The live-action remake of one of our favorite Disney films has just come out, at the time
of this recording that is, which means it is the perfect time to emotionally scar all
of your childhood’s with the dark theories surrounding this film and the original. Now,
it’s worth mentioning that some of these theories are wild, and out there, but some
are obvious, which will make most of you shake your heads in disbelief that you ever missed
it. So, that being said, lets jump into our list of the Top 10 Lion King Dark Theories.
10 Simba And Nala Are Related In the movie it’s established, well I should
say, we’re led to assume that Mufasa and Scar are the only males in the royal pride,
which means, among the other lions they are the only two with the ability to sire offspring
with a lioness. Therefore, Nala and Simba have to be related. Whether cousins, or half-siblings,
blood is definitely mixing within their veins. And, I know this film is a fantasy, and it’s
not unheard of for lions to mate with their family, but still, come on, Disney!
9 The Lion King Takes Places In A Planet of the Apes Style Future
Now, this interesting theory comes to us from Reddit from user The Names Early. They theorize
that The Lion King might actually exist in a futuristic world where humans are no longer
in charge, in a very similar vein to The Planet of the Apes. As we know, in The Lion King
we see no semblance of human life whatsoever. However, we know that the animals can talk,
yet some can’t, which means that they must have learned a language like English from
humans. Perhaps like Planet of the Apes where the apes were administered a serum that quickly
developed their intelligence. The Animals of Pride Rock certainly have significant cultural
knowledge of human culture, with Zazu even joking with Scar that he would make an excellent
throw rug.
8 Explicit Messages It’s common knowledge at this point that
there are explicit, or secret messages hidden throughout Disney movies. Why? We just don’t
know. Whether they’re placed there as a joke, or an easter egg, or even as a subliminal
message to kids, they’re there, and we can’t miss them. The Lion King is one of those films,
in one particular scene we see Simba kick up some dust that floats in the sky which
then seemingly spells out the world “sex”. Now, once we all discovered this, we so wanted
this message to be true. However, the folks over at disney have stated that we’re mistaken,
and that instead it actually says “SFX”, a subtle nod to the creators in the field
of special effects. However, a lot of us don’t believe this is the case. What do you guys
think though?
7 Hamlet Now, this is perhaps the most legitimate fan
theory on our list, believe it or not. Essentially this one states that the Lion King is Hamlet
just rehashed. Hear me out: we have a young, impressionable prince ready to learn about
the throne from his father who suddenly dies, and then his life is thrown into disarray.
During his grief period, his evil uncle seems to gain power and convince the prince to leave,
which causes the kingdom to suffer.While the prince is away, he sees his father again thus
leading him to believe that his father was murdered by his brother, resulting in him
returning to the kingdom to save it. Along the way he has close friends accompany him,
and he falls for a girl like no other, while also being spied upon by his uncle’s servants.
All in all, Simba = Hamlet.
6 Mufasa and Scar Aren’t Brothers Now, this theory comes from the real animal
kingdom. Well, kind of. In the real animal kingdom, what typically happens is that rogue
male lions will spot a pride that has an aging leader that he things he can take down. The
lion will stalk the pride, be patient and wait for an opportunity to strike and kill
the old leader, and thus taking the pride for himself. Even producer Don Han backs this
theory, claiming that they did in fact take this as inspiration for Scar’s character,
playing with the idea that a younger lion would kill off any old leaders and solidify
his position, which is exactly what Scar tried to do. Therefore, Scar could have easily been
just another rogue lion that has been spying on the pack for a long time, waiting to assume
control. If you listen closely Scar even states, “I’m from the shallow end of the gene
pool”. I mean, after all, Scar and Mufasa really look nothing alike.
5 Nala Is Scar’s Daughter One big question we have is who are Nala’s
parents? We of course know that Nala’s mother is Sarafina, a close friend to Sarabi, but
her father has never truly been revealed. However, one Lion King theory might answer
this question for us. Let’s look at Sima’s parents. Mufasa’s key physical trait is
his red mane, which Simba grows, and one thing he also shares with his father are his eyes;
Mufasa, Simba and Sarabi all have red eyes.So, let's look at Nala. Like the royal family,
she has bluey-green eyes, just like her mother. But there is another Lion in town that also
shares those eyes, Scar. Dun, dun dun.
4 Mufasa Caused the Drought Now, this theory from the Lion King fandom
wiki point out a very big theory regarding supernatural elements in the film. According
to the theory, Mufasa had become restless after his death, and instead of going to live
with the great kings of the past, Mufasa instead caused the drought in order to punish Scar
for his betrayal, which ultimately caused Nala to search for food, which then led her
to Simba. However, as we know, Simba wanted to stay with Timon and Pumbaa, forcing Mufasa
to appoint his servant Rafiki to show Simba his father’s reflection in the pool of water.
It should also be noted that late kings usually reveal themselves, according to Rafiki, and
once Scar is overthrown and killed, and the rain returns to the Pride Lands, Mufasa appears,
showing that he is now at peace.
3 The Hyenas Are A Suppressed Lower Class This comes to us from Redditor Dickidudeles,
who theorizes that the hyenas in The Lion King are suppressed, undereducated, underfed
lower class that is forced out of the light. The first time they feel any sense of worth
is when Scar approaches them with hope, and the potential to gain more in life. Now, of
course Scar doesn’t fulfill his promise, cos he a d**k, and once Simba returns they
hyenas are nowhere to be seen, and very likely shunned back into their darkness. So sad.
2 British Imperialism Now, this theory comes to us from The Lion
King fandom page, and theorizes that the film, in essence, is about the British colonization
of Africa. Yeah, heavy stuff. Scar and his hyenas are believed to be the British imperialist,
while the other characters are African natives. Timon and Pumbaa are natives who have everything
taken from them by the British, forcing them to live in the jungle. Zazu is a missionary,
and the song “be prepared” represents the British preparing to colonize Africa.
Scar causes the drought and famine, which in turn represents the British taking wealth
out of Africa. I apologize on behalf of the Brits.
1 Mufasa Was The Bad Guy Oh god, please say this isn’t true. Childhood
ruined. Before delving into this theory, it’s worth noting that the victors write most stories,
and the victors in the Lion King are of course Simba and the gang, and dear deceased Mufasa.
Now, the world that is presented by Mufasa is guns, aka his family, who get to eat those
lower down on the food chain, because why not. The Circle of Life is essentially propaganda,
which tells the lower rungs of society to be happy and silent, while they are forced
to be food. Mufasa’s kingdom was one of clear segregations, and within Pride Rock,
the only ones who can speak are The Lions and Zazu, that’s it. Outside of Pride Rock
the hyenas and Timon and Pumbaa can speak but are not a part of the community. Even
worse, as previously stated, Scar attempted to make reparations with the hyenas, not through
threats or coercion, but by simply offering them more food. Does that mean Mufasa was
denying the hyenas the right to eat?
Well, there we have it! Have you guys seen The Lion King yet? Did you like it? Leave
us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below. If you haven’t already, be sure
to give this video a big thumbs up, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss
another Beyond the Screen vid. And until next time, see ya later.