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Jacinda Ruzicka
Mrs. Martin
Advanced Placement English
17 February 2012
The Lion King Hero Myth
The exceptionally popular Disney movie The Lion King, directed by Rodger Allers and
Rob Minkoff, is a true hero’s journey. The title itself emphasizes that a lion is king, most likely
referring to the main character, Simba who is the main hero in the movie. Simba takes part in the
widely known hero’s journey, the universal monomyth. The heroic actions taken by Simba are
expressed by following the different steps of the hero myth as described by Joseph Campbell,
showing the different archetypes of the characters, and the universal themes found throughout
the movie.
Simba is born into greatness and is the heir to the kingdom. He is known as the king
archetype in the story. Simba was banished from his homeland by his evil uncle Scar and his
hyenas after his father’s tragic death, of which he feels responsible for. He is found by Timon
and Pumba, a meerkat and warthog, and grows up with them. These major events of his life
propose trials which “are designed to see to it that the intending hero should be really a hero”
(Joseph Campbell).
Years later, just as many heroes begin their journey, Simba began his with the “call to
adventure”. His best friend from the pride lands, Nala, comes in search of help and happens to
find Simba. She asks him to return to the kingdom and claim his place as king because of Scar’s
oppressing reign. He then goes through the “refusal of the call” monomyth stage by telling her
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no. Simba does not want to go back to his homeland at first because he has been gone for a long
time and is embarrassed that he ran away. He would not tell Nala the reason for his refusal, but it
was because he believed his father’s death was his fault.
Rafiki, the story’s baboon “sage”, leads Simba into the “supernatural aid” stage. He takes
him into an enchanted jungle of tangled trees and roots, where he says Simba’s father, Mufasa, is
living. Simba is led to a small pool of water, where Rafiki tells him to look into the water. He
looks, but only sees a reflection of himself but when he looks harder, he sees his father. Rafiki
then tells Simba his father “lives within” him (The Lion King). Mufasa’s spirit then appears in
the sky and he tells Simba that he has forgotten his father by forgetting who he is and that he is
more than what he has become. He also explains that Simba must take his place in the circle of
life and that as his son he is the one true king.
Simba immediately has a change of heart after seeing his father and moves onto the
“crossing of the first threshold”. He is leaving the paradise he has grown up in for his homeland
that has now become a wasteland run by Scar and the hyenas. He must be ready to fight his uncle
and face his family, as well as take responsibility for the entire kingdom. Campbell says that
“there are adventures into which you are thrown,” and for Simba this is one of them (Joseph
Campbell). He leaves behind his childhood and chooses to enter the “belly of the whale”. This is
when he is finally moving toward his right to be king.
When Simba enters into the “road of trials” stage of the hero myth, he has to face his
kingdom and fight his Uncle Scar. He is no longer afraid and, although he does not want to fight,
he will do whatever it takes to prove himself worthy of being king. He receives support and help
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throughout this stage from Nala, Timon, and Pumba. When he first arrived at the pride lands
Simba told the rest of the lionesses that he was responsible for his father’s death. Moments later,
Scar tells him the truth, admitting “I killed Mufasa” (The Lion King). At that instant he realizes
that the only way to make his father truly proud is to take on his responsibility of king, going
through the “atonement with the father” stage of the monomyth. When he defeats Scar, he does
so for the good of the kingdom not only for himself. Campbell stated that “the moral objective is
that of saving a people, or saving a person, or supporting an idea. The hero sacrifices himself for
something – that’s the morality of it” (Joseph Campbell). That is exactly what samba has done;
he sacrificed himself for his kingdom in order to restore the circle of life.
During the “apotheosis” stage of Simba’s journey, the kingdom begins to go back to the
way it was at the beginning when he was younger. He defeats Scar and comes to the realization
that his family does not blame him for his father’s death and they now know the truth. After this
stage, Simba receives “the ultimate boon”. This is achieved by him taking back his kingdom,
mending it back to normal, and making amends with his family. Simba does not go through the
“refusal of the return” stage because he now understands that it is his destiny to be king and he
wants to fulfill it. Campbell stated that “in one kind of adventure, the hero sets out responsibly
and intentionally to perform the deed,” which is exactly what Simba is choosing to do (Joseph
Campbell).
In order for Simba’s life to return to normal he must go through the “magic flight” stage
of the monomyth. His is now the archetypal “king” which means he must take responsibility for
his actions and his kingdom to regain order and control. He rebuilds his kingdom from scratch
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with the help of the other lions and animals throughout the pride lands and ultimately begins the
“crossing of the return threshold”. Simba’s normal life returns when he becomes king, rebuilds
the kingdom, marries Nala, and has a cub of his own. He then finally has the “freedom to live”
stage. Simba achieves the ability to let go of the fear and frustration he had due to his father’s
death. He no longer regrets the past and he anticipates the future to be bright with his new family
and kingdom.
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Works Cited
Campbell, Joseph. The Power of Myth / Joseph Campbell. New York: Doubleday, 1988. Print.
The Lion King. By Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. Perf. Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Simba Cub),
Matthew Broderick (Simba Adult), Niketa Caleme (Nala Cub), and Moira Kelly (Nala
Adult). Walt Disney Pictures, 1994. Videocassette.