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Films

The Lion King

Jonathan Barfield argues that an Existentialist trumps a Christian interpretation of this popular Disney parable.

Watching The Lion King (1994) could feel like being hectored by a slightly confused preacher: Simba is the Prodigal Son in Jesus’s parable, Scar is Satan, Mufasa, Simba’s father, is God the Father, and Simba’s return to the Pridelands is Jesus’s Second Coming. However, we can attain a richer and more coherent analysis of Simba’s actions through the prism of existentialism.

The Christian Interpretation

Simba the lion cub (the Rightful King) runs away from his home, the Pridelands, because he feels responsible for his father’s death. Simba believes that he can live better on his own. This goes fine for a while: Simba enjoys singing with Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and a warthog, eating grubs, and lolling lazily in lagoons.

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