The Lion King (3D)

I saw The Lion King 3D this past weekend with some friends, and as I get older I notice more and more that Disney are geniuses when it comes to making content that the whole family can enjoy, even as time goes by. I'm not talking about the timeless stories or unique characters, but their ability to insert elements that parents would get, but fly over their kids' heads. But besides that, it struck me that without meaning to, and even using pagan (please don't get offended) traditions/imagery, they illustrated that the world just isn't right without God in charge.
I looked (very) briefly for anything covering parallels between The Lion King and biblical principles, but what I found was mostly that values are shifting and that the earth-centered beliefs in the movie were leading people away from God. Whether those are true or not, I'm focusing on the fact that we were made to worship, and Disney did it unintentionally. And you'll forgive me for leaving out the magic that Rafiki uses. Suffice to say that people watching this movie outside the Afican continent are not likely to buy in very heavily to the beliefs that Mufasa, Rafiki, etc. express.

Moving on. There is a scene where Simba steps back into view of pride rock, onto a dried out piece of some kind of plant that disintegrates under his paw. Then the camera tilts up to show how devastated the entire landscape is. Everything is gray and dead. The river has dried up, there are no more herds moving across the grasslands, and Nala then tells him how Scar has allowed the hyenas to wipe out the food and water in the kingdom. The life has essentially been drained from the pridelands by this illegitimate king and his cohorts.

Sound familiar at all?

It's not Simba's fault that the pridelands are in this state. His rightful place was taken by an enemy who lied to the kingdom and got them to do what he wanted. But, Simba is the only one who can set things right and save his subjects and family.

Sound familiar?

I don't know that there is anything deep or profound here, but when Simba risked his life to fight and defeat Scar, he was able to return to where he and his people knew he belonged. His right and true rule restored the kingdom to its balance and beauty. Even the other animals knew that he was born and destined to be king, and submitted to him.

Sound familiar yet?

When Adam and Eve had God as their father and king, the entire world lived and worked perfectly in harmony. Then, when the devil forced his way in, the world went to crap. And it will continue to do so until it's time for Jesus to come rule. Once he does, all of nature will become the way it was created, with everything under our authority, because we're under Jesus' authority.

Like I said, I don't expect this is anything new or deep, but I felt like I needed to share. See any other biblical parallels in The Lion King or (I hesitate to add) other Disney movies?

I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out. Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments! If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too. Twitter:@GetItReallyReal Please subscribe and/or share.