Watch the video, read the excerpt, answer the questions. 

Plot Summary for The Lion King

The Lion King is a story about the coming of age of Simba, a young lion, as he overcomes the death of his father and ousting from his pride which rules the Pride Land, a kingdom of animals in Africa. Simba ultimately regains his rightful place as king of the pride, and in doing so, restores the kingdom’s natural order, referred to in the animals’ shared vocabulary as the “circle of life.” The movie begins in the Pride Lands, an area in, Africa ruled by a pride of lions. Its leader, King Mufasa, who rules benevolently from his home, Pride Rock, attends the presentation of his newborn son, Simba, to the assembly of animals that make up the kingdom. His advisor and shaman, a baboon named Rafiki, hoists young Simba into the air atop a rocky pinnacle, and the animals cheer. Mufasa waves his hand across the land, explaining that Simba will be responsible for it once he becomes king. He also explains the “circle of life,” the sacred relationship between birth and death that connects all living creatures. As Simba comes of age, Mufasa’s younger brother, Scar, seeks to usurp the throne. Scar plans to kill Mufasa and Simba. He lures Simba and his best friend and future wife and queen of the pride, the young lioness Nala, to explore a dangerous elephant graveyard. There, a trio of spotted hyenas loyal to Scar ambushes them. Mufasa, learning about the ambush from his messenger hornbill Zazu, rushes to rescue the cubs. Though Mufasa is angry with Simba, he forgives him, taking him to a field and explaining that the kings of the past watch from the stars, just as he will one day watch over the prides of Africa.

After his failed attempt to kill Simba, Scar lures him and Mufasa into a ravine where his hyenas cause a stampede of wildebeest, hoping to have them trampled. Scar lures Simba first and then, notifies Mufasa of Simba’s danger. Mufasa rushes to save Simba again but is left hanging on the edge of the ravine. Scar approaches and, instead of saving him, throws him into the ravine, where he dies. Scar convinces Simba that Mufasa’s death was his own fault, telling him to leave the kingdom. After Simba flees with the hyenas in pursuit, Scar tells the rest of the pride that the wildebeest killed both Mufasa and his son, Simba. He becomes the new king, allowing his previously excommunicated hyenas and their pack to come live in the Pride Lands.

Simba, exhausted in the desert, is rescued by a meerkat and a warthog, Timon and Pumbaa. He grows up with them in the jungle, learning to create a carefree life and adopting a new motto, “Hakuna Matata,” meaning “no worries.” One day, a hungry lioness comes to hunt Timon and Pumbaa. Simba intercepts her, discovering that she is Nala. They fall back in love and Nala tells him to come home, conveying that the Pride Lands have fallen into drought and despair. Simba refuses and runs away, unwilling to cope with returning to the site of his father’s death. He finds Rafiki, who says that Mufasa is still alive in Simba. Mufasa’s spirit appears in the stars, telling Simba that he must live on as king. Simba is convinced to return home. Simba covertly returns to Pride Rock, confronting Scar. Scar tries to exploit Simba’s insecurity about his role in Mufasa’s death, backing him to the edge of Pride Rock. There, he reveals that he killed Mufasa. Overcome with anger, Simba throws himself onto Scar, pinning him down. He forces Scar to announce the truth to the pride. His friends Timon and Pumbaa, along with Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses, fight off the hyenas while Scar tries to escape. Simba corners him, and Scar begs for mercy, offering to betray his hyenas. Simba agrees on the condition that Scar is banished from the Pride Lands. Scar tries to attack again, and Simba throws him from the rock. He survives the fall but is killed by the hyenas who overheard his betrayal. Rain begins to fall as Simba regains the kingship, and life comes back to the Pride Lands. The book concludes as Rafiki holds up Simba and Nala’s new cub to the assembly of animals, repeating the circle of life.

A classic coming of age story, The Lion King incorporates the symbolism of the animal kingdom and its natural hierarchical structure to present the struggle of its protagonist as a return to his inherited home, family, and throne.

video link https://youtu.be/1uHKgS1G-YU     or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uHKgS1G-YU

Name:__________________________________________________

1) Read and highlight the important information in the following text

The Story of Sundiata: ‘The Lion King’

A long time ago, King Maghan ruled the kingdom of Mali. He was loved by his people and had many wives. One day, a hunter came from far away to visit the king. The hunter asked him to marry a woman called Sogolon. King Magham demanded, “why should I marry a woman I do not know just because a stranger has told me to?” The hunter told him that Sogolon would bear him a son who will become the greatest king ever to rule the kingdom. Like most Malians, the king believed in fate and destiny, and the king listened to the advice of the hunter. Even though Sogolon was very ugly, the king married her and she gave birth to a son. He was named Sundiata. But as the boy grew older they realised that he couldn’t use his legs.

King Maghan became very sick when Sundiata was still a young boy. Knowing his days were numbered, the king called Sundiata to his bedside, telling his son, “when I go, you will be king. You are destined for greatness, my boy!” But after king Maghan died, the king’s first wife ‘Sassouma’ believed that her son, Dankaran should be king. Sassouma spread tales about Sundiata around the kingdom so people wouldn’t accept him. The gossip worked and Dankaran became king instead. Sundiata was forced to flee with his mother.

Living far away in a foreign land, Sogolon became very unhappy. She said to her son, “Sundiata, you must know that I love you dearly, but I am worried about your future.  You are a strong boy and have a great heart, but your legs have allowed Sassouma to take control.  We cannot let Dankaran be king – it is against your father’s wishes!”  Sundiata felt sad but he had great courage and determination. Using two iron rods from a blacksmith, Sundiata used all his strength to pull himself up. Gradually, his legs started to grow, and within minutes he was standing on his own two feet. He told the gathering crowd, “now I’m ready to be king!

The young Sundiata grew into a man and became famous for his strength and charm. He had many admirers. In the meantime, Sassouma and Dankaran had lost control of the kingdom to a wicked wizard called Sumanguru. An old friend called Balle Fasseke told Sundiata how Sumanguru had magical powers over the people of Mali, and how he even displayed the skins and skulls of his enemies as treasures in his chamber.

Sundiata was determined to go back and free his people of the terrible wizard. Balle Fasseke gave him a special arrow that would make Sumanguru lose his evil magic if scratched by the arrow. Trusting his friend, Sundiata set off to fight Sumanguru, joined by hundreds of his friends and supporters. There was a long and fierce battle but Sundiata’s determination and patience paid off. Sumanguru was wounded by the arrow and lost all his power. The wizard fled, never to be seen again. Sundiata was finally crowned king, and his adoring people called him, “the lion king of Mali” because of his strength and courage. Sundiata’s reign was a long and happy one, and he became the greatest king ever to rule the kingdom of Mali.

Summary of Disney’s The Lion King:

A young lion prince is born in Africa to Queen Sarabi and King Mufasa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded by the Baboon Rafiki to return home to overthrow Scar and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the “Circle of Life”.

2) List the Disney characters that correspond to the real life people

REAL LIFE PEOPLE DISNEY’S LION KING CHARACTERS

Sundiata – son of Maghan, son of Sogolon, Lion King _________________________

King Maghan – original king of Mali, father of Sundiata _________________________

Sogolon – mother of Sundiata, wife of Maghan _________________________

Sassouma – Maghan’s first wife, mother of Dankaran _________________________

Dankaran – son of Maghan, son of Sassouma _________________________

Sumanguru – wicked man who gained control of Mali _________________________

Balle Fasseke – Griot who befriended Sundiata _________________________

3) List 3 things that happened in the legend of the real-life Sundiata that are featured in The Lion King

1 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

2 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) Write a paragraph explaining why you think that Disney’s The Lion King could be the story of Sundiata & the Mali Empire. Include evidence from the stories to support your answer.