Chapter 1 Vs Lion King Essay

Introduction

The Lion King and the Lion King 1 ½ both operate under the ideology that hierarchy and social order structure the society of the animal kingdom, in turn perpetuating the idea that the animals' positions are, in fact, fixed. The first movie disguises that ideology under a veil of unity and community while the Lion King 1 ½ openly confronts the inequality of the society within the animal kingdom. Both movies show how social status can change the way one views a hierarchy society. Those at the bottom of the food chain perceive the the system negatively because it puts them at a disadvantage while this at the top of the food chain have a positive perspective of the system because they benefit form it the most. To demonstrate this

argument I will be using the opening scenes of each movie to demonstrate that both operate under the guise of hierarchal ideas, though, the Lion King attempts to hide this while the Lion King 1 ½ is very clear about the way society is ordered in the kingdom. Then, I will show how perspective changes the way all of the characters see the ideology.

"The Circle of Life:" An Attempt to Disguise a Hierarchal Society
The Circle of Life is one of the most recognizable songs from the Lion King and is accompanied by the most famous scene is the movie which shows the animals trade to go so the monkey hold up Simba.

The entire scene is beautiful, the music has a humming underlay that is calming and emotionally evocative. The animation is well done and frankly, it is one of the most heartwarming scenes to come out of a Disney animated film. The Lion King uses this opening scene to set up the concept of unity and harmony amongst the animals of the kingdom, showing their freedom and ability to live in peace. Though, it hides the reality of the natural world which is one determined by a

hierarchy.
The Lion King begins with the "Circle of Life" ensemble that depicts all of the animals traveling to Pride Rock to see the young prince, Simba. The scene is meant to evoke a sense of community amongst all of the animals whether they be prey or predators. This is because Lion King operates on the ideology that everyone "belongs" despite its continuous ostracization of less "worthy" animals like the hyenas. The lighting is animated to be a warm tone and bright so that the audience subconsciously understands that the scene is meant to be a positive one. The animals are animated softly and we get moments in the beginning like that of the giraffe and his mother walking, the young giraffe lifts his head up and the light of the sun moves onto him in slow motion (Lion King, 1:44). The slowness of scenes like that of the giraffe are meant to evoke the sense of calmness and comfort so that the audience does not feel anxious for the animals' safety.
The "Circle of Life" plays in the background of the opening montage and the lyrics seem to perpetuate ideologies of community and finding ones place within that community. The start of the song begins with a Zulu chant that can be translated to english as "Here comes a lion, father Oh yes it's a lion. Here comes a lion, father, Oh yes it's a lion A lion We're going to conquer A lion A lion and a leopard come to this open place." (Lion King, 1:11) The chant makes it very clear that the lions are the primary focus of the scene which is ironic because the chant is said while the screen shows almost every other animal in the kingdom. Though, the chant may be indicative of the state of mind of the animals who are making there way to see their lion king. The song also uses the word, "conquer" in conjunction with the lions so that lions are synonymous with power, acknowledging a hierarchy. The chant itself is in Zulu and the primary audience for the movie was American english speakers, so in a way, the movie tries to disguise its own underlying class structure in which the lions dominate naturally not by merit.
Still the parts of the song that are sang in english paint a different story, trying to emphasize the animal kingdom's unity with lyrics such as, "But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky keeps great and small on the endless round." (Lion King, 1:46) The general message is that all of the animals, no matter their stature, are part of the "circle of life," or part of the community.

In a way, the song makes an attempt at the "we are all equal" ideology by using the most basic form of unity: life. The song uses life as the common denominator for all of the animals without acknowledging the disparity in quality of life for different animals. Rather, it ignores these differences and uses lighting, color tone, and melody to make sure the audience does not

notice.
Furthermore, "The Circle of Life" perpetuates the idea that every animal will eventually find their place within the kingdom, which in turn suggests that the animals have free will and do not have predetermines places within the hierarchy of the kingdom. The song gives a much more romantic version of how animals move into their roles:
It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle (Lion King, 1:26)

At first glance, the lyrics explain that an animal can find its own "place" within the society or within "the circle" and is supposed to showcase that the animals have mobility and can function in a society as they please. A closer look at the lyrics, however, shows a different perspective. The circle of life as the actually force of mobility as it states that it is the force that "moves us all through," "move" being one of two active verbs in the chorus. The other being "find" which puts an active verb adjacent to the "we" in the line, which refers to those functioning within the kingdom. The animals are given that active verb, "find," a much more passive verb and a much less aggressive one than "moves," which is implies literal force. Though, the audience only hears the song once in the movie and it is played at the same time as one of the most famous scenes within the movie so it os fair to say that most viewers are not likely to read into the lyrics this much. The rest of the chorus uses words like "hope" and "love" to give a one time listener the guise of a functioning community, hiding its true nature.