
What revelation transforms Simba’s
knowledge?
– Why can’t a villain keep a secret?
Why didn’t Simba kill Scar?
Why was Scar unwilling to accept exile?
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Tests
How frequently do villains perish by their
own devices?
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Symbolism
What is the significance of all this rain?
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Return of the King
The Elixir
Has Simba achieved his Higher Self?
How quickly does nature restore the earth
once balance is achieved?
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Return of the King
What is the significance of this new
cub?
How is the Circle of Life and the Hero’s
Journey related?
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return
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