History WesternAnimation / TheLionKing1994

[[caption-width-right:350:''[='=]Til we find our place[softreturn]On the path unwinding[softreturn]In the Circle[softreturn]The Circle of Life'' ]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"You must take your place... in the circle of life."'']]

-->''[='=]Til we find our place[softreturn]On the path unwinding[softreturn]In the Circle[softreturn]The Circle of Life''

[[caption-width-right:350:''[='=]Til we find our place[softreturn]On the path unwinding[softreturn]In the Circle[softreturn]The Circle of Life'' ]]

-->'''Mufasa:''' [[MemeticMutation Everything the light touches]] is Website/TVTropes.\\
'''Simba:''' Wow. But what about that shadowy place?\\
'''Mufasa:''' That's the [[DarthWiki/ThisExists Darth Wiki]]. [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You must never go there]], Simba.

A plot described by some as ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', debatably ''Literature/{{The Epic Of Sundiata}}'' from Mali, with a few hints of ''Theatre/HenryIV'', but with animals. The sequels seem to follow the Shakespearean trend, as ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY With Nearly Normal Animals In Africa]], and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' resembles ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' (a PerspectiveFlip of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', written in the 1960s).

A plot described by some as ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and (debatably) the Malian epic ''Literature/{{The Epic Of Sundiata}}'', with a few hints of ''Theatre/HenryIV'', but with animals. The sequels seem to follow the Shakespearean trend, as ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY With Nearly Normal Animals In Africa]], and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' resembles ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' (a PerspectiveFlip of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', written in the 1960s).

A plot described by some as ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and (debatably) the Malian epic ''Sundiata Keita'', with a few hints of ''Theatre/HenryIV'', but with animals. The sequels seem to follow the Shakespearean trend, as ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY With Nearly Normal Animals In Africa]], and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' resembles ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' (a PerspectiveFlip of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', written in the 1960s).

-->'''Mufasa:''' [[MemeticMutation Everything the light touches]] is Wiki/TVTropes.\\

One of the approximately 40 foreign dubs of this movie, incidentally, was in Zulu, and it remains the only Disney movie to ever have been dubbed in an African language.

A plot described by some as ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and (debatably) the Malian epic ''Sundiata Keita'', with a few hints of ''Theatre/HenryIV'', but with animals. The sequels seem to follow the Shakespearean trend, as ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY With Talking Animals In Africa]], and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' resembles ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' (a PerspectiveFlip of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', written in the 1960s).

A plot described by some as ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and (debatably) the Malian epic ''Sundiata Keita'', with a few hints of ''Theatre/HenryIV'', but with {{Talking Animal}}s. The sequels seem to follow the Shakespearean trend, as ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'' is ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' and ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY With Talking Animals In Africa]], and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' resembles ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'' (a PerspectiveFlip of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', written in the 1960s).

'''Mufasa:''' That's the [[DarthWiki/ThisExists Darth Wiki]]. [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You must never go there]], Simba.

[[folder:N-R]]
* NailsOnABlackboard: Early on, Scar scrapes his nails on a rock face in order to annoy Zazu.
* NaturalSpotlight: The future king being held to the sky is highlighted by focused sunbeams. There aren't even any clouds to justify the light slits.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Not so much in ideology, but in imagery: the song "Be Prepared", in which Scar rallies the Hyenas into setting up a new age in Pride Rock, ruled by Scar and the Hyenas. The Nazi symbolism is quite clear during a sequence when the Hyenas goose step (the most evilest march ever) by Scar. The scene is directly inspired by ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill''. This makes the song especially chilling if you watch it in either Hebrew or German.
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:Scar attempts to blame Mufasa's death of his hyena army, unaware that [[ExactEavesDropping Banzai, Ed and Shenzi were overhearing him the whole time]]. Not only does Simba not buy it, but it sets the stage for the hyenas turning on Scar]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When Mufasa's Ghost speaks to the Adult Simba later in the film, he chastises his son for abandoning Pride Rock and his responsibitlies as King. Mufasa does ''not'', however, share with Simba the revelation of his final moments alive: That Scar, ''not'' the Stampede, killed the King. So Simba returns to the Pride Lands still believing he is responsible for Mufasa's death and it nearly derails his entire bid to dethrone Scar (see below) before Simba finally learns the truth.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
** Young Simba had a ''massive'' ego and believed that being King allows one to do anything they want. It is scary to imagine just how easily he could have become a tyrant. By destroying his life, Scar sets in motion the events that proceed to turn Simba into a better person. Some may object that Mufasa would have curbed this trait by teaching him how to rule the kingdom; but it is debatable. One can find the admonition he gives to his son a little too short and light-hearted for the case of a child who nearly died with his friend by going into a place he was ''explicitly'' told not to by ''two'' people on the very day. In parallel, Sarabi seems careless enough to let the crown prince couple take a stroll under the lone supervision of a small powerless hornbill.
** The Hyenas abandoning their pursuit of Simba after he flees the Pride Lands and letting Scar think Simba was dead when he actually wasn't, so Scar ended up leaving him alone, setting off the chain of events that will ultimately end both Scar's rule and the Hyenas running amok in the Pride Lands. In the Hyenas' defense, a lone wandering cub like Simba ''should'' have died in the wastelands under normal circumstanses (be it dehydration, starvation, or local predators). It was just dumb luck for them that Timon and Pumba went 'Bowling for Buzzards' when and where they did and ultimately rescued Simba.
** Scar is being challenged by Simba's return, but he makes the pride turn against Simba by making him still believe he caused Mufasa's death. As he drives Simba towards the cliff, he decides to give a JustBetweenYouAndMe speech in which he tells him what really happened. This helps Simba shake off his guilt, and he gets his HeroicSecondWind against Scar, forcing him to confess his crimes in full view of everyone.
** Scar does it ''again'' in the finale when he hastily tries to save his own skin by shifting all the blame onto the hyenas... within their hearing. This makes the hyenas back off to make him fight Simba alone... and they maul him to death later.
* NoJustNoReaction: Scar wants Zazu to sing him something happy sounding instead of the downtrodden depressing songs he's been singing him.
-->'''Scar:''' Come now, Zazu, sing something happy, with a little... Bounce!\\
'''Zazu:''' (deadpan) ''Iiiit's a Small World Aaaafter Aaaaall-''\\
'''Scar:''' No, NO! [=ANYthing=] but that.
%% * NonIndicativeName: Well, Names: The hyena trio. <--This is a Administrivia.ZeroContextExample, can someone elaborate?
* NonStandardKiss: Simba and Nala nuzzle their faces together as a means of showing affection soon after they run into each other for the first time in years.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The hyenas break off the chase after Simba manages to lose them in the briar patch. Shenzi had a point that Simba probably ''wouldn't'' survive in the desert. Needless to say, Scar pays for their lack of responsibility years later when Simba returns fully grown.
* NoOntologicalInertia: Scar is killed and within what must be roughly a lion's gestation period [[note]]110 days, if you care[[/note]] the Pridelands have gone from barren and burned back to GhibliHills.
* NotInFrontOfTheKid: Timon interrupts Pumbaa’s lyric while also BreakingTheFourthWall.
-->'''Pumbaa:''' And I felt downhearted / Ev'ry time that I...\\
'''Timon:''' Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids.
* NoYou: When Mufasa is confronting Scar for not coming to Simba's presentation and he starts to turn away.
-->'''Mufasa:''' Don't turn your back on ''me'', Scar!\\
'''Scar:''' Oh, no, Mufasa. Perhaps YOU shouldn't turn YOUR back on me.
* OcularGushers: Timon and Pumbaa cry profusely when they realize they are losing Simba to Nala.
* OddballInTheSeries: In 2017, ''The Lion King''[='=]s everlasting fame and success earned it a spot in the Walt Disney Signature Collection, the third line Creator/WaltDisneyHomeVideo created for the Animated Canon's most lucrative hand-drawn movies (and the first to release any of those movies, including ''TLK'', on Ultra HD and Creator/DisneyPlus). However, it remains the only entry neither supervised by Walt Disney, nor based on a story he made aborted plans to adapt. The press release states that the collection includes films either made or inspired by Walt, subtly turning ''Bambi''[='=]s influence on ''TLK'' into grounds to include both movies.[[note]]''Bambi'' even joined the Signature Collection the same year that ''TLK'' did, as it marked ''Bambi''[='=]s 75th anniversary.[[/note]]
* OddNameOut:
** On a grand scale. All members of the main cast have [[BilingualBonus African names]] (except [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Scar]]). (Scar's real name is Askari). The only one to have a more European sounding name is Ed. He also seems to be, er, mentally challenged.
** Also Timon, whose name is Greek in origin.
* OffhandBackhand: Rafiki takes out a hyena this way during the final battle.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: We do see the events leading up to it, but sadly for the fans, Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu teaming up to scare away Shenzi and Banzai takes place entirely offscreen. Still pretty epic for some, though.
* OhCrap:
** Zazu at the beginning when he realizes Scar is about to try and ''eat'' him. Luckily for him, Mufasa enters JustInTime and Scar spits Zazu out.
** After Simba confidently laughs in the face of danger, he gets this reaction after he hears danger (i.e. the hyenas) laugh back.
** And when Simba says to the hyenas, "Pick on someone your own size!" to which Shenzi responds, "Like... you?" and Simba gets this reaction and says, "Oops."
** The hyenas when they realized that [[PapaWolf Mufasa]] [[DynamicEntry arrived]].
** Simba when he first sees the stampede heading straight for him. One of the rare examples of this not being played for laughs ''at all'', but instead for a dark kind of awesomeness. (Despite this, it provides the page image.)
** Mufasa, when he realizes his son is in the middle of a wildebeest stampede, as well as, in his last moments of life, realizing how insane, dangerous, and power-hungry his brother really is.
** After Mufasa is killed and Scar tells Simba to run away, Simba has one when he sees the hyenas are behind him and realises they intend to kill him.
** Pumbaa, complete with ScreamsLikeALittleGirl, when he happens to spot Nala lining up for a pounce - on ''him''.
** Nala gets one when Simba lunges at her when she's chasing Timon and Pumbaa. Though she quickly gets over it and begins fighting him evenly.
** After smacking Sarabi to the ground for mentioning Mufasa in his presence, Scar notices a very angry looking Simba watching above. Punctuated since he actually thought it was Mufasa himself at first. Then, he realizes that Simba's returning to take his place as the rightful king.
** The hyenas when Scar realizes that they hadn't finished Simba off after his escape from the Pride Lands.
** Simba when Scar corners him on the cliff and whispers to him that Scar killed Mufasa. Seconds later, Scar has one of his own when Simba attacks him and has him tell the truth to the pride.
** Banzai and Shenzi when they realize why calling Pumbaa a pig wasn't the smartest thing to do.
** Scar when he realizes that he is [[TheDogBitesBack about to be killed by his former mooks]] after being thrown off Pride Rock.
* OhCrapSmile: Shenzi and Banzai smile awkwardly after Mufasa caught them preying on Simba and Nala.
* OneManArmy: Don't underestimate Pumbaa; he tears through several dozen hyeans without breaking a sweat.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Ed is usually seen laughing or goofing about. At the end, though, he is visibly pissed off and glaring straight at Scar. Even Shenzi and Banzai look worried at Ed's change of mood.
* OrphanedEtymology: Scar uses several turns of phrase reliant on modern human society, such as the "shallow end of the gene pool" or "the lights are not all on upstairs."
* OverlySpecificAfterlife: The film only mentions that the Great Kings live in the stars upon dying. Nothing is stated about other lions or non-lions.
* PainPoweredLeap: Banzai the hyena jumps about 30 feet into the air after he is knocked into a bramble thicket by the other hyenas.
* PaleFemalesDarkMales: Nearly all the lionesses are lighter compared to the lions, except Sarabi.
* ParentsAsPeople: PlayedForLaughs when Simba tries to wake up his dad before sunrise. Sarabi and Mufasa sleepily argue about who should answer their son's calls.
* PermaStubble: All male hyenas have dark patches around their muzzles that look remarkably like stubble. It's one of the few things that distinguish them from the females. In ''The Lion King 1½'', there is another female hyena -- you can tell because she has no stubble and a thick tuft of fringe.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Simba yells this at the hyenas when they start picking on Zazu. Turns out, it wasn't a very good idea.
-->'''Shenzi:''' ''(to Simba)'' [[SubvertedTrope Like... you?]]
* PlatonicCoParenting: Timon and Pumbaa practically raise Simba from his early childhood. They also insist on helping him on finding out he needs to fight his uncle to reclaim his kingdom. He turned out pretty well, all things considered!
* PleaseWakeUp: In one of the most heartbreaking examples, Simba does this to Mufasa shortly after he dies. It even provides the trope image!
* PlummetPerspective: Several times stones are shown falling off a cliff for effect.
* PopStarComposer: Music/EltonJohn not only composed the songs for the film, but he also sang his own version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", as featured in the ending credits.
* PopulationControl: Cleverly implied. Mufasa was a wise king, and learned 'the circle of life' means balance of predators, prey and the land's resources, and a king must understand, respect and maintain that balance. Scar on the other hand [[spoiler:does not. In elevating the hyenas from scavengers to apex predators he creates [[{{Dystopia}} an unholy union that overwhelms their food source]]. To sustain them, the prey must breed like wildfire, consequently resulting in overgrazing, [[CrapsackWorld turning the lush Pridelands into an arid wasteland]]. Resources exhausted, the herds have no choice but to leave. Scar however refuses to abandon his kingdom ([[FridgeBrilliance as that would mean he's no longer king]]), thus condemning his subjects to death by starvation.]]
* PredationIsNatural: Mufasa explains to Simba that hunting and eating other animals is part of the Circle of Life.
--> '''''Simba:''' But, Dad, don't we eat the antelope?''
--> '''''Mufasa:''' Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eats grass. So we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.''
* PredatorTurnedProtector: Simba fiercely protects his surrogate parents, Pumbaa and Timon, from the hungry Nala. In fact, Timon, initially reluctant to adopt the orphaned Simba due to him being a predator, changes his mind after he realizes he can [[ExploitedTrope exploit]] this trope.
* PreMortemOneLiner:
** Scar says, "Long live the king", before he sends Mufasa to his death.
** Banzai and Shenzi say, "Ed?...", when they are going to kill Scar for his betrayal.
* PreviouslyOverlookedParamour: Simba and Nala initally react to the notion of their betrothal with revulsion as cubs, since they are JustFriends. When they become adults, they realize that their familiarity as cubs makes them more compatible than they thought.
* PrincelingRivalry: [[BrainsEvilBrawnGood Mufasa as the strong first born, and Scar as the smart, plotting second born]] who has been jealous of Mufasa for some time. He doesn't begin his betrayal in earnest until after Mufasa's son is born. Scar murders Mufasa and attempts to kill Simba, Mufasa's child son. Simba lives and leads a charge to defeat Scar in his adult years.
* ProdigalHero: The film follows this with Simba, invoking RightfulKingReturns since he was royalty before fleeing.
* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
** As Scar is about to throw Mufasa to the stampede, he delivers the line "Long. Live. The king."
** When he has Simba in a similar situation towards the end of the movie, he whispers "I. Killed. Mufasa."
** Pumbaa's PreAssKickingOneLiner in response to Banzai calling him a pig. "They! Call! Me! MIS-ter Pig!"
* PuttingOnTheReich: The hyenas [[MillionMookMarch goose-stepping in grid formations]]. The animators based the sequence on ''Triumph of The Will''. On top of that, Scar's rhetoric is right out of Hitler's mouth:
-->'''Scar:''' '''I''' ''will be king! Stick with me, and you'll NEVER GO HUNGRY AGAIN!!!''
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: After a brief fight with Nala about returning to the Pride Lands to take his place as king, an upset and conflicted Simba yells up to the skies where he knows his late father now rests ("You [Mufasa] always said you would be there for me! But you're not... and it's because of me. It's my fault").
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Simba briefly has this towards his dead father, before it turns into [[ItsAllMyFault rage against himself]].
-->'''Simba:''' You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. It's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault.
* RagtagBandOfMisfits: The group to take back the Pride Lands: Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa and although he comes in later, [[SixthRanger Rafiki]]. It's unknown exactly where Zazu fits in, however.
* RecurringCameraShot: First it's Mufasa dangling from a cliff, later we see Simba in the exact same situation. Lampshaded by Scar:
-->"Hmm, where have I seen this before? Let me think. Hmm. Oh yes. I remember. [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied This is just the way your father looked before he died.]]"
* RecycledInSpace: The film [[TheBardOnBoard is based]] on ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', recycled in the Serengeti.
* RedemptionInTheRain: It's raining when Simba climbs Pride Rock at the end. A clear case of the rain being "purifying" and symbolizing new life, as the sequence includes a gazelle's skull being dislodged and washed away.
* RelativeButton: Simba is losing the fight against Scar, and about to die, when Scar makes the mistake of boasting that he killed Mufasa the same way, resolving Simba's guilt about being the cause of Mufasa's death and giving him the HeroicSecondWind to turn the tables.
* TheResenter: Scar resents Mufasa and Simba being ahead of him in line for the throne, believing he should get it instead and bearing ill will against both of them because of it.
--> "I was first in line - until the little hairball was born."
%%** Also The hyenas toward the lions.
* RestrainedRevenge: Downplayed and played for laughs; during "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" Simba pulls Nala into the lake, which she is [[CatsHateWater visibly shocked by]]. After getting out, she grins at Simba and playfully shoves him back in as revenge before running off. This is then followed by Simba chasing her into the forest, leading to them playfully wrestling like when they were cubs and [[spoiler:Simba ''finally'' managing to beat Nala by pinning her, putting an end to her winning streak against him]]. The two just chuckle at this series of events before realizing they have fallen in love with each other.
* RevisedEnding: The original ending to the movie would've had Scar actually throw Simba off Pride Rock at the end of the fight ([[UngratefulBastard after Simba tries to save his life]]). Scar then dies laughing hysterically as the fires surrounding Pride Rock engulf it, burning him to death. Simba survived the fall (ironically meaning Scar throwing him off Pride Rock saved his life) and then meets up with Nala after the fires are put out. This was changed as the filmmakers felt this wouldn't have really brought Scar to justice for his actions.
* RibcageRidge: The elephant graveyard is filled with elephant bones, mainly ribcages, often used as terrain.
* RightBehindMe: Scar doesn't realize the hyenas are close enough to hear him tell Simba that the hyenas were the real enemies. Unusually for this trope, Scar doesn't immediately find out they were right there. It's revealed to him a few minutes later when they decide to kill him.
* RoyalHarem: G Rated version. The lion king lives surrounded by females to mate with. They also qualify for AmazonBrigade, since they're the ones doing most of the hunting. TruthInTelevision in regards to lion behavior.
* RuleOfCool: The ground rising up beneath Scar in the last verse of "Be Prepared" doesn't really make any sense, but looks quite epic.
* RuleOfSymbolism:
** There are quite a number of Christian parallels, which is unsurprising considering lions being associated with God and Jesus for centuries. There's Simba's apparent resurrection--Nala says to him "It's like you're back from the dead" and is informed "The King has returned" in a manner rather reminiscent of Mary Magdalene in the garden with the open tomb, and both Scar and Sarabi think he is his father come back from the dead. There's the FisherKing analogy, with Simba's fight with Scar being easily related to Jesus combating Satan after his SecondComing. There's Simba's anointment by Rafiki, his reluctance to do his father's will, and Mufasa's divine image declaring Simba his son and the true king.
** An example without the religious undertones, but still fraught with portent: the image of Simba's little paw stepping into his father's huge pawprint, that one he will one day fill as king. [[EarnYourHappyEnding After much hardship]], he does. The directors' commentary highlights it as the image that sums up the plot, to the point [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71pCGJSF0lL._AC_SY741_.jpg the remake used it on the first poster]].
** The story of Moses is heavily referenced, in that Simba, the would-be king, is driven into the desert where he spends years trying to forget his past until a God-like apparition appears and tells him to liberate his homeland.
** Scar is killed by being thrown into a fiery chasm and then eaten by the hyenas he double crossed, akin to someone being thrown into hell and tortured by demons.
** The directors' commentary says that the drought during Scar's reign is this, quoting "The King restoreth the land!"
* RunningGag: Simba's complete inability to beat Nala in a fight. She beats him twice in a row as cubs, even when he was the first to pounce, and later as adults he gets pinned throw the same trick. It's even given a ContinuityNod in the sequel. [[spoiler:The only time Simba ever ''was'' able to beat Nala was by complete accident, landing on top of her after tumbling down a hill together and finally pinning her.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-T]]
* SadBattleMusic: The stampede scene. It sounds like an epic battle, but tapers off into a melancholy dirge.
* SapientEatSapient:
** Part of the hyena's failure to kill Simba and Nala is that they're too busy taunting them with their dinner plans to actually kill them.
** Timon and Pumbaa save Simba only after agreeing that they can ''convince'' him not to eat them.
** The only one even remotely upset with Nala's attempt to eat Pumbaa is Timon, and only for a moment. Though he is still afraid of her when she wakes him up.
** While left ambiguous, it's implied the hyenas ''ate'' Scar after turning on him.
* SayMyName:
** In the elephant graveyard, Nala calls out "Simba!" when she starts falling behind. Simba rushes back to save her from Shenzi.
** Also Scar's yell of "SARABI!" when Simba returns to the Pridelands, before they realise he's still alive.
* ScaredOfWhatsBehindYou: When the hyenas corner Simba, they encourage him to try to roar. He does, and it's a fearsome lion's roar. It's actually Mufasa.
* ScavengersAreScum: Lions seem to only hunt (in RealLife lions scavenge as well). The series avoids CarnivoreConfusion by presenting this as a normal part of "the Circle of Life". Despite this hyenas are the antagonists of the first film, and are portrayed as the constantly hungry and brutish lackeys of Scar.
* SceneryBasedSocietalBarometer: though the effects of the king's leadership extend all over the Pride Lands, the narrative remains focussed primarily on Pride Rock itself. As such, the Rock serves a gauge for the health of the Pride lands as a whole: under Mufasa, the Rock is lit by bright sunshine under blue skies, and the surrounding area is lush and green; during Scar's tyrannical reign, the Rock has turned barren and the skies seem perpetually dark and overcast - reflecting the fact that the rest of the Pride Lands have been gripped by a massive famine. When Simba unseats Scar, the Rock is green and flourishing once again.
* SceneryGorn: The Pride Lands are absolutely ''destroyed'' by the end of Scar's rule. When Simba returns home to challenge him for the throne, it has been reduced to a barren, lifeless wasteland riddled with the carcasses of the hyenas' dead prey, with not one patch of grass or a drop of water to be seen for miles around; all of it the result of unchecked consumption on the part of both Scar and his minions, who have driven all the herds away that once inhabited the lush plains. Even more so during the final battle, where a lightning storm sets the land aflame before the rains come to end the destruction.
%%* SceneryPorn: Especially during "The Circle of Life".
%%** Lampshaded when Simba gets a good look at Timon and Pumbaa's jungle. "It's beautiful!"
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Pumbaa when he sees adult Nala about to pounce on him. Although Pumbaa screams quite a bit in this movie, he lets out a high girlish scream among catching sight of Nala instead of how he normally yells.
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem:
** Scar during his reign as king. He plainly states "I am the king! I can do whatever I want!"
** Simba had this attitude as a cub too, though in a much more innocent way. He believed as king he could make or get rid of any rules with nobody to tell him what to do. He mainly wanted to get rid of his betrothal to Nala since neither of them wanted to marry their best friend, and later said he would fire Zazu.
* SeldomSeenSpecies:
** Several, most famously Timon the meerkat. Most people in the Americas had no idea what a meerkat was before this film was released.
** There is also the topi, an otherwise obscure species of antelope that appears during ''The Circle of Life'' and is later featured more prominently in ''Simba's Pride''.
* SelfImposedExile: Simba, on the "advice" of [[EvilUncle Scar]], runs away from the Pridelands after he's convinced that he killed his father.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Scar subverts this trope by framing Simba for Mufasa's death.
* SequelHook: The birth and presentation of Simba and Nala's cub at the end. Sure enough, the sequel features Simba's cub, who turns out to be a female much to Timon and Pumbaa's chagrin.
* ShadowDiscretionShot: The camera pans to Scar's shadow when [[spoiler:the hyenas gang up on him. All the audience gets is a silhouette of him when the hyenas pounce him and eat him alive.]]
* ShoutOut:
** To ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': Scar talks briefly to the skull of a prey in what seems like a shout-out to the famous "Alas poor Yorrick" scene in ''Hamlet''.
** To ''Film/InTheHeatOfTheNight'':
--->'''Pumbaa:''' [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!]]
** Pumbaa's repeated line of "Are you talking to me?" is reminiscent of Robert De Niro's in ''Film/TaxiDriver''.
** There's a more subtle one as well: Timon riding Pumbaa out of a desert mirage in a manner very reminiscent of Literature/DonQuixote.
** Additionally, the climactic ThunderousConfrontation between Simba and Scar also includes a bolt of lightning striking a tree and starting [[BattleAmongstTheFlames a brush fire]], very much like during the climactic fight with Shere Khan in ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967''.
** During the song "Be Prepared", two hyenas wave skeletons of creatures, creating shadow images of them "dancing" that imitate the dancing skeletons from "[[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} Night on Bald Mountain]]", right down to the curving, "noodly" movements.
** A quick, rather flippant one: [[ItMakesSenseInContext While Scar is signing 'Lovely Bunch of Coconuts']], he [[AlasPoorYorick holds up a baboon skull]] and moves its jaw to the lyrics. While the context is very different from the original play, one can't help but be reminded by the Shakespearian inspiration of the film.
* ShownTheirWork:
** Yes, lion cubs can and ''do'' eat bugs, and live off them if necessary. (Though it's much more of a stretch to imagine an ''adult'' lion living off them).
** The fight between Simba and Scar (rearing up and furiously cuffing each other) is based off of how male lions actually fight, as their manes provide some protection to the neck. The way they only swing one paw at a time is also accurate. Lions will hit with one paw and use the other for balance or support. [[UpToEleven Tigers use both at the same time]].
** Shenzi leads Banzai and Ed, as well as some of the other hyenas in the climax. In RealLife, female hyenas sit higher on the pecking order than males do.
** Zazu briefly mentions elephants getting annoyed at tick birds pecking at them. Contrary to popular belief, tick birds/oxpeckers are thought by many zoologists to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxpecker#Diet_and_feeding actually be parasitic birds that are really after an animals blood]] (they typically eat ticks that are already bloated with blood, which seems contradictory to their supposed duties as custodians) and even when they do seem to be trying to help, it's clear from their hosts' reactions that they [[UnwantedAssistance don't appreciate it]]. Elephants have actually been reported to try and dislodge tick birds, in fact, an occurrence which Zazu may well be referring to.
* SiblingMurder: Scar [[spoiler:killed his brother Mufasa]] to take over the Pridelands. He made [[spoiler:his nephew Simba believe he killed his father and let him run away, though Simba didn't end up dying like expected and came back after a PlotRelevantAgeUp]].
* SicklyGreenGlow: Much of [[VillainSong "Be Prepared"]] and the dialogue leading up to it is suffused with lime green light, before changing to a hellish red as the song comes to the final chorus.
* SidekickSong: "Hakuna Matata", sung by the main character as well.
* SkyFace: Simba sees his deceased father's face in the night sky, telling him, "Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king."
* SlasherSmile: One of the hyenas during Scar's final scene, complete with BlankWhiteEyes.
* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: Animals are anthropomorphised to varying extents. This even varies with animals of the same species -- compare Timon with the meerkats that appear in the opening of "Circle of Life".
* SmoochOfVictory: During "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" Nala surprises Simba with a lick on the cheek [[spoiler:after he finally pins her]] and the two begin to nuzzle shortly afterwards, the animal style of kissing.
* SmugSmiler: Downplayed. The first time Nala pins Simba, she giggles and playfully teases him "pinned ya", but after he tries pouncing her again and they roll down a hill, she once again beats him and smirks down at him and teases him for losing again, more smug than playful.
-->'''Nala''': Pinned ya ''again''.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: A non-verbal example occurs when Simba first encounters Nala as an adult. When she uses her trademark flip-and-pin move on him, he realizes her identity.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: If the film is taken as an adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', then the equivalents of Hamlet himself (Simba), Gertrude (Sarabi), Polonius (Zazu), and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Timon and Pumbaa) all live, whereas the play has them all die in the end.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is Pumba(a)'s name spelled with one or two A's? Official media uses "Pumbaa".
* StargazingScene: Simba, Timon and Pumbaa spend a night staring at the stars and wondering exactly what they're made of. Timon guesses fireflies, Pumbaa [[DumbassHasAPoint guesses they're "giant balls of gas"]], and Simba mentions the story he was taught as a cub, that stars are really the ancient kings of the past watching over them, showing how he still hasn't fully moved on from his past.
* StarsAreSouls: Simba says he was taught that the stars are the spirits of the old kings, which gets a confirmation when he later receives a starry vision of his father. Timon, on the other hand, claims that stars are fireflies that got stuck in the sky. That ''also'' got confirmed... by ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''.
* StealthInsult:
** This exchange between Simba and Scar:
--->'''Simba:''' When I'm king, what'll that make you?\\
'''Scar:''' A monkey's uncle.
** Maybe not an intentional example, but this bit when the hyenas notice Scar.
--->'''Banzai:''' Oh Scar. It's just you.\\
'''Shenzi:''' We were afraid it was somebody important.
* SteamrolledSmartGuy: Zazu tries to teach a young Simba about the responsibilities of being a king. Simba is completely disinterested in these lessons. Zazu shows his frustration with birdlike screeches and squawks as he tries to keep Simba's attention.
* StinkSnub: In one scene, the hyenas are spitefully listing things they don't like about the lions. Shenzi calls them "stinky."
* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion:
-->'''Pumbaa:''' And I got down-hearted...\\
'''Timon:''' How did you feel?!\\
'''Pumbaa:''' Every time that I--\\
'''Timon:''' Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Simba may be the protagonist, but he has spent the vast majority of his life lazing around in the jungle and eating insects, with none of the experience or training in hunting large game that he would have received back home. Nala, on the other hand, grew up under Scar's reign and had to struggle and hunt to survive. When the two meet again after years apart, they don't recognize each other at first, and when Simba fights her to protect Timon and Pumbaa, he is only briefly able to hold her down, due to catching her off guard. Instead of the hero overcoming a new foe and prevailing, Simba is outmatched against a more skilled opponent who got the better of him even when they were kids, and only manages to survive the fight by recognizing the move Nala uses to beat him with and remembering her for using it.
** Earlier in the movie, Simba disobeys his father's direct orders, lies to his mother, and nearly gets himself, his friend, and Zazu killed in an extremely dangerous place. Now, most movies starring a child protagonist would have the parents just be releived that the child is okay and smother them with hugs and kisses. This movie? Mufasa is ''pissed'', yelling at Simba that he could have been killed and purposly disobeyed him.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Scar says this exact quote about the hyenas. Interestingly, he said this about said hyenas playing [[TheHyena their species']] trope straight, more specifically them goofing around with Bonzai saying Mufassa's name to Shenzi's delight, and not the mission they had recently failed.
* SustainedMisunderstanding:
-->'''Nala:''' Have you guys seen Simba?\\
'''Timon:''' I thought he was with you.\\
'''Nala:''' He was but now I can't find him. Where is he?\\
'''Rafiki:''' [''chuckles''] You won't find him here. The King has returned.\\
'''Nala:''' I can't believe it. He's gone back!\\
'''Timon:''' "Gone back?" Whaddaya mean?\\
[''looks up and sees Rafiki has disappeared'']\\
'''Timon:''' Hey, what's going on here? Who's the monkey?\\
'''Nala:''' Simba's gone back to challenge Scar.\\
'''Timon:''' Who?\\
'''Nala:''' Scar.\\
'''Pumbaa:''' Who's got a scar?\\
'''Nala:''' No, no, no. It's his uncle.\\
'''Timon:''' The monkey's his uncle?\\
'''Nala:''' No! Simba's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king.\\
'''Timon''' and '''Pumbaa:''' (''beat'') Oh.
* TalksLikeASimile: When Zazu's intervention lets the field mouse Scar was going to eat escape, Scar dryly notes, "Now look, Zazu, you made me lose my lunch." Zazu replies, "You'll lose more than that when the king gets through with you! He's as mad as a hippo with a hernia."
* TastesLikeChicken: Timon says this phrase while eating a grub as big as himself in the middle of "HakunaMatata".
* TemptingFate:
** "Danger? I walk on the wild side! I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha!" [[OhCrap Cue the hyenas laughing back...]]
** When Simba roars at the hyenas, Shenzi taunts him into doing it again. Then Mufasa shows up...
* ThatManIsDead:
-->'''Nala:''' What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember.\\
'''Simba:''' You're right, I'm not! Are you satisfied?
* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: Many fans old enough to remember when ''The Lion King'' first came to DVD find that "Morning Report" was an unneeded addition to the film, since the movie didn't have it originally, nor in prints and home video releases struck from 2011 onward. It isn't a terrible song, nor ''completely'' irrelevant (it's in the stage versions of the movie, too), but it didn't exactly advance the plot or provide much (if any) character development.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs:
** When Simba says "Banana Beak is scared", Zazu says "It's MISTER Banana Beak to you, fuzzy!"
** Pumbaa does [[BerserkButton NOT]] like being called a "pig", and when the hyenas do so towards the end, he says "They call me MISTER PIG!" before kicking their butts.
* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Right after murdering Mufasa, Scar tells Simba that he's responsible for Mufasa's "accidental" death.
* ThinkOfTheCensors: "Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!"
* ThisBearWasFramed: Scar uses stampeding wildebeests to murder Mufasa -- an odd example of an animal using other animals to make the murder of another animal look like an (accidental) animal attack.
* ThisCannotBe: "Mufasa??? No, you're dead." [[SubvertedTrope Of course, Mufasa IS dead and we all already knew it at this point]].
* ThisIsGonnaSuck:
** Mufasa is angry at Simba after needing to save him at the elephant graveyard and says he needs to teach his son a lesson. Simba cowers and hesitates before coming to his father's side.
** Timon points this out to Pumbaa after realizing Simba is more interested in Nala than them.
** The hyenas react this way when Simba returns, since they now have a vengeful fully grown cub and their angry boss confronting them about not doing the job properly the first time.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Simba says "You don't deserve to live" to Scar as soon as he corners him after hitting him with a "Murderer" to which Scar had responded with "Simba, Simba, please. Please have mercy. I beg you."
* ThoseTwoGuys: Timon and Pumbaa are close friends, contrast each other visually and personality-wise, and act as comic relief in an otherwise fairly serious story. They generally provide funny comments, such as singing about how they are aghast that Simba and Nala have reunited in "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".
%%** Banzai and Ed
* TooDumbToLive: [[BigBad Scar]] really shouldn't have lied to Simba about Mufasa's death by blaming it on the hyenas. [[TheDogBitesBack He pays for it dearly]].
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample**Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu and the hyenas all show this at one point or another.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: Timon and Pumbaa, while helpful in raising Simba and bringing him out of misery, convince him to ignore his past and responsibilities. Justified in that they didn't know he was the king; when Timon finds out, he wants to know why Simba didn't tell them. He and Pumbaa also come to Pride Rock to help Simba take it back, because he's family.
%%* TruckDriversGearChange: Several times.
* TwoActStructure: The first half of the movie is about Simba's childhood and Scar's plot to become King. The second half is adult Simba coming to terms with his guilt and grief and deciding to reclaim his throne from Scar. The [[Theatre/TheLionKing musical]] similarly follows this thread by ending Act 1 with Hakuna Matata and the reveal of Adult Simba.
* {{Tyrannicide}}: At the end of the movie it is implied that the tyrannical Scar is killed (and devoured) by his own starving hyena henchmen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:U-Z]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: As cubs, Simba tries to pounce on Nala after they get into an argument over who deserves credit for the two of them losing Zazu, with Simba trying to give himself credit for both the plan and pulling it off but Nala saying it was ''her'' idea and he pulled it off ''with'' her. After pouncing Nala, she easily flips Simba and pins him with almost no effort, [[IWasBeatenByAGirl much to his shock and embarrassment]]. After shoving her off him he [[SoreLoser tries to pounce her again while she isn't looking]] but after sending them over a hill she ends up pinning him once again, and smugly rubs it in his face.
* UndyingLoyalty: Zazu and Rafiki display unwavering loyalty to the royal family. Timon and Pumbaa develop the same loyalty through their friendship with Simba.
-->'''Timon:''' Well Simba, if it's important to you, we're with you to the end!
* UnsportsmanLikeGloating: Downplayed with Nala teasing Simba after pinning him as cubs. The first time she beats him she chuckles and playfully teases him "Pinned ya" with a big smile, showing its in good fun. After he pushes her off him though she has a smug victorious smile on her face. After she immediately beats him again after he pounces her again, she smirks down at him and taunts him "pinned ya ''again''" in a more smug and arrogant voice than her previous playful one. Possibly justified as Simba had previous [[GladIThoughtOfIt tried to take credit for her idea]][[note]]Though it might actually not have been HER idea[[/note]] and ''he'' was the one who started both of the fights, but still noticeable as Simba is her best friend and was prince at the time.
* VerbalBackspace: A few examples:
** When Scar is king, Zazu and Banzai have to back up from mentions of Mufasa, which Scar has forbidden.
** Then at the end, Scar has to defend himself from the hyenas, whom he tried to {{scapegoat}} while bargaining for his life against Simba. [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath They were too hungry to listen to him]].
* VertigoEffect: During the wildebeest stampede, as Simba realizes they are heading straight for him.
* VillainDecay: Scar starts out as a ManipulativeBastard that manipulates everybody and actually achieves his goal by [[TheStarscream usurping the throne]]. And after that he degrades into a whiny oaf, a terrible leader, and a ManChild, as he acts like an overgrown toddler. Granted, [[InvokedTrope that's the entire point]]: Scar wants the title and privileges of being king, not the responsibilities, and indeed only becomes a threat again when he's challenged.
* VillainousBadlandHeroicArcadia: Scar and the hyenas lurk in the ElephantGraveyard, a grey, rocky wasteland filled with bones and massive skeletons and visible from Pride Rock as a patch of shadow on the horizon. Scar manages to turn the Pride Lands into a second version of this once he takes over -- somehow, he's such a terrible ruler that the rain stops falling, the rivers dry up and all the animals leave; the first thing that happens when Simba kicks him out is that [[CueTheRain the rain starts falling again]]. A big part of the hyenas' motivation for following Scar to begin with is based on getting access to the Pride Lands and the abundant food there, which they normally can't get because the lions keep them out and their own home base has nothing to eat.
* VillainousGlutton: The hyenas were driven away from the Pride Lands prior to the film both due to the species' apparently innate sadism and because their over-eating habits are capable of throwing off the balance of the circle of life. Once Scar usurps the throne and allows them to hunt freely in his kingdom, it only takes a few years for the lush fields to be replaced by a wasteland, rivers to dry out and prey populations to decay.
* VillainRevealsTheSecret: Scar exploits this trope to blame Simba for his father's death. Much to the latter's mother's horror and awe, the young lion publicly admits his crime. It turns out in the following NearVillainVictory that Simba was innocent in the first place (well, the audience knew that since the first part of the movie).
* VillainRecruitmentSong: Much of the song "Be Prepared" is Scar persuading the hyenas to support him.
* VillainSong: "Be Prepared" is a song about Scar's plans to take over the land.
* VisualPun: In "I Just Can't Wait to be King", Simba says that "I'm gonna be the ''mane'' event" while he has a mane of leaves on his face.
* VineSwing: Simba swings on vines, usually with his mouth, this a few times.
* WalkIntoCameraObstruction: During the song "I Just Can't Wait to be King" where [[TheArtifact the giraffes]] are throwing Simba and Nala and Simba's stomach fills up the screen.
* WasItAllALie: Invoked; when Scar cowers before Simba and says the hyenas made him kill Mufasa, Simba doesn't buy it. He growls, "Why should I believe you? Everything you told me was a lie." That includes professing he cared about Simba as a cub, blaming him for his father's death, and calling him a murderer.
* WeirdMoon: There is a shot at night at Pride Rock where we see the moon and the horns of the crescent extending an average of three-quarters of a circle, essentially rendering Earth smaller than the moon.
* WellDoneSonGuy: In an interesting variation, Simba becomes this for the second half of the movie. Although anything but an emotionally distant father, Mufasa is often preoccupied with the duties of the throne, and Simba certainly sees him as a hero, worshiping [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3gyi8PDhV1rv7iuso1_500.jpg the ground his paws tread upon]]. But there is no indication Simba ever doubts he has his father's love or respect... until Scar convinces him he is to blame for his father's death. Then, overcome with remorse and believing no one could ever forgive him, he voluntarily goes into exile. It is Mufasa's ghost, chiding him for forgetting telling him "You are my son and the one true king," that sets him back on the right path again. And with a simple, single word, "Remember..." he lets his son know that while he was disappointed in him for abandoning the Pride Lands and forgetting who he used to be, as long as he is true to himself and who Mufasa raised him to be, his spirit will be very proud of him indeed.
* WeNeedADistraction: When Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa sneak back to Pride Rock they encounter a pack of hyenas blocking their way leading to a classic GilliganCut.
-->'''Simba:''' C'mon Timon, you guys have to create a diversion.
-->'''Timon:''' What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?
* WhamLine:
** When Scar shows up to feed the hyenas and chide them for not killing Simba or Nala. Banzai asks, "What were we supposed to do? Kill Mufasa?" Scar leans forward and smirks. "[[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder Precisely.]]" Scar then starts explaining via [[VillainSong "Be Prepared"]] his plan to get rid of Mufasa and Simba.
** The hyenas approach Scar after Simba tosses him off Pride Rock. When he calls them friends, Shenzi laughs and says, "Friends? I thought he said we were the enemy." Cue a horde of hungry hyenas eating Scar alive.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What ''did'' happen to Scar's hyenas after Scar was defeated? Of course, given the editing, it's possible that they were consumed in the wildfire around Pride Rock during the climax (the [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride sequel]] implies Scar ultimately burned to death, lending credence to this).
* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: While mammals and birds are shown to be intelligent and capable of speech and forming relationships, insects are treated like, well, insects, with the insectivores Timon and Pumbaa eating live insects at the same leisure as a herbivore eating grass.
* WhatsAHenway: This bit from "Hakuna Matata":
-->'''Pumbaa:''' It's our motto!\\
'''Simba:''' What's a motto?\\
'''Timon:''' Nothing, what's a-motto with you?
* WhatSongWasThisAgain: "Be Prepared" gets changed a lot in foreign language dubs.
* WhosOnFirst: Nala's attempt to explain matters to Timon and Pumbaa after Simba decides to return home:
-->'''Timon:''' Hey, what's going on here? Who's the monkey?\\
'''Nala:''' Simba's gone back to challenge Scar.\\
'''Timon:''' Who?\\
'''Nala:''' Scar.\\
'''Pumbaa:''' Who's got a scar?\\
'''Nala:''' No, no, no. It's his uncle.\\
'''Timon:''' The monkey's his uncle?
* WidelySpacedJailBars: Scar has Zazu trapped in a cage that appears to be made of bones that it looks like he could easily walk right out of if he just tucked in his wings and sucked in his gut a little.
* AWorldHalfFull: An excellent example given how dark some of the film can be. Simba loses his father and is convinced by his uncle that it was his fault. He goes into exile for a long time but eventually overcomes his guilt after his father's ghost chides him and goes back to tell his uncle to step down and take his place. He ends up triumphing, of course.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* XanatosSpeedChess: A talent of Scar's although he ultimately [[KarmicDeath does it a little too much]].
* XylophonesForWalkingBones: A xylophone can be heard throughout "[[VillainSong Be Prepared]]", but while bones are seen throughout, there aren't any living skeletons. One quick scene does come close, though: two hyenas are playing with some skeletons, pretending to make them dance. There's also a hyena playing the xylophone part on a ribcage.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: The reason why Simba goes into exile is that Scar tells him he is to blame for Mufasa's death. Rafiki shows him that Mufasa is alive -- inside of Simba -- and his memory makes it clear to Simba that he doesn't blame his son for what happened, but tells him the right thing to do is return to Pride Rock and retake his place. As Simba is still hesitating, Rafiki whacks him with a stick to demonstrate how the past can hurt, but he can learn from it and then confront his demons. Simba decides to toss away Rafiki's stick and return.
* YouKilledMyFather: When Simba realizes that Scar killed Mufasa, he pins him down and yells '''"Murderer!"'''
%%* YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb: Simba and Nala going to the ElephantGraveyard, where they are nearly eaten by the hyenas. Even though the young cub Simba was advised by his protective father Mufasa not to go there.
* YouWontLikeHowITaste: When the hyenas complain to Scar about the lack of food, Scar just tells them to eat Zazu. Zazu gets terrified and tells the hyenas that he'd be too gamey and tough for them to chew. Scar snidely says he'll taste fine with some lemon.
* ZergRush:
** At the climax of the movie, dozens of hyenas pounce on Scar and eat him alive. He barely gets time to struggle.
** In the original script and some picture book adaptations, Scar doesn't make Simba "confess" to killing Mufasa. He sets the hyenas on him, nearly forcing Simba off the cliff. The reason why the lionesses don't help is because the ambush is too sudden, and they have a barricade of hyenas standing between them.
[[/folder]]

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:#-A]]
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Scar does an utterly horrible job of running the Pride Lands, rendering them a barren wasteland, but refuses to let the pride move somewhere more livable. This earns him plenty of contempt from all of his underlings.
* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: The wildebeest from the stampede are computer-generated but were cel-shaded to make them less obvious. Compared to other mixed CGI-in-hand-drawn-animation examples, this one still holds up pretty well after all these years.
* ActorAllusion: When Scar says "You have ''no'' idea," in response to Simba telling him he's weird, he says with the '''''exact same intonation''''' as when Claus von Bülow says it in ''Film/ReversalOfFortune''. Both characters were played by Creator/JeremyIrons.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: During their love song, Simba playfully pulls Nala into the river. She emerges gasping, as Simba grins at her. Then she smirks and pushes him back into the water.
* AdultFear: Discussed.
-->'''Simba:''' I was just trying to be brave, like you.\\
'''Mufasa:''' I'm only brave when I ''have'' to be. Simba, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble.\\
'''Simba:''' But you're not scared of anything!\\
'''Mufasa:''' I was today.\\
'''Simba:''' You were?\\
'''Mufasa:''' Yes. I thought I might lose you.
* AerithAndBob: The hyenas: Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.
* AfricanChant: The intro is probably the most famous example of the trope in all of media. The opening sequence starts with a shot of a sunrise over a savannah as an isiZulu chorus plays:
-->''"Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba'' [[note]] Here comes a lion, Father.[[/note]]\\
''Sithi uhm ingonyama."'' [[note]] Oh yes, it's a lion.[[/note]]
* AgeCut: Done during "Hakuna Matata" as Simba, Pumbaa and Timon are walking across a log and we see Simba change from a cub into an adult.
* AllMonksKnowKungFu: Rafiki, who serves as the Pride Lands' main spiritual authority, breaks out some wicked martial arts moves during the final battle against Scar and the hyenas.
* AlternateAnimalAffection: Rubbing heads, crossing necks, and a lick on the cheek.
* AmbiguousTimePeriod:
** Except for minor pop-culture references that may have slipped into the plot, there is no indication of when the story takes place, at least across the whole current Holocene epoch (or even the very late Pleistocene, since the glaciers never reached Africa). The story does not feature any humans or even reference their presence, only animals in the wild, so there's hardly anything within the setting that could ever became dated.
** In ''{{WesternAnimation/Hercules}}'', during one short scene, Hercules wears a lion skin that looks exactly like Scar (including the eye scar and the fur color). However, it is more of a cross-canon tribute, as is common in Disney animated features. Even within the Disney Canon continuity, there is very little chance the rug is Scar's skin, because he was mauled to death by the hyenas and burned alive, so the skin would have borne marks of this.
** The total absence of any human activity (even the slightest trail left by safari vehicles or livestock) and additional material suggesting the characters aren't even certain that humans exist, indicates that the film probably takes place at a time before human settlements became widespread in Africa but during which animals such as the elephant had reached their modern-day stage of evolution, likely mid-Pleistocene epoch. At the very least, the story takes place either before the colonial era, or in a (not far) future post HumanitysWake. In the second case, the kingdom of the Pride Lands would be the result of animals rebuilding a rudimentary civilization.
** ''Further'' muddying this is the spin-off series ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'', which itself is a bit ambiguous with its time period, characters traveling around the world and meeting modern humans. The whole series being a parody, none of theses indications should be considered canon.
* AmusingInjuries:
** Zazu being launched high into the air by a geyser. It's even called the "Birdie Boiler." Zazu gets by with nary a ruffled feather.
** Banzai falling into a thorn pit. Shenzi and Ed find it funny enough, with Shenzi even calling him "cactus butt" as he plucks thorns out of himself.
** Rafiki hitting Simba on the head with his stick. This one's justified as Rafiki didn't want to hurt Simba, just knock some sense into him
* AnimalsNotToScale: During the "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" scene, [[https://i2.wp.com/www.caps.media/199/4-the-lion-king/full/lion-king-disneyscreencaps.com-1921.jpg?strip=all a group of animals]] [[https://i0.wp.com/www.caps.media/199/4-the-lion-king/full/lion-king-disneyscreencaps.com-1922.jpg?strip=all trample Zazu]] that are absolutely not in scale with each other; there is a gorilla about the same size as an elephant, and a gazelle that is smaller than a zebra, among others.
* AnimalStampede: In one of the film's most iconic scenes, young Simba gets in the way of a wildebeest stampede in a gorge that was started by the hyenas startling the wildebeest. Mufasa comes to rescue his son, [[spoiler: only to be killed when his treacherous brother Scar pushes him back into the gorge]].
* AnimalTalk: All animals seem to understand each other, regardless of species.
* AnimatedOuttakes: For the Blu-ray release, the animators (though apparently, not the same animators who worked on the film) made a short blooper reel. Most memorably, the "Rafiki drops infant Simba" gag, already overdone in various parodies, was officially done. Many of the outtakes were designed around voice acting errors.
* ArcWords:
** The phrase "Our/Your/My little secret" is said three times, all by Scar. It's easy to miss as the first instance is relatively early in the first act, and the last two are right before and during the film's climax.
** "Remember who you are." by Mufasa
** "It is time." by Rafiki
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: [[GutPunch The look on Simba's face]] says it all.
-->'''Simba:''' ''[annoyed by Rafiki]'' Who are you?\\
'''Rafiki:''' The question is, who are ''you?''\\
'''Simba:''' ''[{{beat}}]'' I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure.
* ArmorPiercingResponse:
-->'''Nala:''' [[WhatTheHellHero You're not the Simba I remember.]]\\
'''Simba:''' [[ThatManIsDead You're right. I'm not.]] Now are you satisfied?\\
'''Nala:''' No. Just disappointed.\\
'''Simba:''' You know, [[DisappointedInYou you're starting to sound like my father]].\\
'''Nala:''' ''Good.'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech At least]] ''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech one]]'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech of us does.]]
* ArrangedMarriage: Simba and Nala; a rare [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage happy one]], although they're not too thrilled by the idea when they first find out.
-->'''Young Simba:''' I can't marry her! She's my friend!\\
'''Young Nala:''' Yeah! It'd be too weird!
* ArtShift: The backgrounds for the "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" number are given a more stylized, colorful appearance, in contrast to the more realistic ones seen throughout the rest of the film.
* ArtisticLicenceGeography: The film appears to take place in a mythologized version of the Serengeti/Mara, which is located in northern Tanzania and western Kenya, and most of the names are Swahili, a language spoken throughout East Africa. However, the song lyrics, when not in English, are in Zulu, which is spoken in South Africa. This is the equivalent of scoring a film set in Spain with songs sung in Russian. The only exception is "Hakuna matata", which is also Swahili. (This is further muddled by a couple of frames during "Circle of Life" that show Mt. Kilimanjaro (located about 194 miles to the east of the Serengeti) and what appears to be the panhandle of the Okavango River (in northern Botswana).)
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: [[ArtisticLicenseBiology/TheLionKing Has its own page.]]
* AttackAttackRetreatRetreat: A two-person variation.
-->'''Zazu:''' ''[trapped]'' Let me out, let me out!\\
'''Timon:''' ''[chased]'' Let me in, let me in!
* AwardBaitSong: "Can You Feel The Love Tonight." ("Circle of Life" also earned nominations, but that one is the only that fits the "Award Bait" formula.)
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: There is no physical crown, but the scene in which Simba ascends Pride Rock and finally lets loose with a full-throated lion roar signifies that he has taken his place as King.
* {{Awwchoo}}: Baby Simba sneezes in a cute way when Rafiki sprinkles powder on him.

[[folder:B-C]]
* BabiesEverAfter: Simba and Nala's cub appears in the final scene, hoisted by Rafiki as Simba was.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: The hyenas are none too happy about Scar trying to throw them under the bus earlier, and they're mighty hungry...
* BadVibrations: The stampede is signaled by a group of pebbles beginning to shake.
* BatmanGambit: A particular talent of Scar's. He plays everyone like a fiddle because he knows them so well.
* BattleAmongstTheFlames: One of the most famous examples occurs at the end, where the climatic fight between Simba and Scar happens surrounded by flames created by dramatically-timed lightening.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: While no one is necessarily "beautiful" or "ugly" by the standards of the human viewers, most of the good characters (Zazu and all the lions except for Scar) are quite normal looking, while the antagonists are rather creepy looking. Case in point: Scar and Mufasa. [[TheGoodKing Mufasa]] is [[LightIsGood light-furred]] and [[RedIsHeroic red-maned]] with the animal equivalent of a HeroicBuild. [[TheCaligula Scar]] is [[LeanAndMean lanky]] with [[DarkIsEvil a black mane,]] and a [[GoodScarsEvilScars sinister scar]] on his eye.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Simba and the lionesses get malnourished from living off of bugs, and lack of prey respectively. None of them are shown with ribs or any other visual indicator of this. The hyenas, while probably not beautiful to most, are also malnourished without showing it. Scar may or may not be also. While he's the king, he probably has first access to what little food they have.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor:
** "Oh I just can't wait to be king!". Simba probably forgot that his succession implies his father's death. However, one can argue that Mufasa could have abdicated in his old age. In the context of the film, "to be king" should rather be interpreted as a metaphor of "adulthood".
** A minor one goes to the hyenas, who despised Mufasa, and eagerly (and blindly) supported Scar's quest to kill him and take over the Pridelands. Before very long, they have hunted everything into nothingness, the herds have abandoned the place entirely, ''the riverbed has dried up'', and the place is very much a wasteland. Growing restless, they constantly confront Scar on the lack of food in the kingdom, and the most Scar does is level blame on either them or the lionesses, forcing the hyenas to question what they signed on for.
--->'''Banzai:''' And I thought things were bad under Mufasa!
* BedouinRescueService: Timon and Pumbaa save Simba from dying in the desert and being eaten by the CirclingVultures.
* BestHerToBedHer: Downplayed with Nala. When she and her childhood best friend Simba reunite after not seeing each other for years, they almost instantly fall in love with each other. They proceed to have a FallingInLoveMontage where they do many romantic things together while essentially having a "first date" together, including nuzzling, teasing each other, and flirting together. At the climax of this though, they start playfully wrestling together, with Simba ending up the "winner" by (accidentally) pinning Nala. Nala noticably becomes even more affectionate with Simba after this, giving him a surprise [[SmoochOfVictory lick on the cheek]] as a "reward" for finally beating her, and [[HeldGaze stares up at him seductively]] as he lays on top of her. [[spoiler:It is also ''heavily'' implied that [[GRatedSex they mated together]] after this, resulting in Nala getting pregnant with their daughter Kiara.]]
* BetterLivingThroughEvil: While Scar sings about gaining power, the hyenas sing only about getting food:
-->"We'll have food! Lots of food! We repeat! Endless meat!"
* BewareTheSkullBase: The ElephantGraveyard has several massive skulls of elephants strewn about, which are used as shelters by the hyenas that reside there.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Both sides of the final battle display this--on Scar's side, the hyenas prove themselves to be viciously brutal killers. On Simba's side, Rafiki shows that you shouldn't judge him based on his age while [[DeadpanSnarker Timon]], [[{{Gasshole}} Pumbaa]] and [[NoRespectGuy Zazu]] manage to beat up Shenzi and Banzai offscreen.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** Mufasa arrives just in time to rescue Simba and Nala when the hyenas finally have them cornered in the Elephant Graveyard.
** Timon and Pumbaa have this as an EstablishingCharacterMoment. Just as Simba is about to be eaten by vultures, they charge through and save him, though at first they think he's dead.
** Nala attacks Pumbaa in the forest and almost eats him and Timon but is stopped when Simba suddenly arrives to save them, [[DynamicEntry pouncing on her]] and managing to pin her for a moment. Zigzagged as Simba ultimately lost the ensuing fight and could have been killed had he not recognized Nala, but despite his defeat he still managed to save his friends.
** In the final battle, Rafiki whacks a hyena biting Simba's neck. Then Pumbaa pulls a OneManArmy charge on Shenzi and Banzai to save Timon and Zazu just as the two are cornered.
* BigDamnReunion: Simba and Nala coincidentally meet again as adults and have a joyous reunion, particularly from Nala's point of view as she had thought Simba was dead.
* BigGulp: The hyenas when a returning Simba earns them a DeathGlare from Scar.
* BigNo:
** Twice by Simba. As a kid when Mufasa dies, and as an adult when he finds out who did it.
** Scar just before he is [[spoiler: devoured by the hyenas]].
* BilingualBonus:
** "Hakuna Matata" is a touristy phrase -- versus ''Hamna Shida'' -- translating roughly as "there are no worries" in Swahili.
** The first line of Rafiki's chant is "Asante sana squash banana." In context, it doesn't mean anything, but "asante sana" is Swahili for "thank you very much." In addition, the second line ''does'' mean "You're a baboon and I am not". (Well, technically, it means "You are a DOG, and I'm not," but the sentiment's the same.)
** Most of the characters' names are Swahili words: Simba ("Lion" or "Courageous Warrior"), Pumbaa ("Simpleton"), Nala ("Gift"), Rafiki ("Friend"), Shenzi ("Savage") and Banzai ("Skulk").
* BitingTheHandHumor: Zazu starts to sing "[[Ride/ItsASmallWorld It's a Small World]]". Scar freaks out and demands him to sing anything else but that. Even funnier, in the Broadway show, Zazu may sing "Be Our Guest" from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' or "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from ''Film/MaryPoppins'' (two other Disney movies that also became successful Broadway musicals; they have all been [[FriendlyEnemy "rival"]] shows at one time or another). In the Las Vegas production, he sings "Viva Las Vegas", and the touring production has, naturally, also used "[[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Let It Go]]."
* BizarreTasteInFood: Timon and Pumbaa's taste for insects is shown to be weird (though {{Justified}} considering their species).
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: A Disney hallmark after all. Every hyena is bad while the lions (save for Scar) and the others animals are good. The closest thing to moral ambiguity is that Simba and Nala start off mischevious and self-centered as cubs, but never to the point where they're okay with causing serious harm, and they both end the movie entirely good and heroic after they mature.
* BloodlessCarnage:
** Mufasa's body, despite being trampled by a stampede, is almost intact.
** Scar and Simba duke it out with claws extended, but neither actually sheds blood, aside from a ''very'' quick "spray" from Simba's muzzle after taking a hit, though it could be saliva or sweat. Simba wins the fight by knocking Scar off a cliff.
** Averted with Shenzi; when Simba slashes her face to protect Nala, it leaves three small but clear and bloody marks.
** Acknowledged in the commentary in that the meat the hyenas pull from a zebra haunch looks closer in appearance to striped neckties than it does flesh, and there is no blood anywhere from the carcass.
* BlowingARaspberry: Young Nala does this to Zazu behind his back during "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
* BluntYes:
-->'''Banzai:''' What were we supposed to do? Kill Mufasa?\\
'''Scar:''' Precisely.
* BondVillainStupidity: Scar could have avoided all this trouble if he had just [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim killed Simba himself rather than sending him running off and delegating the killing to the incompetent hyenas]], although that would have included the danger of him being seen or found out. More obviously, Scar [[JustBetweenYouAndMe telling Simba that he killed Mufasa]], which gave Simba both the [[HeroicSecondWind determination]] and the support of the pride that he needed to win.
* {{Bookends}}:
** The film begins with Mufasa's cub Simba presented to the kingdom, and ends with Simba's cub similarly presented, both accompanied by the same song, "The Circle of Life", ending with a snap to the title. This not only drives home the song's meaning, but also the idea of a story arc coming full circle.
** The film also starts and ends with a lion hugging Rafiki. Mufasa at the beginning, and Simba at the end.
* BowledOver: We first see Timon and Pumbaa playing "bowling for buzzards".
* BrainsEvilBrawnGood: The strong and noble Mufasa, (and later Simba) vs. the LeanAndMean Scar. Subverted, seeing as Mufasa is for the most part smarter than Scar.
* BrainsVersusBrawn: Cited by Scar when Zazu asks him why he doesn't challenge Mufasa for the throne. While Scar claims to have gotten "the lion's share" when it comes to intellect, a fight for supremacy is a matter of brute strength, where Scar is "at the shallow end of the gene pool." While gauging which brother is smarter would be subjective, it's clear Scar is more devious and guileful, in that he [[spoiler:engineers his brother's demise to attain kingship of the pride. However, it's subverted when we see that after Scar takes control, he turns out to be a terrible leader, leading Pride Rock to ruin.]]
-->'''Scar:''' Well, as far as brains go, I got the lion’s share. But, when it comes to brute strength [looking at Mufasa] …I’m afraid I’m at the shallow end of the gene pool.
* BreakingTheFourthWall:
** In the middle of "Hakuna Matata", Timon and Pumbaa do this.
--->'''Pumbaa:''' And I got downhearted...\\
'''Timon:''' How did you feel?\\

'''Timon:''' ''[claps hands over Pumbaa's mouth]'' PUMBAA! ''[looks right at the fourth wall]'' [[ThinkOfTheCensors Not in front of the kids]]!\\
'''Pumbaa:''' ''[also looks]'' Oh! Sorry.
** Simba gets in on the act a second later as ''he'' seems to give the fourth wall a puzzled AsideGlance in response to the above exchange.
** At least the Hungarian dub turns this joke into LeaningOnTheFourthWall, as Timon says "Not in front of the kid!" instead of "kids", which could refer to Simba just as well as a kid watching the movie.
* BreakUpMakeUpScenario: This happens between Simba and Nala. After the two reunite and fall in love they quickly become an OfficialCouple after a FallingInLoveMontage. But when Nala confronts him about how he needs to return to the Pride Lands to become king and save everyone from Scar, and Simba refuses, the two get into a heated argument that ends with the two of them essentially breaking up temporarily. They get back together once Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands.
* BriarPatching: Scar tempting Simba to visit the elephant graveyard by telling him not to go because it's too dangerous and prodding his ego by saying it's only where the ''bravest'' lions go. Simba promptly decides to prove his bravery by ignoring the warning and going there, something Scar is shown to have [[BatmanGambit expected him to do]].
* BrickJoke: Early on, Scar said that he would be a monkey's uncle when Simba becomes king. Later, when Nala is looking for Simba after he has left for Pride Rock to become king, we have this conversation.

'''Nala:''' He was, but now I can't find him. Where is he?\\
'''Rafiki:''' ''[chuckles]'' You won't find him here. The King has returned.\\

'''Timon:''' Gone back? Whaddaya mean?\\
''[looks up and sees Rafiki has disappeared]''\\

'''Timon''' and '''Pumbaa:''' ''[beat]'' Oh.
* BriefAccentImitation: Timon does this during his and Pumbaa's opening to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" when describing how Simba has fallen in love, speaking in a sarcastic mock French accent...
--> ''Ze sweet caress of twilight!''
* BrokenAesop: Rafiki's message of "the past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it" is broken by the narrative. [[spoiler:Simba ''tries'' to confront his fears, but his fears start to win when Scar again puts the blame on Simba for causing his father's death, and Simba starts to doubt himself again. The other lions start doubting him too. It's only when [[VillainDecay Scar]] has Simba in a situation where he will probably die that he [[NiceJobFixingItVillain confesses that he was the actual murderer.]] This gives Simba the confidence to finally defeat Scar and when he does this, all the others finally accept him in their midst. Of course, had Simba never ''tried'' facing his past, he would have never learned the truth, and Scar would still be king.]]
* BrokenPedestal: As a cub, Simba is always excited to hang out with Uncle Scar. By contrast, adult Simba is filled with TranquilFury towards Scar for what he's done, no longer calling him "Uncle".
* BrokenRecord: Simba as he tries to wake up Mufasa in the beginning.
-->'''Simba:''' Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! (etc.)
* BrokenWinLossStreak: Downplayed between Simba and Nala. Simba loses to Nala three times throughout the film, the first two in a row when play wrestling as cubs and then again years later when fighting seriously as adults. During their FallingInLoveMontage, the two begin to playfully wrestle again and accidentally tumble down a hill together. Simba ends up the "winner" by landing on top of Nala, finally pinning her and ending her winning streak against him.
* BrosBeforeHoes: Timon and Pumbaa are firm believers, which is why they're more than a little upset when Nala comes along to break up the trio, and not just because they thought she was going to eat Pumbaa.
* ButtSticker: At the end of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", [[IronButtMonkey Zazu]] ends up under the bottom of a sitting rhinoceros.
* CainAndAbel: Scar is envious of his brother Mufasa, so much so that he plans to murder him and usurp the throne.
* CarnivoreConfusion:
** Solved by having Simba eating bugs, a TruthInTelevision since real lions are happy to eat them if necessary. Averted when Nala stalks and nearly kills Pumbaa, but then backs off when she has her reunion with Simba. With no recourse at all, the movie "solves" these troubling issues by Lampshading and then ignoring them, despite Timon and Pumbaa end up in the middle of starving lionesses eventually.
--->'''Timon:''' Whoa, whoa! Time out! Let me get this straight. You [Simba] know her [Nala]. She knows you. But she wants to eat him [Pumbaa]. And... everybody's okay with this? ''DID I MISS SOMETHING?!''
** When Simba asks Mufasa about this near the beginning of the film, [[PredationIsNatural he justifies them eating herbivores with it being the part of the Circle of Life]].
--->'''Mufasa:''' When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.
* CastingGag:
** Creator/JamesEarlJones and Madge Sinclair played an African king and queen in ''Film/ComingToAmerica'' as well. Jones voicing the father of the protagonist also brings to mind his [[Franchise/StarWars most famous role]].
** Zazu is a royal advisor played by Creator/RowanAtkinson. This was apparently because Tim Rice is a fan of ''Series/{{Blackadder}}''.
** The singing voice for Adult Simba is Joseph Williams, better known as one of the (and still current) lead singers of the band Music/{{Toto}}, whose SignatureSong is...wait for it...[[HilariousInHindsight "Africa"]]. Even better, a number of lyrics from the song are rather startlingly relevant to the plot of the film/Simba's emotional arc: "I stopped an old man along the way/Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies/He turned to me as if to say, 'Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you'"; "I know that I must do what's right/As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti/I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become."
* CatsHateWater: During "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" Simba playfully grabs Nala and pulls her into the lake they were drinking from. Nala quickly rises up surprised and quickly gets out, dripping wet and with a shocked look. Downplayed as Simba is just fine in the water, and Nala smirks at him before pushing him back in.
* CaughtInTheBadPartOfTown: When Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands, he informs Simba that the Elephant Graveyard is beyond their borders and they must never go there. Scar coaxes Simba to go there by telling him only the bravest lions are allowed to go there, and Simba tricks Zazu into bringing him and Nala there by telling him they're going to the water hole. When Simba, Nala, and Zazu reach the Elephant Graveyard, they get chased by the hungry hyenas, until [[BigDamnHeroes Mufasa arrives and saves them]].
* CelShading: The wildebeest from the stampede sequence are CGI, but cel-shaded to look like traditional animation.
* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Mufasa really was killed by Scar. And at the end, Scar is eaten alive by his former hench-hyenas. Given Scar's occasional cameos in the questionably-canon ''Timon and Pumbaa'' series, some fans think that he [[HesJustHiding survived and is in hiding]].]]
* CheatedAngle: Pride Rock is always seen from the left to which the front is faced on the inside, except for three shots at the very beginning and five at the climax of the film.
* CheatersNeverProsper: Downplayed. After Simba loses to Nala and is pinned by her, he immediately tries to get back at her by pouncing on her while she's distracted. This backfires by accidentally sending them both tumbling down a hill and Nala still ends up pinning him when they reach the bottom.
* ChekhovsGun: "Ha! Pinned ya!" Serves as a SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay moment later.
* ChekhovsSkill:
** Nala's trick flip that she uses every time she pins Simba becomes plot-relevant twice.
*** He finally learns it [[spoiler:just in time to use it on his arch-nemesis Scar]].
*** He also recognizes her years later thanks to this trick.
** Timon and Pumbaa use the same moves they used to chase off the vultures to fight the hyenas during the final battle.
* ChewOutFakeOut: Subverted. Mufasa really does read Simba the riot act for sneaking to the Elephant Graveyard against his orders, and endangering Nala. When Simba confesses he was trying to be like his dad, Mufasa softens his tone and gives him a lesson that "being brave doesn't mean seeking trouble" and that even kings like him get scared. This leads to them playfully tussling, with Mufasa assuming Simba has learned not to go to the shadow lands again.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Simba and Nala.
* CirclingMonologue: Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed circle the cubs and Zazu in the elephant graveyard, and Scar circles Simba while blaming him for Mufasa's death.
* CirclingVultures: Vultures swoop down on an exhausted Simba, but are dispersed by Timon and Pumbaa "bowling for buzzards".
* CliffStack: When the three hyenas tumble down a slope while chasing young Simba, Ed who's coming down last pushes Banzai in a large thorn bush.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint:
** When Timon comments that Simba looks blue -- i.e., depressed -- Pumbaa replies that he's more brownish-gold.
** Timon and Pumbaa's worry-free lifestyle is based on the motto "Hakuna Matata." They ''may'' have missed the fine print that said the phrase only tells you not to worry in a given situation- you ''still'' need to face your problems.
** During "Be Prepared", Scar says the hyenas need to be prepared for the death of the king (Mufasa). The hyenas ask if he's sick, then Scar says that they'll kill him and Simba. The hyenas then think that this means that there will be no king (until Scar reminds them that he'll be the king).
* ComingOfAgeStory: The story follows Simba throughout his childhood and adulthood as he learns who he is and what he is meant to do. It is not until adulthood when he realizes that he must confront his past instead of running from it.
* CompanyCrossReferences: After taking over Pride Rock, Scar reduces Zazu to an imprisoned jester and forces the poor bird to sing for him. One of the songs Zazu chooses is "It's A Small World After All", from the [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland ride "It's a Small World"]].
-->'''Scar:''' [[BitingTheHandHumor No! No.]] {{Anything but that}}.
* ContinuitySnarl: Primarily from the obscure book series ''[[http://lionking.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lion_King:_Six_New_Adventures The Six New Adventures Of The Lion King]]'', which came out after the first movie, but before ''Simba's Pride''. The series added the character of Simba and Nala's son, a cub named Kopa, some other cub characters to Mufasa's original pride, the story of how Scar got his scar, as well as named Mufasa's parents and grandfather, and Scar before he got his scar. Since Kopa has since been {{Retcon}}ed into Kiara in ''Simba's Pride'', the extent to which ''Six New Adventures'' is considered canon is hotly debated amongst some fans, and has resulted in much speculation and headcanon. Also, the animated series gave a different (and fairly moving) version of Timon and Pumbaa meeting than ''1½''.
* ConvectionSchmonvection: The "Be Prepared" sequence seems to have happened in a lava hotspot.
* ConvenientCranny: As a cub Simba runs from the pride lands, hyenas on his tail, he squeezes through a tiny passageway. One of the hyenas swipes its claws where he vanished just moments before.
* CorrelationCausationGag: Simba roars, trying to scare off the hyenas attacking him and Nala, but as a small cub he can only manage a small growl-ish thing. The hyenas [[TemptingFate taunt him about it]], goading him to try again, but this time [[PapaWolf Mufasa]] roars at the exact same time Simba does.
* TheCoup: Mufasa is killed by Scar so he can become king. Simba eventually launches a counter-coup to regain his throne.
* CradleOfLoneliness: Simba briefly makes Mufasa's body cradle him just after Mufasa's death.
* CrapsackWorld: Under [[TheUsurper Scar's]] reign of Pride Rock, the kingdom becomes a barren wasteland because of his ineffectual rule. Due to this, he is [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating widely hated]] by all of the animals, including his hyena mooks. The only reason why he's holding onto his power is because he petulantly whines about how "[he's] the king [who] can do whatever [he wants]" like a SpoiledBrat when others compare his rule against Mufasa's, refuses to acknowledge the damage his sloppy reign has caused due to his [[ItsAllAboutMe bloated ego]], and [[BerserkButton explodes in anger]] whenever Mufasa's name is brought up. As if that wasn't enough, Pride Rock does erupt in flames. It's only after Scar is killed by his hyena minions and Simba takes his rightful place as king of Pride Rock that the kingdom transforms back into the GhibliHills savanna it was once under Mufasa.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath:
** Mufasa, when he is flung off the gorge cliff and plummets to the ground far below. It is unclear whether the fall killed him or – if initially surviving with major injuries – he was still (semi-)conscious when he is crushed repeatedly by the wildebeest stampede.
** Scar, although justice is served, it can still be seen as rather "cruel" when he is mauled by his former hyena stooges and concurrently burned to death.
* CrushParade: Mufasa saves Simba from this, but gets knocked away. Simba looks on at the stampede in horror, but then [[HopeSpot Mufasa emerges and climbs up the cliff to meet Scar]], who throws him off and sends him falling back down to it.
%%* CryingWolf: Simba says to Scar, "Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie."
* CubCuesProtectiveParent: Played with. The birdy boiler sends Zazu flying far enough to summon Mufasa on his own, and Simba's roar (?) helps Mufasa to zero in on his and Nala's location.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: During the fight between Simba and Nala, Timon screams at Simba to "Go for the jugular!" The primary way lions kill their prey is by biting the throat of the animal, cutting off blood to the brain and air to the lungs.
* CueTheSun: The film's opening shot shows a sunrise on the day the film's hero, Simba, is presented to the kingdom.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Nala easily flips and pins Simba twice as cubs, both of which ''he'' started. Especially clear the second time where he is [[SoreLoser upset]] that [[IWasBeatenByAGirl she beat him so easily]] and tackles her while she's distracted, but when they roll down a hill all she does is laugh while he's panicking and still pins him no problem. Subverted later when they fight evenly as adults.
** Rafiki versus the hyenas is over in seconds. He effortless knocks four of them out while rescuing Simba.
* CurbstompCushion: Though Simba still ultimately loses his fight against Nala as adults, against the same move she used to beat him twice as cubs, he manages to put up a much better fight than he did the first two times, including getting her to [[OhCrap briefly panic]] when he first arrives and managing to briefly pin her at the start of the fight.
* CurseCutShort: "Why do I always have to save your- AAAHHHH!"

[[folder:D-G]]
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to other Disney films of the period. It is, in fact, a very tense, pathos-filled drama rather than the usual fairy tale romantic comedy.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* DeadpanSnarker: Scar, Banzai, Timon, and Zazu.
* DeathByIrony: Scar declares himself SurroundedByIdiots; turns out his idiot hyenas surround him and kill him.
* DeathGlare:
** After pinning Simba during their fight in the jungle, Nala briefly glares down at him menacingly, practically nose to nose with him, until he says her name. It is unclear if she was possibly going to kill him or just warning him not to interfere again.
** Scar gives an aside one to the hyenas when realising they failed to kill Simba.
--->'''Scar:''' Simba! I'm a little surprised to see you... ''alive''.\\
''*the hyenas gulp*''
* DeathlyDiesIrae: After Scar orders the hyenas to kill Simba, Simba tries to flee for his life, but immediately runs into a dead end. The brass section blasts the four notes of "Dies Irae" to indicate Simba is facing possible death. Much later, the eight notes of ''Dies Irae, Dies Illa'' are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5uYB9T_GlY&t=142s played quietly on high strings and repeated three times]] during the scene where Scar prods Simba to tell the lionesses who is responsible for Mufasa's death.
* DelayedOhCrap: Zazu, even after being told by Mufasa to turn around, and '''''obeying''''' the order willingly, continues to ramble on before realizing that he's the target of Simba's pouncing lesson:
-->'''Zazu:''' What's going on?\\
'''Mufasa:''' A pouncing lesson.\\
'''Zazu:''' Oh, very good... pouncing. (''turns back, {{beat}}'') (''realizes what he just said'') '''''POUNCING?!''''' Oh, no, sire - you can't be serious! Oh, this is so humiliating.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* DerangedAnimation: A vast majority of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King"'s backgrounds employ this.
* DesertSkull: As Simba returns to the Pridelands, he finds it riddled with wildebeest skeletons to show how Scar's rule has ruined the land. At the end, as Simba returns to power, there's a brief shot of a skull being washed away by the rain, to symbolize the end of the old regime.
* DestinationRuse: In an [[InvertedTrope inverted]] example, Scar coaxes Simba to go to the Elephant Graveyard. When Simba meets up with Nala, they trick Zazu into leading them to the Water Hole so they can ditch him there while they explore the Elephant Graveyard. Zazu is not happy when he finds out that the cubs have tricked him, as it's his responsibility to keep them safe from the hungry hyenas.
* DevouredByTheHorde: After Simba defeats Scar in a fight, [[spoiler: Scar gets surrounded by his former hyena henchmen and he gets eaten alive by them when they learn he'll eventually betray them.]]
* DidISayThatOutLoud: Invoked by Scar when he "accidentally" mentions the Elephant Graveyard to Simba.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: When Zazu is captured by the hyenas and subjected to the birdie boiler, Simba tells them they should [[PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize pick on someone their own size]]. Unfortunately for Simba, this merely causes the hyenas to turn on him and Nala instead, giving him an OhCrap moment when he realises his mistake. Oops, indeed.
* DisappointedInYou:
** Mufasa to Simba during his lecture after the incident at the elephant graveyard.
--->'''Mufasa:''' You deliberately disobeyed me, and what's worse, you put Nala in danger!\\
'''Simba:''' I was just trying to be brave, like you.\\
'''Mufasa:''' I'm only brave when I have to be. Simba... being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble.
** And later, when [[spoiler:his ghost tells Simba, "You've forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me."]]
* DisneyAcidSequence: "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", which is supposed to capture Simba's childish perspective during the song, is full of vibrant colors, changing scenarios, and various animals in choreographed dancing.
* DisneyDeath:
** Averted. [[spoiler:Contrary to Baloo in ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'' (who simply wanted to know how Bagheera and Mowgli felt about him)]], Mufasa is quite definitely dead.
** Also downplayed with Simba in that Scar led everyone at Pride Rock to believe Simba was dead, yet we know otherwise.
* {{Disneyfication}}: The film provides a very romanticized view of nature, with animals showing far more respect for each other than they do in real life.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Subverted. While Simba does manage to throw Scar a significant distance below him, the fall isn't what does him in. Rather, [[spoiler:the hyenas overhearing his attempt to throw them under the bus is what [[EatenAlive seals his fate.]]]] Also, inverted, as Mufasa was the one who fell to his ultimate doom at the hands of Scar and got his carcass trampled by wildebeest.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** Goose-stepping ''[[ThoseWackyNazis hyenas]]''. The scene was based off of the Nazi propaganda film ''Triumph of the Will'', from the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
** [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} The king's brother overthrowing (and killing) him, and the prince is persuaded by the ghost of his father?]]
** A quote from ''Film/ReversalOfFortune'':
--->'''Simba:''' Heh heh. You're so weird.\\
'''Scar:''' You have no idea.
* TheDogBitesBack: Near the end, Scar attempts to pin everything on the [[{{Mooks}} hyenas]] and sell them out to Simba, not knowing that they're there listening to him say it.
-->'''Scar:''' My friends.\\
'''[[TheDragon Shenzi]]:''' Friends? I thought he said we were the enemy.
* DramaticIrony: In the second half of the movie, Scar blames Simba for his father's death, and he thinks his roar started the stampede in the first place, when the audience knows Simba is innocent and Scar set the whole thing up. Also, Scar tricks the Pridelanders into thinking Simba died as well, but the audience knows he's still pretty much alive.
* DramaticSpotlight: On Simba, then Timon and Pumbaa, during the song "Hakuna Matata". Also NaturalSpotlight on Pride Rock when cub Simba is shown to the masses. The sun's timing is impeccable.
* DramaticThunder: The FinalBattle pits Simba against Scar during a thunderstorm. The brush fires that are ignited by the lightning plays its part in the battle.
* DubSpeciesChange: The Danish dub refers to Timon as a ''desmerdyr'', which is a dated umbrella term that was once used to refer to mongooses, viverrids and Malagasy carnivores when it was believed they were all in the same family of animals.
* DudeNotFunny:
** An in-universe variation. Banzai is complaining about his injuries after the hyenas' scuffle with Mufasa, and Ed ticks Banzai off because he ''won't stop laughing''.
--->'''Banzai:''' It's not funny, Ed.\\
''(Ed tries briefly to stop before bursting out again)''\\
'''Banzai:''' Hey, shut up!
** Related to that, when Banzai falls into the thorns, the other two laugh at him. When Banzai starts pulling them out, he spits a few into Ed's face. He doesn't dare spit any at Shenzi - she's his boss (he does snark a LetsSeeYOUDoBetter at her though, she just keeps laughing).
--->'''Shenzi:''' What, you want me to come out there looking like you? Cactus-Butt?
* DynamicEntry:
** Mustafa's BigDamnHeroes entry when the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haClqHSuAiw hyenas chase Simba and Nala]] to a corner of the elephant graveyard.
** Simba gets one himself years later, when he lunges at Nala to protect Timon and Pumbaa with a mighty roar, and even manages to pin her under him for a moment.
* DystopiaIsHard: Even after he takes control, Scar's regime is far from stable. By the time Simba actually comes back to Pride Rock, most of the pride has moved on, there's barely anything left to hunt because of Scar and his hyena {{Mook}}s hoarding everything to themselves, and the hyenas themselves are openly discussing revolt, tacitly admitting how much better things were when Mufasa was still alive. Scar himself has become so paranoid that he snaps at anyone even saying the name "Mufasa," and the only reason he's holding onto his power is because he petulantly whines about how "I'm the king! I can do whatever I want!" [[spoiler:Simba's return also sees Scar admit that he killed Mufasa, which is the spark that lights the fuse on an open rebellion against him. Scar's last-ditch attempt to throw the hyenas under the bus causes a MistreatmentInducedBetrayal, and he's EatenAlive after Simba throws Scar off the top of Pride Rock.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Simba finally becomes king of Pride Rock, is reunited with his mother, and gets to marry Nala and have a cub... but to get there he has to lose his father (right before his eyes), go into exile, face down his personal guilt and psychological demons, then stage a countercoup and take out his usurping uncle whose lies and manipulations were what put him through MindRape in the first place. [[MiseryBuildsCharacter In the process, not coincidentally]], he is forced to mature a great deal and become a far wiser, humbler, more heroic character.
* EasilyForgiven: Once Simba and Nala recognize each other, Simba instantly forgives her for trying to eat his friends. Pumbaa is also instantly forgiving and happily introduces himself. Timon is the only one who is confused by this sudden turn of events and does not immediately trust Nala.
* EatingTheEnemy: Scar tries to have his hyenas dispose of Simba by eating him but they fail both times.
* ElephantGraveyard: The base of operation for Scar and the home of the hyenas.
* ElephantsNeverForget: In "The Morning Report", as Zazu is referencing a bunch of animal puns and stereotypes, he also touches on the elephants' stereotype of having excellent memory.
-->"The tick birds are pecking on the elephants. I ''told'' the elephants to forget it, but they ''can't''..." (original spoken version)\\
''The elephants remember, though just what I can't recall.'' (song version)
* EmpathicEnvironment: The geology of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Rift African rift valleys]] is ''very'' active during "Be Prepared."
%%* TheEpic: Essentially, this film is a straight up classical one.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* EpicMovie: Arguably Disney's most well known example from their animated films.
* EpicFail: Simba's attempts to pin Nala during their argument as cubs. He pounces on her with a roar expecting to easily pin her and win their argument, only to end up being flipped, slammed down and pinned himself, all with a shocked look on his face and Nala teasing him. When she turns away from him and is distracted he pounces on her again to get revenge, only to accidentally send them both tumbling down a hill. Nala laughs the whole way down, enjoying herself, while Simba is seen shocked by this accident and struggles to stay on top of Nala, only to end up getting flipped and pinned ''again'' for his efforts, and Nala smugly rubbing her victory in his face.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Downplayed. Scar looks down upon the hyenas, but will work with them if it suits his goals.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Mufasa is introduced standing stoically atop Pride Rock on the day of his son's presentation, bearing a grim scowl on his face, but as soon as Zazu presents himself Mufasa gives him a smile, and then he greets Rafiki with a warm hug. He's an imposing and strong king, but he's also a benevolent and personable figure, as well.
* EtTuBrute: As Mufasa hangs on for his life above the stampeding wildebeests, he begs his brother for help only to painfully discover that Scar is relishing the opportunity to ensure his brother's death.
* EuphemismBuster: Scar has to backtrack and Euphemism Bust ''himself'' thanks to [[TheDitz dumb hyenas]]:
-->'''Banzai:''' Yeah, be prepared! We'll be prepared! For what?\\
'''Scar:''' For the death of the king!\\
'''Banzai:''' What, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint is he sick]]?\\
'''Scar:''' No, you fool, we're going to kill him. And Simba, too.
* EvilIsBurningHot:
** Fires set the stage for Simba's final battle with Scar.
** Also, [[RuleOfCool for some reason]] there's unexplained volcanic activity right during "[[VillainSong Be Prepared]]".
* EvilWillFail: Even if Simba hadn't shown up and pulled a RightfulKingReturns, Scar's rule over the lion pride would have collapsed anyway since he'd driven the pridelands to the point of ecological ruin.
* FailedASpotCheck: Simba and Nala don't realize that they have literally wrestled right into the Elephant Graveyard until a steam geyser goes off right next to them.
* FallingInLoveMontage: The song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" shows Simba and Nala falling in love as they spend time together for the first time since growing up.
* FamilyOfChoice: Timon and Pumbaa follow Nala when Simba returns to Pride Rock. They say that even if it's dangerous, they'll face hyenas and Scar for Simba who acknowledges their dedication and makes them part of the pride.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath:
** Mufasa's death while his son watches, and Simba's [[PleaseWakeUp repeated pleas for him to "wake up, Dad"]] while desperately nudging his corpse.
** The fight between Simba and Scar ends with Scar [[spoiler:being eaten alive (or at the very least being mauled to death) by his hyena henchmen]] ([[ShadowDiscretionShot cast in shadow]], but still!). [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride The sequel]] makes it even worse by implying that he might have been burned to death as well.
%%* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence: Scar and Simba's brief NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, and Mufasa's death as implied (but not shown).
* FightingYourFriend: An accidental version happens between Simba and Nala. When Nala tries to hunt Timon and Pumbaa, Simba ends up fighting her to protect them, but neither of them realize that they are fighting their old friend at first because it has been years since they last saw each other. As soon as Simba realizes he is fighting Nala, when she beats him using the same move to flip and pin him when they were cubs, they immediately stop and happily reunite.
* FisherKing: When Mufasa is in charge, his wise leadership makes the land around Pride Rock a beautiful place of peace and plenty. When Scar is the king, the same land turns into a dark and dying graveyard, due to his poor leadership and the hyenas eating and taking almost everything there is, reflecting his own dark personality. Once Simba assumes the throne, everything goes pretty again.
* FlatJoy: Scar does the sarcastic version.
-->'''Simba''': Hey, Uncle Scar, guess what.
-->'''Scar''': I despise guessing games.
-->'''Simba''': I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock.
-->'''Scar''': (''deadpan'') Oh, goody.
* FloatingHeadSyndrome: The cineplex posters mostly consist of Mufasa's face floating over Pride Rock. This is a unique case of it pertaining to the events of the story.
* ForbiddenFruit: The elephant graveyard and anything beyond the borders of the Pride Lands, despite not being an ideal place.
* ForebodingFleeingFlock: Invoked when Scar has the hyenas cause a wildebeest stampede as a trap for both Simba and Mufasa.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** "A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king." Mufasa's reign ends at sundown following his death; and the sun rises as Simba ascends as the new king.
** At the climax of "I Just Can't Wait to be King" when the tower of animals collapses, it can be interpreted as either PlayedForLaughs (as a rhino had fallen on top of Zazu) or foreshadowing how Simba's whole self-image is about to come crashing down thanks to Scar's frame-up.
* {{Forgiveness}}: Despite initially chewing out Simba for his reckless decision to go to the graveyard -- neither lion knows of Scar's involvement -- Mufasa forgives him on seeing that Simba really is sorry, and was doing it out of a misguided attempt to prove to his father that he was brave.
* {{Frameup}}: After Scar kills Mufasa, he gets Simba to believe ''he's'' responsible, leading to Simba's running away. Simba believes this until the JustBetweenYouAndMe moment in the final act, even to the point of [[FalseConfession confessing himself to his mother and the rest of the pride]].
* FreezeFrameBonus: As Simba slumps at the edge of the cliff, the dust clouds spell out “SFX”. Most people thought it read “SEX”, however, so this bonus was removed from the Platinum edition DVD, Diamond Edition Blu-ray, and assumedly all subsequent releases of the film.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* FullBoarAction: Pumbaa, once his BerserkButton is pressed one time too many.
* FullMoonSilhouette: During the AgeCut, Simba and his two new-found friends walk across a tree trunk with a GiganticMoon in the background.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent:
** Timon and Pumbaa swing on a vine in the background during young Simba's solo in "Hakuna Matata". Pumbaa does this at the beginning of the theme song in the TV series.
** During "Be Prepared", Scar scares Shenzi and Banzi onto geysers, which blast them up off the top of the screen. As Scar keeps singing, the two hyenas plummet down half a verse later in the background. In the sing-a-long version, some of the text is also blasted off-screen with the hyenas, and comes plummeting back down with them as well.
** During the last part of "Be Prepared" while Scar is going on about why he should be king the hyenas are actually singing about how much food they'll get under Scar's rule.
---> '''Scar:''' Meticulous planning\\
'''Hyenas:''' We'll have food!\\
'''Scar:''' Tenacity spanning\\
'''Hyenas:''' Lots of food!\\
'''Scar:''' Decade of denial\\
'''Hyenas:''' We repeat.\\
'''Scar:''' Is simply why I'll\\
'''Hyenas:''' Endless meat
* GRatedSex: Happens between Simba and Nala at the end of the "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" song. After they topple down a hill together they land on each other in a very suggestive position, giving each other very knowing and seductive looks before nuzzling together. Kiara's birth at the end of the movie, and the DVD commentary, both further prove the point, with the original version of the scene somehow being even ''less'' subtle.
* GagEcho:
-->'''Simba:''' When I'm king, what does that make you?\\
'''Scar:''' A monkey's uncle.\\
...\\
'''Nala:''' No, no, no, it's his uncle.\\

* GenerationalSaga: Mufasa tells Simba that even when he's gone he'll always be there in the sky with the great kings to look down on his son. Once he is gone, Simba abandons the Pride Lands to his uncle Scar, but after talking to his father in the sky he realizes that he needs to come home and be king.
* GetOut:
** After he kills Mufasa, Scar tells Simba to do this, telling him to "run away and never return". Once Simba has run off, Scar sends the hyenas after him. This gets reversed in an IronicEcho later.
** Scar tells the hyenas this when they complain that they're hungry, showing how little he really cares about them. He then shortens it to "OUT!" when Banzai says they're still hungry and Scar has done nothing about it.
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* GilliganCut: When Timon is offered as live bait, he sarcastically asks if they want him to [[WholesomeCrossdresser dress in drag and do the hula]]. In the next scene, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he does exactly that]].
* GladIThoughtOfIt:
** Simba calls himself a genius after he and Nala escape Zazu, and Nala points out it was ''her'' idea they used. Simba simply says ''he's'' the one who pulled it off, but Nala once again claims he did it with her.
** Pumbaa suggests that they should adopt Simba since "When he grows up, maybe [[PredatorTurnedProtector he'll be on our side]]." Timon first dismisses the idea as stupid, but then presents it as his own.
* GoodAnimalsEvilAnimals: The lions and hyenas. With the exception of Scar, the lions are always portrayed as noble and honorable, while the hyenas are portrayed as [[ScavengersAreScum scummy]] and subserviant to Scar. However, ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'' implies that Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed settle for neutrality following the movie, and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' introduces Jasiri's clan, who claim that Shenzi's clan are the exception rather than the rule when it comes to hyenas.
* GracefulLoser: Downplayed. During "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" [[spoiler:Simba finally manages to pin Nala when they tumble down a hill and he lands on top of her. She rewards him for "beating her" with a [[SmoochOfVictory lick on the cheek]] and a seductive look.]]
%%* GRatedSex: At the end of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", confirmed by [[NoSexAllowed Disney]] itself. From the DVD audio commentary narrated by directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and producer Don Hahn:
%%-->"This is probably the most steamy love scene in a Disney film ever!"\\
[[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex Wooooooooooooooo!]]
%%** All the more obvious in the original, pre-production version, where there's very little room for doubt.
* GratuitousLatin: Scar uses the phrase "quid pro quo" during his big VillainSong.

[[folder:H-M]]
* HairFlip: Scar’s mane flips rather seductively during "Be Prepared".
* HakunaMatata: TropeNamer. Timon and Pumbaa tell Simba, who has just run away from his responsibilities and his life, that he doesn't need to worry about the past, because a carefree existence is much less trouble. Deconstructed: This mentality ends up becoming an obstacle Simba must throw off before he can start serving the kingdom and rescue it from Scar, who never outgrows this attitude and tries to take the benefits of being king without taking any of the responsibility that goes along with the job. When both Simba and Scar shun this responsibility, the kingdom suffers greatly from Scar's neglectful approach. It's only when Simba grows and learns to take responsibility that prosperity returns. In fact, the song shows him being apathetically cynical. "Bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?"
* AHandfulForAnEye: Right before their fight, Scar blinds Simba by kicking hot coals into his face.
* HandStomp:
** Scar claws Mufasa's paws while the latter is hanging from a cliff.
** He also does it to Simba during the FinalBattle, but Simba [[HeroicSecondWind gets the strength to lunge back]] after the "I killed Mufasa" revelation.
* HatesBaths: Simba as a cub. He presumably grew out of it during his time with Timon and Pumbaa, since the midquel shows him playing about in the water while living with them as a cub. Of course, there's a big difference between playing in the water and being licked clean by your mother.
* HeldGaze: Simba and Nala gaze deeply into each other's eyes at the end of their FallingInLoveMontage of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" before nuzzling each other in a manner that resembles a kiss.
* HeroicSecondWind: When Scar has Simba right where he wants him (desperately trying to keep his grip on the ledge of Pride Rock but about to fall off), and he admits that he killed Mufasa (in what he thinks will be a JustBetweenYouAndMe moment, before throwing Simba to his death) ... Simba (who relives watching his father being thrown to his death in what could well be his final moments) instead lunges up the rest of the cliff, pinning his evil uncle and forcing him to reveal the truth to the others.
%%* HesAFriend: Simba to Nala for Pumbaa.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: Timon and Pumbaa. [[HoYay Maybe.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Scar spends his relationship with the hyenas lying and constantly breaking promises about bringing food to them, and their impatience and irritation boil over when Scar tries to pin the blame for Mufasa's death on them. He ends up getting eaten by his own hyenas in a well-deserved FamilyUnfriendlyDeath]].
* HopeSpot: After disappearing into the stampede, Mufasa leaps onto the cliffside and is seemingly about to claw his way back up to safety. And then Scar shows up to finish what he started...
* HumanLadder: Zazu at the end of "I Just Can't Wait to be King" ends up at the bottom of an animal version, with a group of animals standing on top of each other to raise up Simba as he sings.
* HumanlikeHandAnatomy: Rafiki the baboon has hands, understandably given that he's a primate. Zazu the bird has FeatherFingers and Timon the meerkat has HumanlikeHandAnatomy, for some reason. And the lions have rather large thumbs on their front paws, with which they can sometimes make humanlike gestures.
* HurricaneOfPuns:
** Zazu's morning report. The Special Edition's new song has even more of them.
--->"Well, the buzz from the bees is that leopards are in a bit of a spot. The baboons are going ape... I told the elephants to forget it, but [[AnimalStereotypes they can't]]... [[CheatersNeverProsper Cheetahs never prosper]]".
** To cap that off, after Zazu finishes his report and gets pounced by Simba, a groundhog pops up to deliver "news from the underground".
** Also, with the hyenas.
--->'''Banzai:''' We could have whatever's... ''lion'' around!\\
'''Shenzi:''' Wait wait wait. I got one. Make mine a ''cub'' sandwich. (''Ed tries to get their attention'') WHAT, ED?!\\
'''Banzai:''' Hey, did we order this dinner to go?\\
'''Shenzi:''' No. Why?\\
'''Banzai:''' 'Cause ''there it goes!'' (''points to Simba, Nala, and Zazu running like crazy'')
* {{Hypocrite}}: Scar tries to tell Simba not to kill him because they're family, even though Scar himself already killed one of his own family members and tried to kill another.
-->'''Simba:''' You don't deserve to live.\\
'''Scar:''' But Simba... I am family.
* ICanExplain: When Scar faces his [[spoiler:demise by the claws of the hyenas]], he tries the "Let me explain" line to no avail.
* IdenticalSon: As an adult, Simba looks exactly like his father did (a little darker, but that's besides the point). "In your reflection, he lives in you."
* IdioticPartnerConfession:
** Simba when he questions why Zazu is acting so afraid of the hyenas when he said earlier that they were "slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers". Said hyenas are, of course, right in front of them. Downplayed, since Simba isn't so much an idiot as an innocent and silly child. Also, Simba is puffed up with his royal importance. Though this is technically right since, as a crown prince, he would be worth A LOT as a hostage; he forgets that those savage hyenas have zero diplomatic relations with his country.
** A second example later on, when Mufasa corners the three Hyenas after they tried to kill Simba. Shenzi and Banzai immediately insist that they had no idea Simba is Mufasa's son; then Ed, interrogated in unison, spills the beans.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: {{Averted}} and {{invoked}} by Simba in his final fight with Scar.
* IKissYourFoot: Pumbaa, after learning Simba is the king.
-->'''Pumbaa:''' King? Your Majesty! I [[{{Malaproper}} gravel]] at your feet. (''begins kissing Simba's paw'')\\
'''Simba:''' (''pulling it away'') Stop that!\\
'''Timon:''' It's not gravel, it's ''grovel''.
* IllKillYou: The hyenas’ threats to a pursued Simba.
-->'''Shenzi:''' He's as good as dead out there anyway. And IF he comes back, we'll kill him.\\
'''Banzai:''' Yeah! D'you hear that? If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!
* ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: When Timon and Pumbaa first run across Simba in the desert, Timon's first reaction is to panic because of, well, the food chain. Pumbaa meanwhile thinks Simba's such a cute little guy that he asks, "Can we keep him?"
* InformedSpecies
** Although Pumbaa is a warthog, he looks more like a tanned domesticated pig with a mane and tusks. To be fair, he did look like an actual warthog in early concept art.
** Timon looks almost nothing like an actual meerkat. Timon is peach-yellow when meerkats are sand colored, has upturned ears when they have downturned ears, and a head full of red hair like a human would have. Plus, real meerkats walk on all fours and have black eyes.
* InsultBackfire:
-->'''Simba''': Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?!\\
'''Shenzi''': Like you?\\
'''Simba''': Oops.
* InsultMisfire: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]]:
-->'''Simba''': Zazu, you told me they were nothing but slobbering mangy stupid poachers.\\
'''Zazu''': Ixnay on the upidstey.\\
'''Banzai''': Who you calling 'upidstey'?!
* InternalReveal: Scar, engaging in one last bit of EvilGloating as he thinks he's finally about to kill Simba for good, leans in and finally tells him the truth: "''I'' killed Mufasa!" This turns out to have been a mistake, as it gives Simba a HeroicSecondWind and he immediately pins Scar and forces him to repeat it to the rest of the pride.
%% InterspeciesFriendship:
%% Mufasa with Zazu and Rafiki.
%% Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba.
%% Scar and the hyenas... until the end.
* IronicEcho: After killing Mufasa, Scar tells Simba to "Run. Run away and never return." Then at the end of the film, when Scar seemingly pleads for mercy, Simba accepts but tells him, "Run. Run away, Scar, and never return."
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Banzai only seems to have a problem with being called "stupid" after hearing a bunch of insults. Even then, he doesn't pick up on it until Zazu explains this in PigLatin.
* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: Rafiki tells Simba that his father is still alive. When Simba tells Rafiki that his father is dead, Rafiki shows him that his father still lives on inside him.
* ItsAllAboutMe: It's pretty obvious early on that Scar cares for no one except himself. He wants the throne for himself, is perfectly willing to [[CainAndAbel kill his brother]] and try to kill his nephew to get it, and drives the Pridelands to ruin because of how he only wants the power of the throne and not the responsibilities that come with it.
* ItsAllMyFault: Simba spends most of the movie believing that he killed his father mostly due to his Uncle's manipulations and tries to hide from the rest of the pride in shame.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Simba is visibly frustrated at being handily pinned by Nala in their scraps. He uses this fighting tactic to recognise her as an adult, and later uses it against Scar. [[spoiler:Though he does eventually pin her himself, it is actually the least like a "fight" out of them all, being while they were romantically rolling down a hill together, and she still leads him 3-1.]]
* JobTitle: The title ''The Lion King'' describes the job at the heart of the story, the one the hero learns how to undertake.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: When Scar has Simba trapped on the ledge of a gorge ... instead of simply throwing him to his death, he gloats at the moment and, thinking he's finished him off and about to celebrate victory, whispers to him that he really masterminded his (Simba's) father's death. [[VillainBall Huge mistake]] and huge aversion, as Simba gains a huge HeroicSecondWind and eventually defeats Scar in a fight.
* JustDesserts: The ending has a chilling case. When Simba corners Scar, Scar shamefully tries to get Simba's sympathy by [[NeverMyFault by saying it was the hyenas' idea]]. Unbeknown to him, the hyenas had overheard his attempt to throw them under the bus. After Simba throws him off a cliff, [[spoiler: the betrayed hyenas decide [[TheDogBitesBack to devour him out of spite]].]]
* JustGivingOrders: After Simba gets his HeroicSecondWind and has the villain cornered, Scar tries to weasel out of his comeuppance by placing all blame for the coup on Mufasa and subsequent overrun of the Pridelands on the hyenas. "It was the hyenas; they're the enemy." While this excuse does avert being killed outright by Simba, this defense also proves to be quotable last words.
* JustInTime: At the beginning, Scar traps Zazu in his mouth and is about to eat him, when Mufasa enters at just the right moment and orders Scar to drop him. Zazu lampshades it, poking his beak out of Scar's mouth to do so: "Impeccable timing, your majesty!"
* JustSoStory: There's an InUniverse example with Timon's theory about how stars form, which involves them really being fireflies, and is true in the ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''. This movie, however, rolls with the explanation of them being spirits of lion kings of the past.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Scar spent his life betraying family and allies, and this finally bites him big time as the Hyenas descend upon him for trying to blame them for Mufasa's death. Doubly so that he is only swarmed after being thrown off a cliff, the same way he killed Mufasa.]]
* KarmicJackpot: Timon and Pumbaa come to help in the climax, despite being outcasts that spend their time chasing buzzards. They say it's worth facing danger for Simba's sake. Simba smiles and, at the end, makes them part of the Pride.
* KingOfBeasts: It ''is'' about a lions’ monarchy, after all, and so lions are portrayed as the rulers who oversee all of the other animals.
* LeaveTheTwoLoveBirdsAlone: When Simba and Nala reunite, she asks for the two of them to be left alone. When Simba repeats that request, Timon realizes what is about to happen and laments the two will fall in love.
* LeftHanging: Although 'Hakuna Matata' vaguely explains why Pumbaa became an outcast, why Timon did does not get addressed. Made up by the fact that there's an entire midquel dedicated to it.
* LetMeGetThisStraight: Timon when Nala shows up: "Let me get this straight. You know her. She knows you. But she wants to eat him. And everybody is okay with this? Did I miss something?!"
* LetsGetDangerous: Pumbaa, the friendly and kind warthog and Rafiki, the eccentric monkey shaman both show surprisingly good fighting skills during the climax. Rafiki takes down four hyenas at once while Pumbaa sends Banzai, Ed and Shenzi running. Sarabi also fights the hyenas when Scar confesses that he killed Mufasa and tosses them like ragdolls.
* LifeIsntFair: Said by Scar in a creepy tone. It is the first spoken (not sung) sentence in the movie.
* LightDarknessJuxtaposition: The film contrasts the brightly-lit, beautiful Pride Lands with the Elephant Graveyard, a shadowy, miserable wasteland. Simba and Mufasa's rule is generally associated with light (eg. the Natural potlight when a new heir is born, the the warm light that surrounds Simba when he arrives to reclaim the throne, their own red-and-gold color scheme); meanwhile, when the dark-colored Scar usurps the throne, the Pride Lands are cast in shadow.
--> '''Simba:''' Everything the light touches... What about that shadowy place?
* LionKingLift: The TropeNamer and UrExample happens in “Circle of Life”, wherein Rafiki grandly lifts the newborn Simba up so everyone can see the new prince on Pride Rock.
* LiteralMinded: Pumbaa, sometimes.
-->'''Timon:''' Gee, he looks blue.\\
'''Pumbaa:''' I'd say brownish-gold.
* LiterallyFallingInLove: During "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", Simba and Nala accidentally end up tumbling down a hill together while playfully wrestling. Simba ends up pinning Nala, and she gives him a surprise lick on the cheek before they both [[HeldGaze share a romantic seductive gaze]].
* LoveRedeems: Simba may have seemingly killed his father and happily let the pride become a desert while he sings "Hakuna Matata", but he meets Nala again and returns.
* LoveTheme: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is about the budding relationship between Simba and Nala, from simple friends to something more than that. It ends with the two sharing GRatedSex.
* LyingOnAHillside: Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa when stargazing, although it isn't actually a hillside they're on.
* {{Malaproper}}: Pumbaa, occasionally, for example saying "I gravel at your feet" instead of "grovel" and messing up Timon's saying "You've gotta put your past behind you" as "You gotta put your behind in your past". Timon corrects him both times.
* MamaBear: When Simba forces Scar to confess that he killed Mufasa, Sarabi roars and follows Nala into battle. She suddenly understood that Scar framed Simba for Mufasa's death and launched a coup.
* ManChild: Timon & Pumbaa (and occasionally the hyenas) can act very immature at times.
* ManHug: Rafiki and Mufasa at the beginning before Simon is revealed (both to the audience and then to the Pridelands) and then Rafiki and Simba at the end before Simba ascends Pride Rock.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: InUniverse example: In the Outtakes short in the 3D release, Scar and the hyenas get in on the fun. The hyenas are also frequent guests in ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse''.
* MeaningfulEcho:
** "Run... Run away... and NEVER return." Scar to Child!Simba, then Adult!Simba to Scar once he catches on to the deception.
** "Danger? Ha!... I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha ha!" Child!Simba, later quoted by Adult!Nala
** "...MISTER Banana Beak/Pig..." Respectively by Zazu and Pumbaa.
** "What will your mother/she think?" Scar to Child!Simba, then Adult!Nala to Adult!Simba.
** "a king/I can do whatever he/I want(s)" Scar sticks with the puerile misconception of royalty by Child!Simba, though it's doubtful that the latter would let his pride starve to death.
** The hyenas rhetorically question each other about the cub presence in the graveyard scene, Ed concluding with a hysterical laugh. They echo themselves at the end when discussing the fate of Scar, but with a much darker overtone:
--->"Ed?" ('' Evil laughter'')
* MeaningfulName: Several names can be translated from Swahili (except Ed, Timon, Scar and Mufasa), but it is more or less meaningful for each character:
** Simba means lion in Swahili and, indeed, [[ADogNamedDog Simba is a lion]].
** Scar, who has a very obvious one across the left eye. There may be a heavy background behind this, but it is never detailed in the film. According to ''The Lion King: Six New Adventures'', his Swahili name is Taka, meaning both "garbage" and "want". He certainly wants his brother's kingdom, and being named garbage his whole life might explain his envy of his brother, see below.
** The origin of Mufasa's name is not certain, either meaning king in manazoto or being a tribute to an ancient Kenyan king, but with no proofs for both.
** Pumbaa means foolish. It's right that he's not especially smart and gets often fooled by Timon, although he has also moments of perspicacity.
** Rafiki means friend. He looks like to be a precious adviser for the king, and his advices are indeed decisive in resolving Simba's inner conflict.
** Zazu means movement. Of course, since he is a bird, he moves a lot and fast by flying.
** Shenzi means barbarous. She is part of a species excluded from the "civilized" Pride Lands because they don't respect its rules.
** There is no certainty about the three lionesses:
*** Nala means gift. It can be speculated that's because she is a foreign princess given to the Pride during some diplomatic exchange, but there is no canon indications (although her father is now clearly established to not be Scar or Mufasa).
*** Sarabi means mirage and Sarafina means bright star. Hard to tell without more backstory.
* MelancholyMusicalNumber: Zazu begins singing "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" while moping in a ribcage in Scar's lair. Scar objects that the song is too maudlin, and commands Zazu shift to one with "more bounce to it." Mockingly, Zazu shifts to "It's A Small World After All", which Scar finds even worse.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: Almost nothing Scar says to Simba before or after the stampede is ''untrue'', which has the dual effect of covering his tracks and appealing to his twisted sense of humor.
-->"Simba, it's to ''die'' for."\\
If it weren't for you, he'd still be alive.\\
If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive! Do you deny it?
* MightyRoar: Used a lot by the lions whenever they are about to do something awesome, though Simba as a cub can only give an anticlimatic meow (TruthInTelevision: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH8bkmm9XlY lion cubs can't roar, only mewl adorably]]).
* MillionMookMarch: The goosestepping hyenas in "Be Prepared".
* MisplacedVegetation: When Banzai falls into the thorns and suffers some AmusingInjuries, Shenzi jokingly calls him "cactus butt". There are no traditional-looking cacti in Africa [[note]] Except for those introduced by Europeans.[[/note]], and the plants that hurt Banzai don't look like cacti, so they probably just used this word because "cactus butt" [[InherentlyFunnyWords sounds funnier]] than "thorn butt".
* MisplacedWildlife:
** Giant anteaters and leafcutter ants -- both species endemic to Latin America -- appear briefly in "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" and "The Circle of Life", respectively.
** All the other fauna is from Africa, but not all are from East Africa where the movie appears to take place (e.g., meerkats like Timon are from South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, and mandrills like Rafiki are from the jungles of West and Central Africa).
** Gorillas are also briefly seen amongst the savannah animals at the end of "The Circle of Life" as well as once in "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", even though gorillas are forest-dwelling primates.
** The rodent who warns Zazu of the hyenas' invasion also counts. He's referred to as a Gopher in related media (which doesn't make sense in itself, since gophers are endemic to the Americas), but he's actually most likely a big-headed mole-rat; said species is only found in the Ethiopian Highlands, VERY far-removed from the Serengeti.
* MoodWhiplash:
** Perhaps most notably when we go from Mufasa and Simba's funeral and Rafiki crossing out Simba's outline to... ''bowling for buzzards!'' (the comic relief was badly needed for some after the past few minutes).
** Just before that, there's Shenzi calling Banzai "cactus butt" right after Mufasa's death.
** Simba's reunion with Nala in the forest is also noticeable. It starts with a fierce battle between the two with Simba trying to protect Timon and Pumbaa, then the two joyfully recognizing each other and them [[FallingInLoveMontage falling in love]] by hanging out around the forest in what can be considered a date. Then the two get into an argument immediately afterwards about Simba coming back to become king and Simba storming off in anger, resembling a temporary break up between the two of them.
** After Simba receives a pep talk from his dead father, he and Rafiki talk about change. Simba admits he's afraid of facing his past. Rafiki then whacks him with a stick; he then uses it as an analogy about how the past can hurt, but you can learn from it. As a result, Simba playfully tosses Rafiki's stick and starts running back to Pride Rock, causing Rafiki to howl in joy.
* MoralLuck: Scar uses this trope to trick Simba [[spoiler: and later the lionesses]] into thinking he's morally responsible for his father's death. [[DramaticIrony While the audience knows Scar masterminded the whole thing]], [[LockedOutOfTheLoop Simba is tricked]] into thinking that his "little roar" in the gorge frightened a nearby heard of wildebeest (which he didn't even know were there) into stampeding, which ended up trampling Mufasa. Scar then leads him to believe that accidentally doing something that unintentionally causes someone else's death is morally the same as intentionally killing them.
-->'''Scar:''' Murderer!\\
'''Simba:''' No! It was an accident!\\
'''Scar:''' If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive! Your fault he's dead. Do you deny it?\\
'''Simba:''' No.\\
'''Scar:''' Then you're ''guilty''.
* {{Mordor}}: The elephant graveyard. The Pride Lands start to resemble it during Scar's reign, partly because he can't be bothered to run it.
* MoreDeadlyThanTheMale: Simba has ''never'' been able to beat his best friend Nala in a fight. He lost to her twice in a row as cubs, and the second time he pounced her when she was distracted. They fight a third time years later as adults and although they are more evenly match, she still pins him the exact same way, flipping him and pinning him down. She snarls down at him and could have possibly killed him before he says her name. [[spoiler:Although Simba does ''eventually'' get a "win" against her, pinning her after tumbling down a hill together, it is more of a romantic moment between the two than a "fight".]]
* MultilingualSong: "The Circle of Life", which has lyrics in both English and Zulu.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:N-R]]
* NailsOnABlackboard: Early on, Scar scrapes his nails on a rock face in order to annoy Zazu.
* NaturalSpotlight: The future king being held to the sky is highlighted by focused sunbeams. There aren't even any clouds to justify the light slits.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Not so much in ideology, but in imagery: the song "Be Prepared", in which Scar rallies the Hyenas into setting up a new age in Pride Rock, ruled by Scar and the Hyenas. The Nazi symbolism is quite clear during a sequence when the Hyenas goose step (the most evilest march ever) by Scar. The scene is directly inspired by ''Film/TriumphOfTheWill''. This makes the song especially chilling if you watch it in either Hebrew or German.
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:Scar attempts to blame Mufasa's death of his hyena army, unaware that [[ExactEavesDropping Banzai, Ed and Shenzi were overhearing him the whole time]]. Not only does Simba not buy it, but it sets the stage for the hyenas turning on Scar]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: When Mufasa's Ghost speaks to the Adult Simba later in the film, he chastises his son for abandoning Pride Rock and his responsibitlies as King. Mufasa does ''not'', however, share with Simba the revelation of his final moments alive: That Scar, ''not'' the Stampede, killed the King. So Simba returns to the Pride Lands still believing he is responsible for Mufasa's death and it nearly derails his entire bid to dethrone Scar (see below) before Simba finally learns the truth.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
** Young Simba had a ''massive'' ego and believed that being King allows one to do anything they want. It is scary to imagine just how easily he could have become a tyrant. By destroying his life, Scar sets in motion the events that proceed to turn Simba into a better person. Some may object that Mufasa would have curbed this trait by teaching him how to rule the kingdom; but it is debatable. One can find the admonition he gives to his son a little too short and light-hearted for the case of a child who nearly died with his friend by going into a place he was ''explicitly'' told not to by ''two'' people on the very day. In parallel, Sarabi seems careless enough to let the crown prince couple take a stroll under the lone supervision of a small powerless hornbill.
** The Hyenas abandoning their pursuit of Simba after he flees the Pride Lands and letting Scar think Simba was dead when he actually wasn't, so Scar ended up leaving him alone, setting off the chain of events that will ultimately end both Scar's rule and the Hyenas running amok in the Pride Lands. In the Hyenas' defense, a lone wandering cub like Simba ''should'' have died in the wastelands under normal circumstanses (be it dehydration, starvation, or local predators). It was just dumb luck for them that Timon and Pumba went 'Bowling for Buzzards' when and where they did and ultimately rescued Simba.
** Scar is being challenged by Simba's return, but he makes the pride turn against Simba by making him still believe he caused Mufasa's death. As he drives Simba towards the cliff, he decides to give a JustBetweenYouAndMe speech in which he tells him what really happened. This helps Simba shake off his guilt, and he gets his HeroicSecondWind against Scar, forcing him to confess his crimes in full view of everyone.
** Scar does it ''again'' in the finale when he hastily tries to save his own skin by shifting all the blame onto the hyenas... within their hearing. This makes the hyenas back off to make him fight Simba alone... and they maul him to death later.
* NoJustNoReaction: Scar wants Zazu to sing him something happy sounding instead of the downtrodden depressing songs he's been singing him.
-->'''Scar:''' Come now, Zazu, sing something happy, with a little... Bounce!\\
'''Zazu:''' (deadpan) ''Iiiit's a Small World Aaaafter Aaaaall-''\\
'''Scar:''' No, NO! [=ANYthing=] but that.
%% * NonIndicativeName: Well, Names: The hyena trio. <--This is a Administrivia.ZeroContextExample, can someone elaborate?
* NonStandardKiss: Simba and Nala nuzzle their faces together as a means of showing affection soon after they run into each other for the first time in years.
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The hyenas break off the chase after Simba manages to lose them in the briar patch. Shenzi had a point that Simba probably ''wouldn't'' survive in the desert. Needless to say, Scar pays for their lack of responsibility years later when Simba returns fully grown.
* NoOntologicalInertia: Scar is killed and within what must be roughly a lion's gestation period [[note]]110 days, if you care[[/note]] the Pridelands have gone from barren and burned back to GhibliHills.
* NotInFrontOfTheKid: Timon interrupts Pumbaa’s lyric while also BreakingTheFourthWall.
-->'''Pumbaa:''' And I felt downhearted / Ev'ry time that I...\\
'''Timon:''' Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids.
* NoYou: When Mufasa is confronting Scar for not coming to Simba's presentation and he starts to turn away.
-->'''Mufasa:''' Don't turn your back on ''me'', Scar!\\
'''Scar:''' Oh, no, Mufasa. Perhaps YOU shouldn't turn YOUR back on me.
* OcularGushers: Timon and Pumbaa cry profusely when they realize they are losing Simba to Nala.
* OddballInTheSeries: In 2017, ''The Lion King''[='=]s everlasting fame and success earned it a spot in the Walt Disney Signature Collection, the third line Creator/WaltDisneyHomeVideo created for the Animated Canon's most lucrative hand-drawn movies (and the first to release any of those movies, including ''TLK'', on Ultra HD and Creator/DisneyPlus). However, it remains the only entry neither supervised by Walt Disney, nor based on a story he made aborted plans to adapt. The press release states that the collection includes films either made or inspired by Walt, subtly turning ''Bambi''[='=]s influence on ''TLK'' into grounds to include both movies.[[note]]''Bambi'' even joined the Signature Collection the same year that ''TLK'' did, as it marked ''Bambi''[='=]s 75th anniversary.[[/note]]
* OddNameOut:
** On a grand scale. All members of the main cast have [[BilingualBonus African names]] (except [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Scar]]). (Scar's real name is Askari). The only one to have a more European sounding name is Ed. He also seems to be, er, mentally challenged.
** Also Timon, whose name is Greek in origin.
* OffhandBackhand: Rafiki takes out a hyena this way during the final battle.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: We do see the events leading up to it, but sadly for the fans, Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu teaming up to scare away Shenzi and Banzai takes place entirely offscreen. Still pretty epic for some, though.
* OhCrap:
** Zazu at the beginning when he realizes Scar is about to try and ''eat'' him. Luckily for him, Mufasa enters JustInTime and Scar spits Zazu out.
** After Simba confidently laughs in the face of danger, he gets this reaction after he hears danger (i.e. the hyenas) laugh back.
** And when Simba says to the hyenas, "Pick on someone your own size!" to which Shenzi responds, "Like... you?" and Simba gets this reaction and says, "Oops."
** The hyenas when they realized that [[PapaWolf Mufasa]] [[DynamicEntry arrived]].
** Simba when he first sees the stampede heading straight for him. One of the rare examples of this not being played for laughs ''at all'', but instead for a dark kind of awesomeness. (Despite this, it provides the page image.)
** Mufasa, when he realizes his son is in the middle of a wildebeest stampede, as well as, in his last moments of life, realizing how insane, dangerous, and power-hungry his brother really is.
** After Mufasa is killed and Scar tells Simba to run away, Simba has one when he sees the hyenas are behind him and realises they intend to kill him.
** Pumbaa, complete with ScreamsLikeALittleGirl, when he happens to spot Nala lining up for a pounce - on ''him''.
** Nala gets one when Simba lunges at her when she's chasing Timon and Pumbaa. Though she quickly gets over it and begins fighting him evenly.
** After smacking Sarabi to the ground for mentioning Mufasa in his presence, Scar notices a very angry looking Simba watching above. Punctuated since he actually thought it was Mufasa himself at first. Then, he realizes that Simba's returning to take his place as the rightful king.
** The hyenas when Scar realizes that they hadn't finished Simba off after his escape from the Pride Lands.
** Simba when Scar corners him on the cliff and whispers to him that Scar killed Mufasa. Seconds later, Scar has one of his own when Simba attacks him and has him tell the truth to the pride.
** Banzai and Shenzi when they realize why calling Pumbaa a pig wasn't the smartest thing to do.
** Scar when he realizes that he is [[TheDogBitesBack about to be killed by his former mooks]] after being thrown off Pride Rock.
* OhCrapSmile: Shenzi and Banzai smile awkwardly after Mufasa caught them preying on Simba and Nala.
* OneManArmy: Don't underestimate Pumbaa; he tears through several dozen hyeans without breaking a sweat.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Ed is usually seen laughing or goofing about. At the end, though, he is visibly pissed off and glaring straight at Scar. Even Shenzi and Banzai look worried at Ed's change of mood.
* OrphanedEtymology: Scar uses several turns of phrase reliant on modern human society, such as the "shallow end of the gene pool" or "the lights are not all on upstairs."
* OverlySpecificAfterlife: The film only mentions that the Great Kings live in the stars upon dying. Nothing is stated about other lions or non-lions.
* PainPoweredLeap: Banzai the hyena jumps about 30 feet into the air after he is knocked into a bramble thicket by the other hyenas.
* PaleFemalesDarkMales: Nearly all the lionesses are lighter compared to the lions, except Sarabi.
* ParentsAsPeople: PlayedForLaughs when Simba tries to wake up his dad before sunrise. Sarabi and Mufasa sleepily argue about who should answer their son's calls.
* PermaStubble: All male hyenas have dark patches around their muzzles that look remarkably like stubble. It's one of the few things that distinguish them from the females. In ''The Lion King 1½'', there is another female hyena -- you can tell because she has no stubble and a thick tuft of fringe.
* PickOnSomeoneYourOwnSize: Simba yells this at the hyenas when they start picking on Zazu. Turns out, it wasn't a very good idea.
-->'''Shenzi:''' ''(to Simba)'' [[SubvertedTrope Like... you?]]
* PlatonicCoParenting: Timon and Pumbaa practically raise Simba from his early childhood. They also insist on helping him on finding out he needs to fight his uncle to reclaim his kingdom. He turned out pretty well, all things considered!
* PleaseWakeUp: In one of the most heartbreaking examples, Simba does this to Mufasa shortly after he dies. It even provides the trope image!
* PlummetPerspective: Several times stones are shown falling off a cliff for effect.
* PopStarComposer: Music/EltonJohn not only composed the songs for the film, but he also sang his own version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", as featured in the ending credits.
* PopulationControl: Cleverly implied. Mufasa was a wise king, and learned 'the circle of life' means balance of predators, prey and the land's resources, and a king must understand, respect and maintain that balance. Scar on the other hand [[spoiler:does not. In elevating the hyenas from scavengers to apex predators he creates [[{{Dystopia}} an unholy union that overwhelms their food source]]. To sustain them, the prey must breed like wildfire, consequently resulting in overgrazing, [[CrapsackWorld turning the lush Pridelands into an arid wasteland]]. Resources exhausted, the herds have no choice but to leave. Scar however refuses to abandon his kingdom ([[FridgeBrilliance as that would mean he's no longer king]]), thus condemning his subjects to death by starvation.]]
* PredationIsNatural: Mufasa explains to Simba that hunting and eating other animals is part of the Circle of Life.
--> '''''Simba:''' But, Dad, don't we eat the antelope?''
--> '''''Mufasa:''' Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eats grass. So we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.''
* PredatorTurnedProtector: Simba fiercely protects his surrogate parents, Pumbaa and Timon, from the hungry Nala. In fact, Timon, initially reluctant to adopt the orphaned Simba due to him being a predator, changes his mind after he realizes he can [[ExploitedTrope exploit]] this trope.
* PreMortemOneLiner:
** Scar says, "Long live the king", before he sends Mufasa to his death.
** Banzai and Shenzi say, "Ed?...", when they are going to kill Scar for his betrayal.
* PreviouslyOverlookedParamour: Simba and Nala initally react to the notion of their betrothal with revulsion as cubs, since they are JustFriends. When they become adults, they realize that their familiarity as cubs makes them more compatible than they thought.
* PrincelingRivalry: [[BrainsEvilBrawnGood Mufasa as the strong first born, and Scar as the smart, plotting second born]] who has been jealous of Mufasa for some time. He doesn't begin his betrayal in earnest until after Mufasa's son is born. Scar murders Mufasa and attempts to kill Simba, Mufasa's child son. Simba lives and leads a charge to defeat Scar in his adult years.
* ProdigalHero: The film follows this with Simba, invoking RightfulKingReturns since he was royalty before fleeing.
* PunctuatedForEmphasis:
** As Scar is about to throw Mufasa to the stampede, he delivers the line "Long. Live. The king."
** When he has Simba in a similar situation towards the end of the movie, he whispers "I. Killed. Mufasa."
** Pumbaa's PreAssKickingOneLiner in response to Banzai calling him a pig. "They! Call! Me! MIS-ter Pig!"
* PuttingOnTheReich: The hyenas [[MillionMookMarch goose-stepping in grid formations]]. The animators based the sequence on ''Triumph of The Will''. On top of that, Scar's rhetoric is right out of Hitler's mouth:
-->'''Scar:''' '''I''' ''will be king! Stick with me, and you'll NEVER GO HUNGRY AGAIN!!!''
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: After a brief fight with Nala about returning to the Pride Lands to take his place as king, an upset and conflicted Simba yells up to the skies where he knows his late father now rests ("You [Mufasa] always said you would be there for me! But you're not... and it's because of me. It's my fault").
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Simba briefly has this towards his dead father, before it turns into [[ItsAllMyFault rage against himself]].
-->'''Simba:''' You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. It's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault.
* RagtagBandOfMisfits: The group to take back the Pride Lands: Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa and although he comes in later, [[SixthRanger Rafiki]]. It's unknown exactly where Zazu fits in, however.
* RecurringCameraShot: First it's Mufasa dangling from a cliff, later we see Simba in the exact same situation. Lampshaded by Scar:
-->"Hmm, where have I seen this before? Let me think. Hmm. Oh yes. I remember. [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied This is just the way your father looked before he died.]]"
* RecycledInSpace: The film [[TheBardOnBoard is based]] on ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', recycled in the Serengeti.
* RedemptionInTheRain: It's raining when Simba climbs Pride Rock at the end. A clear case of the rain being "purifying" and symbolizing new life, as the sequence includes a gazelle's skull being dislodged and washed away.
* RelativeButton: Simba is losing the fight against Scar, and about to die, when Scar makes the mistake of boasting that he killed Mufasa the same way, resolving Simba's guilt about being the cause of Mufasa's death and giving him the HeroicSecondWind to turn the tables.
* TheResenter: Scar resents Mufasa and Simba being ahead of him in line for the throne, believing he should get it instead and bearing ill will against both of them because of it.
--> "I was first in line - until the little hairball was born."
%%** Also The hyenas toward the lions.
* RestrainedRevenge: Downplayed and played for laughs; during "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" Simba pulls Nala into the lake, which she is [[CatsHateWater visibly shocked by]]. After getting out, she grins at Simba and playfully shoves him back in as revenge before running off. This is then followed by Simba chasing her into the forest, leading to them playfully wrestling like when they were cubs and [[spoiler:Simba ''finally'' managing to beat Nala by pinning her, putting an end to her winning streak against him]]. The two just chuckle at this series of events before realizing they have fallen in love with each other.
* RevisedEnding: The original ending to the movie would've had Scar actually throw Simba off Pride Rock at the end of the fight ([[UngratefulBastard after Simba tries to save his life]]). Scar then dies laughing hysterically as the fires surrounding Pride Rock engulf it, burning him to death. Simba survived the fall (ironically meaning Scar throwing him off Pride Rock saved his life) and then meets up with Nala after the fires are put out. This was changed as the filmmakers felt this wouldn't have really brought Scar to justice for his actions.
* RibcageRidge: The elephant graveyard is filled with elephant bones, mainly ribcages, often used as terrain.
* RightBehindMe: Scar doesn't realize the hyenas are close enough to hear him tell Simba that the hyenas were the real enemies. Unusually for this trope, Scar doesn't immediately find out they were right there. It's revealed to him a few minutes later when they decide to kill him.
* RoyalHarem: G Rated version. The lion king lives surrounded by females to mate with. They also qualify for AmazonBrigade, since they're the ones doing most of the hunting. TruthInTelevision in regards to lion behavior.
* RuleOfCool: The ground rising up beneath Scar in the last verse of "Be Prepared" doesn't really make any sense, but looks quite epic.
* RuleOfSymbolism:
** There are quite a number of Christian parallels, which is unsurprising considering lions being associated with God and Jesus for centuries. There's Simba's apparent resurrection--Nala says to him "It's like you're back from the dead" and is informed "The King has returned" in a manner rather reminiscent of Mary Magdalene in the garden with the open tomb, and both Scar and Sarabi think he is his father come back from the dead. There's the FisherKing analogy, with Simba's fight with Scar being easily related to Jesus combating Satan after his SecondComing. There's Simba's anointment by Rafiki, his reluctance to do his father's will, and Mufasa's divine image declaring Simba his son and the true king.
** An example without the religious undertones, but still fraught with portent: the image of Simba's little paw stepping into his father's huge pawprint, that one he will one day fill as king. [[EarnYourHappyEnding After much hardship]], he does. The directors' commentary highlights it as the image that sums up the plot, to the point [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71pCGJSF0lL._AC_SY741_.jpg the remake used it on the first poster]].
** The story of Moses is heavily referenced, in that Simba, the would-be king, is driven into the desert where he spends years trying to forget his past until a God-like apparition appears and tells him to liberate his homeland.
** Scar is killed by being thrown into a fiery chasm and then eaten by the hyenas he double crossed, akin to someone being thrown into hell and tortured by demons.
** The directors' commentary says that the drought during Scar's reign is this, quoting "The King restoreth the land!"
* RunningGag: Simba's complete inability to beat Nala in a fight. She beats him twice in a row as cubs, even when he was the first to pounce, and later as adults he gets pinned throw the same trick. It's even given a ContinuityNod in the sequel. [[spoiler:The only time Simba ever ''was'' able to beat Nala was by complete accident, landing on top of her after tumbling down a hill together and finally pinning her.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-T]]
* SadBattleMusic: The stampede scene. It sounds like an epic battle, but tapers off into a melancholy dirge.
* SapientEatSapient:
** Part of the hyena's failure to kill Simba and Nala is that they're too busy taunting them with their dinner plans to actually kill them.
** Timon and Pumbaa save Simba only after agreeing that they can ''convince'' him not to eat them.
** The only one even remotely upset with Nala's attempt to eat Pumbaa is Timon, and only for a moment. Though he is still afraid of her when she wakes him up.
** While left ambiguous, it's implied the hyenas ''ate'' Scar after turning on him.
* SayMyName:
** In the elephant graveyard, Nala calls out "Simba!" when she starts falling behind. Simba rushes back to save her from Shenzi.
** Also Scar's yell of "SARABI!" when Simba returns to the Pridelands, before they realise he's still alive.
* ScaredOfWhatsBehindYou: When the hyenas corner Simba, they encourage him to try to roar. He does, and it's a fearsome lion's roar. It's actually Mufasa.
* ScavengersAreScum: Lions seem to only hunt (in RealLife lions scavenge as well). The series avoids CarnivoreConfusion by presenting this as a normal part of "the Circle of Life". Despite this hyenas are the antagonists of the first film, and are portrayed as the constantly hungry and brutish lackeys of Scar.
* SceneryBasedSocietalBarometer: though the effects of the king's leadership extend all over the Pride Lands, the narrative remains focussed primarily on Pride Rock itself. As such, the Rock serves a gauge for the health of the Pride lands as a whole: under Mufasa, the Rock is lit by bright sunshine under blue skies, and the surrounding area is lush and green; during Scar's tyrannical reign, the Rock has turned barren and the skies seem perpetually dark and overcast - reflecting the fact that the rest of the Pride Lands have been gripped by a massive famine. When Simba unseats Scar, the Rock is green and flourishing once again.
* SceneryGorn: The Pride Lands are absolutely ''destroyed'' by the end of Scar's rule. When Simba returns home to challenge him for the throne, it has been reduced to a barren, lifeless wasteland riddled with the carcasses of the hyenas' dead prey, with not one patch of grass or a drop of water to be seen for miles around; all of it the result of unchecked consumption on the part of both Scar and his minions, who have driven all the herds away that once inhabited the lush plains. Even more so during the final battle, where a lightning storm sets the land aflame before the rains come to end the destruction.
%%* SceneryPorn: Especially during "The Circle of Life".
%%** Lampshaded when Simba gets a good look at Timon and Pumbaa's jungle. "It's beautiful!"
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Pumbaa when he sees adult Nala about to pounce on him. Although Pumbaa screams quite a bit in this movie, he lets out a high girlish scream among catching sight of Nala instead of how he normally yells.
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem:
** Scar during his reign as king. He plainly states "I am the king! I can do whatever I want!"
** Simba had this attitude as a cub too, though in a much more innocent way. He believed as king he could make or get rid of any rules with nobody to tell him what to do. He mainly wanted to get rid of his betrothal to Nala since neither of them wanted to marry their best friend, and later said he would fire Zazu.
* SeldomSeenSpecies:
** Several, most famously Timon the meerkat. Most people in the Americas had no idea what a meerkat was before this film was released.
** There is also the topi, an otherwise obscure species of antelope that appears during ''The Circle of Life'' and is later featured more prominently in ''Simba's Pride''.
* SelfImposedExile: Simba, on the "advice" of [[EvilUncle Scar]], runs away from the Pridelands after he's convinced that he killed his father.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Scar subverts this trope by framing Simba for Mufasa's death.
* SequelHook: The birth and presentation of Simba and Nala's cub at the end. Sure enough, the sequel features Simba's cub, who turns out to be a female much to Timon and Pumbaa's chagrin.
* ShadowDiscretionShot: The camera pans to Scar's shadow when [[spoiler:the hyenas gang up on him. All the audience gets is a silhouette of him when the hyenas pounce him and eat him alive.]]
* ShoutOut:
** To ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': Scar talks briefly to the skull of a prey in what seems like a shout-out to the famous "Alas poor Yorrick" scene in ''Hamlet''.
** To ''Film/InTheHeatOfTheNight'':
--->'''Pumbaa:''' [[TheyCallMeMisterTibbs THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!]]
** Pumbaa's repeated line of "Are you talking to me?" is reminiscent of Robert De Niro's in ''Film/TaxiDriver''.
** There's a more subtle one as well: Timon riding Pumbaa out of a desert mirage in a manner very reminiscent of Literature/DonQuixote.
** Additionally, the climactic ThunderousConfrontation between Simba and Scar also includes a bolt of lightning striking a tree and starting [[BattleAmongstTheFlames a brush fire]], very much like during the climactic fight with Shere Khan in ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967''.
** During the song "Be Prepared", two hyenas wave skeletons of creatures, creating shadow images of them "dancing" that imitate the dancing skeletons from "[[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} Night on Bald Mountain]]", right down to the curving, "noodly" movements.
** A quick, rather flippant one: [[ItMakesSenseInContext While Scar is signing 'Lovely Bunch of Coconuts']], he [[AlasPoorYorick holds up a baboon skull]] and moves its jaw to the lyrics. While the context is very different from the original play, one can't help but be reminded by the Shakespearian inspiration of the film.
* ShownTheirWork:
** Yes, lion cubs can and ''do'' eat bugs, and live off them if necessary. (Though it's much more of a stretch to imagine an ''adult'' lion living off them).
** The fight between Simba and Scar (rearing up and furiously cuffing each other) is based off of how male lions actually fight, as their manes provide some protection to the neck. The way they only swing one paw at a time is also accurate. Lions will hit with one paw and use the other for balance or support. [[UpToEleven Tigers use both at the same time]].
** Shenzi leads Banzai and Ed, as well as some of the other hyenas in the climax. In RealLife, female hyenas sit higher on the pecking order than males do.
** Zazu briefly mentions elephants getting annoyed at tick birds pecking at them. Contrary to popular belief, tick birds/oxpeckers are thought by many zoologists to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxpecker#Diet_and_feeding actually be parasitic birds that are really after an animals blood]] (they typically eat ticks that are already bloated with blood, which seems contradictory to their supposed duties as custodians) and even when they do seem to be trying to help, it's clear from their hosts' reactions that they [[UnwantedAssistance don't appreciate it]]. Elephants have actually been reported to try and dislodge tick birds, in fact, an occurrence which Zazu may well be referring to.
* SiblingMurder: Scar [[spoiler:killed his brother Mufasa]] to take over the Pridelands. He made [[spoiler:his nephew Simba believe he killed his father and let him run away, though Simba didn't end up dying like expected and came back after a PlotRelevantAgeUp]].
* SicklyGreenGlow: Much of [[VillainSong "Be Prepared"]] and the dialogue leading up to it is suffused with lime green light, before changing to a hellish red as the song comes to the final chorus.
* SidekickSong: "Hakuna Matata", sung by the main character as well.
* SkyFace: Simba sees his deceased father's face in the night sky, telling him, "Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king."
* SlasherSmile: One of the hyenas during Scar's final scene, complete with BlankWhiteEyes.
* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: Animals are anthropomorphised to varying extents. This even varies with animals of the same species -- compare Timon with the meerkats that appear in the opening of "Circle of Life".
* SmoochOfVictory: During "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" Nala surprises Simba with a lick on the cheek [[spoiler:after he finally pins her]] and the two begin to nuzzle shortly afterwards, the animal style of kissing.
* SmugSmiler: Downplayed. The first time Nala pins Simba, she giggles and playfully teases him "pinned ya", but after he tries pouncing her again and they roll down a hill, she once again beats him and smirks down at him and teases him for losing again, more smug than playful.
-->'''Nala''': Pinned ya ''again''.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: A non-verbal example occurs when Simba first encounters Nala as an adult. When she uses her trademark flip-and-pin move on him, he realizes her identity.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: If the film is taken as an adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', then the equivalents of Hamlet himself (Simba), Gertrude (Sarabi), Polonius (Zazu), and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Timon and Pumbaa) all live, whereas the play has them all die in the end.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is Pumba(a)'s name spelled with one or two A's? Official media uses "Pumbaa".
* StargazingScene: Simba, Timon and Pumbaa spend a night staring at the stars and wondering exactly what they're made of. Timon guesses fireflies, Pumbaa [[DumbassHasAPoint guesses they're "giant balls of gas"]], and Simba mentions the story he was taught as a cub, that stars are really the ancient kings of the past watching over them, showing how he still hasn't fully moved on from his past.
* StarsAreSouls: Simba says he was taught that the stars are the spirits of the old kings, which gets a confirmation when he later receives a starry vision of his father. Timon, on the other hand, claims that stars are fireflies that got stuck in the sky. That ''also'' got confirmed... by ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''.
* StealthInsult:
** This exchange between Simba and Scar:
--->'''Simba:''' When I'm king, what'll that make you?\\
'''Scar:''' A monkey's uncle.
** Maybe not an intentional example, but this bit when the hyenas notice Scar.
--->'''Banzai:''' Oh Scar. It's just you.\\
'''Shenzi:''' We were afraid it was somebody important.
* SteamrolledSmartGuy: Zazu tries to teach a young Simba about the responsibilities of being a king. Simba is completely disinterested in these lessons. Zazu shows his frustration with birdlike screeches and squawks as he tries to keep Simba's attention.
* StinkSnub: In one scene, the hyenas are spitefully listing things they don't like about the lions. Shenzi calls them "stinky."
* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion:
-->'''Pumbaa:''' And I got down-hearted...\\
'''Timon:''' How did you feel?!\\
'''Pumbaa:''' Every time that I--\\
'''Timon:''' Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Simba may be the protagonist, but he has spent the vast majority of his life lazing around in the jungle and eating insects, with none of the experience or training in hunting large game that he would have received back home. Nala, on the other hand, grew up under Scar's reign and had to struggle and hunt to survive. When the two meet again after years apart, they don't recognize each other at first, and when Simba fights her to protect Timon and Pumbaa, he is only briefly able to hold her down, due to catching her off guard. Instead of the hero overcoming a new foe and prevailing, Simba is outmatched against a more skilled opponent who got the better of him even when they were kids, and only manages to survive the fight by recognizing the move Nala uses to beat him with and remembering her for using it.
** Earlier in the movie, Simba disobeys his father's direct orders, lies to his mother, and nearly gets himself, his friend, and Zazu killed in an extremely dangerous place. Now, most movies starring a child protagonist would have the parents just be releived that the child is okay and smother them with hugs and kisses. This movie? Mufasa is ''pissed'', yelling at Simba that he could have been killed and purposly disobeyed him.
* SurroundedByIdiots: Scar says this exact quote about the hyenas. Interestingly, he said this about said hyenas playing [[TheHyena their species']] trope straight, more specifically them goofing around with Bonzai saying Mufassa's name to Shenzi's delight, and not the mission they had recently failed.
* SustainedMisunderstanding:
-->'''Nala:''' Have you guys seen Simba?\\
'''Timon:''' I thought he was with you.\\
'''Nala:''' He was but now I can't find him. Where is he?\\
'''Rafiki:''' [''chuckles''] You won't find him here. The King has returned.\\
'''Nala:''' I can't believe it. He's gone back!\\
'''Timon:''' "Gone back?" Whaddaya mean?\\
[''looks up and sees Rafiki has disappeared'']\\
'''Timon:''' Hey, what's going on here? Who's the monkey?\\
'''Nala:''' Simba's gone back to challenge Scar.\\
'''Timon:''' Who?\\
'''Nala:''' Scar.\\
'''Pumbaa:''' Who's got a scar?\\
'''Nala:''' No, no, no. It's his uncle.\\
'''Timon:''' The monkey's his uncle?\\
'''Nala:''' No! Simba's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king.\\
'''Timon''' and '''Pumbaa:''' (''beat'') Oh.
* TalksLikeASimile: When Zazu's intervention lets the field mouse Scar was going to eat escape, Scar dryly notes, "Now look, Zazu, you made me lose my lunch." Zazu replies, "You'll lose more than that when the king gets through with you! He's as mad as a hippo with a hernia."
* TastesLikeChicken: Timon says this phrase while eating a grub as big as himself in the middle of "HakunaMatata".
* TemptingFate:
** "Danger? I walk on the wild side! I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha!" [[OhCrap Cue the hyenas laughing back...]]
** When Simba roars at the hyenas, Shenzi taunts him into doing it again. Then Mufasa shows up...
* ThatManIsDead:
-->'''Nala:''' What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember.\\
'''Simba:''' You're right, I'm not! Are you satisfied?
* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: Many fans old enough to remember when ''The Lion King'' first came to DVD find that "Morning Report" was an unneeded addition to the film, since the movie didn't have it originally, nor in prints and home video releases struck from 2011 onward. It isn't a terrible song, nor ''completely'' irrelevant (it's in the stage versions of the movie, too), but it didn't exactly advance the plot or provide much (if any) character development.
* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs:
** When Simba says "Banana Beak is scared", Zazu says "It's MISTER Banana Beak to you, fuzzy!"
** Pumbaa does [[BerserkButton NOT]] like being called a "pig", and when the hyenas do so towards the end, he says "They call me MISTER PIG!" before kicking their butts.
* TheyDiedBecauseOfYou: Right after murdering Mufasa, Scar tells Simba that he's responsible for Mufasa's "accidental" death.
* ThinkOfTheCensors: "Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!"
* ThisBearWasFramed: Scar uses stampeding wildebeests to murder Mufasa -- an odd example of an animal using other animals to make the murder of another animal look like an (accidental) animal attack.
* ThisCannotBe: "Mufasa??? No, you're dead." [[SubvertedTrope Of course, Mufasa IS dead and we all already knew it at this point]].
* ThisIsGonnaSuck:
** Mufasa is angry at Simba after needing to save him at the elephant graveyard and says he needs to teach his son a lesson. Simba cowers and hesitates before coming to his father's side.
** Timon points this out to Pumbaa after realizing Simba is more interested in Nala than them.
** The hyenas react this way when Simba returns, since they now have a vengeful fully grown cub and their angry boss confronting them about not doing the job properly the first time.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Simba says "You don't deserve to live" to Scar as soon as he corners him after hitting him with a "Murderer" to which Scar had responded with "Simba, Simba, please. Please have mercy. I beg you."
* ThoseTwoGuys: Timon and Pumbaa are close friends, contrast each other visually and personality-wise, and act as comic relief in an otherwise fairly serious story. They generally provide funny comments, such as singing about how they are aghast that Simba and Nala have reunited in "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".
%%** Banzai and Ed
* TooDumbToLive: [[BigBad Scar]] really shouldn't have lied to Simba about Mufasa's death by blaming it on the hyenas. [[TheDogBitesBack He pays for it dearly]].
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample**Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu and the hyenas all show this at one point or another.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: Timon and Pumbaa, while helpful in raising Simba and bringing him out of misery, convince him to ignore his past and responsibilities. Justified in that they didn't know he was the king; when Timon finds out, he wants to know why Simba didn't tell them. He and Pumbaa also come to Pride Rock to help Simba take it back, because he's family.
%%* TruckDriversGearChange: Several times.
* TwoActStructure: The first half of the movie is about Simba's childhood and Scar's plot to become King. The second half is adult Simba coming to terms with his guilt and grief and deciding to reclaim his throne from Scar. The [[Theatre/TheLionKing musical]] similarly follows this thread by ending Act 1 with Hakuna Matata and the reveal of Adult Simba.
* {{Tyrannicide}}: At the end of the movie it is implied that the tyrannical Scar is killed (and devoured) by his own starving hyena henchmen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:U-Z]]
* UnderestimatingBadassery: As cubs, Simba tries to pounce on Nala after they get into an argument over who deserves credit for the two of them losing Zazu, with Simba trying to give himself credit for both the plan and pulling it off but Nala saying it was ''her'' idea and he pulled it off ''with'' her. After pouncing Nala, she easily flips Simba and pins him with almost no effort, [[IWasBeatenByAGirl much to his shock and embarrassment]]. After shoving her off him he [[SoreLoser tries to pounce her again while she isn't looking]] but after sending them over a hill she ends up pinning him once again, and smugly rubs it in his face.
* UndyingLoyalty: Zazu and Rafiki display unwavering loyalty to the royal family. Timon and Pumbaa develop the same loyalty through their friendship with Simba.
-->'''Timon:''' Well Simba, if it's important to you, we're with you to the end!
* UnsportsmanLikeGloating: Downplayed with Nala teasing Simba after pinning him as cubs. The first time she beats him she chuckles and playfully teases him "Pinned ya" with a big smile, showing its in good fun. After he pushes her off him though she has a smug victorious smile on her face. After she immediately beats him again after he pounces her again, she smirks down at him and taunts him "pinned ya ''again''" in a more smug and arrogant voice than her previous playful one. Possibly justified as Simba had previous [[GladIThoughtOfIt tried to take credit for her idea]][[note]]Though it might actually not have been HER idea[[/note]] and ''he'' was the one who started both of the fights, but still noticeable as Simba is her best friend and was prince at the time.
* VerbalBackspace: A few examples:
** When Scar is king, Zazu and Banzai have to back up from mentions of Mufasa, which Scar has forbidden.
** Then at the end, Scar has to defend himself from the hyenas, whom he tried to {{scapegoat}} while bargaining for his life against Simba. [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath They were too hungry to listen to him]].
* VertigoEffect: During the wildebeest stampede, as Simba realizes they are heading straight for him.
* VillainDecay: Scar starts out as a ManipulativeBastard that manipulates everybody and actually achieves his goal by [[TheStarscream usurping the throne]]. And after that he degrades into a whiny oaf, a terrible leader, and a ManChild, as he acts like an overgrown toddler. Granted, [[InvokedTrope that's the entire point]]: Scar wants the title and privileges of being king, not the responsibilities, and indeed only becomes a threat again when he's challenged.
* VillainousBadlandHeroicArcadia: Scar and the hyenas lurk in the ElephantGraveyard, a grey, rocky wasteland filled with bones and massive skeletons and visible from Pride Rock as a patch of shadow on the horizon. Scar manages to turn the Pride Lands into a second version of this once he takes over -- somehow, he's such a terrible ruler that the rain stops falling, the rivers dry up and all the animals leave; the first thing that happens when Simba kicks him out is that [[CueTheRain the rain starts falling again]]. A big part of the hyenas' motivation for following Scar to begin with is based on getting access to the Pride Lands and the abundant food there, which they normally can't get because the lions keep them out and their own home base has nothing to eat.
* VillainousGlutton: The hyenas were driven away from the Pride Lands prior to the film both due to the species' apparently innate sadism and because their over-eating habits are capable of throwing off the balance of the circle of life. Once Scar usurps the throne and allows them to hunt freely in his kingdom, it only takes a few years for the lush fields to be replaced by a wasteland, rivers to dry out and prey populations to decay.
* VillainRevealsTheSecret: Scar exploits this trope to blame Simba for his father's death. Much to the latter's mother's horror and awe, the young lion publicly admits his crime. It turns out in the following NearVillainVictory that Simba was innocent in the first place (well, the audience knew that since the first part of the movie).
* VillainRecruitmentSong: Much of the song "Be Prepared" is Scar persuading the hyenas to support him.
* VillainSong: "Be Prepared" is a song about Scar's plans to take over the land.
* VisualPun: In "I Just Can't Wait to be King", Simba says that "I'm gonna be the ''mane'' event" while he has a mane of leaves on his face.
* VineSwing: Simba swings on vines, usually with his mouth, this a few times.
* WalkIntoCameraObstruction: During the song "I Just Can't Wait to be King" where [[TheArtifact the giraffes]] are throwing Simba and Nala and Simba's stomach fills up the screen.
* WasItAllALie: Invoked; when Scar cowers before Simba and says the hyenas made him kill Mufasa, Simba doesn't buy it. He growls, "Why should I believe you? Everything you told me was a lie." That includes professing he cared about Simba as a cub, blaming him for his father's death, and calling him a murderer.
* WeirdMoon: There is a shot at night at Pride Rock where we see the moon and the horns of the crescent extending an average of three-quarters of a circle, essentially rendering Earth smaller than the moon.
* WellDoneSonGuy: In an interesting variation, Simba becomes this for the second half of the movie. Although anything but an emotionally distant father, Mufasa is often preoccupied with the duties of the throne, and Simba certainly sees him as a hero, worshiping [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3gyi8PDhV1rv7iuso1_500.jpg the ground his paws tread upon]]. But there is no indication Simba ever doubts he has his father's love or respect... until Scar convinces him he is to blame for his father's death. Then, overcome with remorse and believing no one could ever forgive him, he voluntarily goes into exile. It is Mufasa's ghost, chiding him for forgetting telling him "You are my son and the one true king," that sets him back on the right path again. And with a simple, single word, "Remember..." he lets his son know that while he was disappointed in him for abandoning the Pride Lands and forgetting who he used to be, as long as he is true to himself and who Mufasa raised him to be, his spirit will be very proud of him indeed.
* WeNeedADistraction: When Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa sneak back to Pride Rock they encounter a pack of hyenas blocking their way leading to a classic GilliganCut.
-->'''Simba:''' C'mon Timon, you guys have to create a diversion.
-->'''Timon:''' What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?
* WhamLine:
** When Scar shows up to feed the hyenas and chide them for not killing Simba or Nala. Banzai asks, "What were we supposed to do? Kill Mufasa?" Scar leans forward and smirks. "[[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder Precisely.]]" Scar then starts explaining via [[VillainSong "Be Prepared"]] his plan to get rid of Mufasa and Simba.
** The hyenas approach Scar after Simba tosses him off Pride Rock. When he calls them friends, Shenzi laughs and says, "Friends? I thought he said we were the enemy." Cue a horde of hungry hyenas eating Scar alive.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What ''did'' happen to Scar's hyenas after Scar was defeated? Of course, given the editing, it's possible that they were consumed in the wildfire around Pride Rock during the climax (the [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride sequel]] implies Scar ultimately burned to death, lending credence to this).
* WhatMeasureIsANonCute: While mammals and birds are shown to be intelligent and capable of speech and forming relationships, insects are treated like, well, insects, with the insectivores Timon and Pumbaa eating live insects at the same leisure as a herbivore eating grass.
* WhatsAHenway: This bit from "Hakuna Matata":
-->'''Pumbaa:''' It's our motto!\\
'''Simba:''' What's a motto?\\
'''Timon:''' Nothing, what's a-motto with you?
* WhatSongWasThisAgain: "Be Prepared" gets changed a lot in foreign language dubs.
* WhosOnFirst: Nala's attempt to explain matters to Timon and Pumbaa after Simba decides to return home:
-->'''Timon:''' Hey, what's going on here? Who's the monkey?\\
'''Nala:''' Simba's gone back to challenge Scar.\\
'''Timon:''' Who?\\
'''Nala:''' Scar.\\
'''Pumbaa:''' Who's got a scar?\\
'''Nala:''' No, no, no. It's his uncle.\\
'''Timon:''' The monkey's his uncle?
* WidelySpacedJailBars: Scar has Zazu trapped in a cage that appears to be made of bones that it looks like he could easily walk right out of if he just tucked in his wings and sucked in his gut a little.
* AWorldHalfFull: An excellent example given how dark some of the film can be. Simba loses his father and is convinced by his uncle that it was his fault. He goes into exile for a long time but eventually overcomes his guilt after his father's ghost chides him and goes back to tell his uncle to step down and take his place. He ends up triumphing, of course.
%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* XanatosSpeedChess: A talent of Scar's although he ultimately [[KarmicDeath does it a little too much]].
* XylophonesForWalkingBones: A xylophone can be heard throughout "[[VillainSong Be Prepared]]", but while bones are seen throughout, there aren't any living skeletons. One quick scene does come close, though: two hyenas are playing with some skeletons, pretending to make them dance. There's also a hyena playing the xylophone part on a ribcage.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: The reason why Simba goes into exile is that Scar tells him he is to blame for Mufasa's death. Rafiki shows him that Mufasa is alive -- inside of Simba -- and his memory makes it clear to Simba that he doesn't blame his son for what happened, but tells him the right thing to do is return to Pride Rock and retake his place. As Simba is still hesitating, Rafiki whacks him with a stick to demonstrate how the past can hurt, but he can learn from it and then confront his demons. Simba decides to toss away Rafiki's stick and return.
* YouKilledMyFather: When Simba realizes that Scar killed Mufasa, he pins him down and yells '''"Murderer!"'''
%%* YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb: Simba and Nala going to the ElephantGraveyard, where they are nearly eaten by the hyenas. Even though the young cub Simba was advised by his protective father Mufasa not to go there.
* YouWontLikeHowITaste: When the hyenas complain to Scar about the lack of food, Scar just tells them to eat Zazu. Zazu gets terrified and tells the hyenas that he'd be too gamey and tough for them to chew. Scar snidely says he'll taste fine with some lemon.
* ZergRush:
** At the climax of the movie, dozens of hyenas pounce on Scar and eat him alive. He barely gets time to struggle.
** In the original script and some picture book adaptations, Scar doesn't make Simba "confess" to killing Mufasa. He sets the hyenas on him, nearly forcing Simba off the cliff. The reason why the lionesses don't help is because the ambush is too sudden, and they have a barricade of hyenas standing between them.
[[/folder]]