The Lion King: A Hero's Journey  

 The Lion King is one of the most famous Disney animated feature of all time. It has captured the hearts of children and adults everywhere around the world and has made over Three Hundred and twelve million dollars. But The Lion king is much more than a movie that has made a lot of money, it actually is the story of a hero’s quest or journey. The hero’s journey is reflected everywhere, from a television show to great works of literature, and even movies (Harris 1). A Hero’s journey consists of separation, transformation and initiation, and the return of what a hero experienced throughout his/her journey. The story of The Lion King shows how the protagonist Simba follows the Hero’s Journey.

     The beginning of a Hero’s journey starts with the Call to Adventure. “The hero is called to adventure by some external event or messenger. The hero may accept the call willingly or reluctantly” (The Hero’s Journey 2). The call could be an actual telephone call informing the hero of what he must do or it could be a call in a psychological way. In The Lion King the protagonist, Simba is a very curious lion who wants to know what is beyond Pride Rock. He even takes his best friend and future guide, Nala with him to a graveyard where he is not allowed to see what is there. His father discovers him and tells him not to go looking for trouble because it can be very dangerous (The Lion King). Simba’s call is then completed when Scar, his uncle, and the hyenas force him to leave Pride Rock from the death of Mufasa, his father. Simba is thought to have killed his father from Scar, and is haunted by it for a great deal of his life.

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     Once the hero is called to adventure, he must pass over the Threshold. The threshold is the boundary between the known and the unknown. It is the “jumping off point” for the adventure. In the hero’s known world he feels secure about his area but once he is passed that area, he is faced with many challenges. When the hero crosses the threshold there is usually someone or something blocking them or trying to keep them from crossing over (Harris 3). When Simba crosses the threshold the hyenas try and block him from passing on. They chase him ...

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