The synopsis of the 1994 epic animated film The Lion King (1994).
The Pride Lands are an African savannah ruled by a monarchy of lions. On the morning of Prince Simba's birth, King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi summon their constituents, predator and prey alike, to their capital, Pride Rock. The animals gather, and the wise mandrill shaman Rafiki personally presents the infant Simba to the kingdom of animals he will one day rule.
Later that day, however, one animal is not happy with the presentation of Simba. Scar, Mufasa's younger brother, is angry that Simba's birth means he will never have a chance at inheriting the throne from his older brother. Zazu, the king's majordomo, comes to chastise him, followed by Mufasa himself. Scar makes known his grievances to Mufasa, but when questioned on whether he's challenging Mufasa, he laughs at the idea, since he poses no physical challenge to Mufasa. Meanwhile, Rafiki produces a portrait of the young Simba to commemorate his birth.
Years later, Simba is a rambunctious, impulsive cub. One morning, Mufasa takes him to the top of Pride Rock, and tells his son that one day, his time as king will end, and Simba will replace him. Simba is more impressed with the idea of ruling all of the Pride Lands, and asks Mufasa about a shadowy wasteland to the north. Mufasa tells Simba that it's a place beyond their borders and tells Simba to never go there, though Simba is still excited at the prospect of doing whatever he wants. Mufasa takes Simba onto the savannah and tells him of the balance between every living creature, and that Simba must respect that balance. When Simba questions that on the basis that they prey on animals themselves, Mufasa says that when they die, their bodies decompose into grass, which is eaten by the prey animals.
Zazu arrives, and begins giving Mufasa the morning report of the goings on in the Pride Lands. However, Mufasa takes the time to give Simba an impromptu pouncing lesson, and Simba pounces Zazu, much to his ire. A gopher scout reports to the group that hyenas have crossed into the Pride Lands, and Mufasa ends his lesson with Simba to confront them. Zazu tells Simba that when he's old enough, he'll be the one chasing and attacking the hyenas.
Simba visits his uncle Scar, who loathes having to entertain his innocent nephew. Scar asks Simba if Mufasa showed him the dark region to the north, and when Simba confirms Mufasa told him never to go there, Scar says only the bravest lions go there. With Simba's ego piqued, Scar pretends to let slip that there is an Elephant Graveyard to the north, and makes Simba promise to never go there. Knowing that Simba will disobey him, Scar is delighted as Simba runs off to his mother.
Simba asks his friend Nala to accompany him, and Sarabi gives them permission when Simba claims they're going near the waterhole - with Zazu going with them. Simba and Nala plot to get rid of Zazu, who is delighted to see them interact and announces that they've been betrothed as per Pride Land tradition. The cubs are aghast at the idea of marrying each other, and are able to lose Zazu at the waterhole. The cubs have a wrestling match that Nala wins by kicking Simba back and pinning him, and discover they've arrived in the Elephant Graveyard, a vast wasteland littered in giant elephant skeletons.
Zazu arrives and insists they leave right now, but Simba ignores him. The group are confronted by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, a trio of hyenas who are displeased with the group crossing their borders. Shenzi serves as the matriarch of the clan, and Banzai and Ed as her minions. The hyenas make clear their desire to eat them, with the prince having no political power or protection in the Elephant Graveyard. A chase ensues, and Zazu is shot out of the Graveyard in a geyser. The cubs are chased down and cornered, but Mufasa arrives, having been alerted by Zazu, and defeats the hyenas. After the hyenas flee, Mufasa is furious with Simba and takes the group home, while an angry Scar watches from the shadows.
Zazu takes Nala home, leaving Mufasa to talk with his son, disappointed that he deliberately disobeyed him and put Nala and Zazu in danger. When Simba says he was trying to be brave like his father, Mufasa replies that being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble, and that he was afraid he would lose his son. The discussion defuses into play-time, and as they watch the stars, Simba asks if they'll always be together. Mufasa answers the question by telling him that the great kings of the past watch over them from the stars, and that one day, he will be there to guide him too.
In the Elephant Graveyard, the hyenas lick their wounds before Scar arrives. When the hyenas beg him for some food, Scar expresses his reluctance due to their failure to kill Simba and Nala. Shenzi and Banzai respond by pointing out that they would've succeeded if not for Mufasa, and Scar quickly realizes what must be done. Scar tells the hyenas that if they help him kill Mufasa and Simba, he will become king and will allow the hyena clan to have their run of the Pride Lands as opposed to scavenging in the Elephant Graveyard. The call to arms spreads through the Graveyard like wildfire, and Scar has his army.
The next day, Scar takes Simba to a large, barren gorge and asks him to wait there for his father, who has a surprise for him. What Simba doesn't know is that at the entrance to the canyon, a colossal herd of wildebeest is grazing, being stalked by the hyenas who wait for Scar's signal. As Simba practices his roar, he produces a loud growl at the same time as the hyenas stampede the wildebeest into the gorge. Simba runs for his life, and Scar goes to retrieve Mufasa and Zazu. Mufasa throws himself into the stampede and is able to save Simba, while Scar stops Zazu from going for help by knocking him out. Mufasa is just able to pull himself out of the gorge, and begs for the waiting Scar to help him up... but Scar instead digs his claws into Mufasa's paws, and sneers, "Long live the king." Scar then flings Mufasa back into the gorge, where he is trampled to death by the wildebeest to Simba's horror.
Simba goes down into the gorge once the wildebeest are gone, and finds the crushed body of Mufasa. Simba grieves until Scar arrives, and leads the cub to believe that he caused his father's death. When the horrified Simba asks what he should do, Scar orders him to flee the Pride Lands and never return. Simba obliges, and is chased out of the gorge by the hyenas at Scar's order. Simba flees into a thorn patch and into the desert. Shenzi deduces that Simba will die out there, and that the hyenas will kill him if he ever comes back. At Pride Rock, Scar delivers a eulogy for his brother and nephew to the grieving pride, and takes the throne - and allows the hyena clan to take up residence at Pride Rock. Rafiki mourns and smudges his portrait of Simba.
Some time later, Simba has collapsed in the desert and is about to be eaten by vultures until the meerkat and warthog duo of Timon and Pumbaa arrive to save him. Timon is hesitant about taking in a lion who will grow up into their predator, but Pumbaa convinces him that he will spare them if they help him. The duo bring him back to their oasis, where Simba recovers and insists he's had a terrible past. Timon and Pumbaa encourage him to adopt their philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" - a stress-free life without responsibilities. The pair convince Simba to abandon his carnivorous ways and live off a diet of bugs, and Simba grows to adulthood in the jungle in peace.
Meanwhile, the Pride Lands have been struck by a disastrous drought, and the large amount of predators in the Pride Lands has decimated the prey population. Adding to the situation is Scar's refusal to actually govern the Pride Lands, as he mostly just lounges about enjoying his power. Even Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed privately admit that Mufasa was a better king. Back in the oasis, Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa are watching the stars, and Simba tells the others that he was taught that the kings of the past watch over them from the stars. When Timon and Pumbaa laugh at the idea, however, Simba goes off on his own, hurt. Traces of Simba reach Rafiki's tree, where he reads the tea leaves and realizes that Simba is alive. In a moment of glee, he restores his portrait of Simba and adds a mane.
The next morning, Pumbaa is hunting a tasty bug until he realizes he is being hunted by a hungry lioness. Pumbaa flees into the jungle, the lioness hot on his tail, and he and Timon are cornered until Simba intervenes. The fight is fairly one-sided, and the lioness pins Simba down after kicking him back. Simba recognizes the trick, and realizes the lioness is in fact Nala. The two happily embrace, much to Timon and Pumbaa's confusion. Nala tells Simba that Scar told the pride that Simba died in the stampede, to Simba's confusion. Nala says that Simba is the rightful king, but Simba is hesitant. The two spend a romantic evening together, but afterwards, Nala again asks Simba to retake his place as king at home. Simba is aghast when Nala reveals Scar let the hyenas into the Pride Lands and that the savannah has been devastated by famine and drought, but once again refuses to take responsibility.
Simba storms off into a field, where he's bothered by Rafiki, who confirms he knows he's Mufasa's son. Rafiki leads Simba to a pool, insisting Mufasa is alive, but Simba only sees his reflection in the pool. Rafiki says that Mufasa lives on in Simba, and on cue, a massive storm cloud appears in the sky, adorned by the spirit of Mufasa, who chastises his son for forgetting who he is. Mufasa instructs Simba to take his place in the Circle of Life and return home before disappearing. Rafiki then helps Simba understand that while the past hurts, you can either run from it or learn from it.
Simba returns to the Pride Lands and discovers the sad state of the kingdom, accompanied by Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa. While Timon and Pumbaa distract the legions of hyenas, Simba witnesses Scar confront his mother. Sarabi strongly urges to Scar that they must leave the Pride Lands, but Scar refuses even though the pride is about to starve, and hits Sarabi when she compares him to Mufasa. Simba confronts Scar and reunites with his mother, and Nala rallies the lionesses behind Simba. Scar refuses to step down, and asks if Simba's followers have forgiven him for what he's done. When the pride is confused, Simba confesses to his apparent murder of Mufasa. The pride is so shocked, even if it was an accident, that they do nothing when Scar bullies Simba to the peak of Pride Rock and has him dangling for dear life.
Lightning strikes the dry brush below the peak, sparking a wildfire. As he prepares to throw Simba off Pride Rock, Scar whispers that he was the one who killed Mufasa, confident that the secret will die once and for all with Simba. Instead, this gives an enraged Simba the Heroic Second Wind needed to strike back and pin down Scar. Simba threatens to strangle Scar until he confesses to the rest of the pride. A battle begins as the hyena legions swarm Simba, and Nala and Sarabi lead the lionesses to attack the hyenas, sparking a ferocious battle. Timon and Pumbaa arrive to help fend off the hyenas, as does Rafiki. As the battle rages, numerous hyenas begin fleeing as the wildfire grows in size and threatens Pride Rock. Simba witnesses Scar trying to covertly flee, and chases him to the top of Pride Rock, where Scar begs for mercy, and blames the hyenas for everything, unaware that a fuming Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed overheard him. Simba doesn't believe Scar, but chooses to banish Scar instead of killing him. At first Scar pretends to accept his banishment, but then he starts the fight again when he surprise-attacks Simba, and quickly gains the upper hand. Just as Scar leaps for the kill though, Simba flips Scar off of Pride Rock using Nala's signature kick. This sends Scar plummeting off Pride Rock, and landing on his side at the base of the mountain. Scar survives the fall but is cornered by the furious hyenas, who eat him alive as vengeance for his betrayal.
A rainstorm brews and puts out the flames engulfing Pride Rock. Timon, Pumbaa, Sarabi, Nala, and Zazu reunite with Simba at the base of Pride Rock, but Rafiki signals Simba that he must ascend. Simba hugs Rafiki, who tells him, "it is time." As the rains drench the land, Simba ascends the peak of Pride Rock, and with renewed confidence, roars, becoming the king of the Pride Lands.
The greenery returns to the Pride Lands, as do its animals, and the kingdom gathers at Pride Rock. King Simba and Queen Nala look on in pride as Rafiki presents their newborn cub Kiara to the Pride Lands. The Circle of Life continues.
