Final Essay

Who amongst us can forget the awe-inspiring scene at the start of The Lion King, where the animals of the wild African prairie make their way to Pride Rock to celebrate the arrival of the future king amidst the backdrop of the rising sun and the stirring, rising African tribal rhythm that is the song ‘Circle Of Life’? Who amongst us can forget the irrepressible Hades from Hercules voiced by an equally irrepressible James Woods, spouting wit and one-liners like nobody’s business? Yes, The Lion King and Hercules truly left us with some good memories. Although the 2 films may look nothing alike at first glance, there are actually many similarities to be found. Now, seeing as these 2 films were produced in the era of the ‘Disney Renaissance’ , the way these 2 films were animated were pretty similar, the only difference lying within the artwork. Even though the plot for both films were radically different, they had some really important things in common, mainly their genre and their themes. Even in their similarities, there still exists subtle differences, and that is what I shall try to explain.

First of all, I’d have to mention the genre of the 2 films. Both these films are melodramas. In The Lion King, Simba is the clear cut protagonist, whereas Scar, his nefarious uncle, is the primary antagonist. The plot is pretty clear, with no ambiguity whatsoever. Scar tricks Simba out of his rightful place as King and into exile. Simba must face his past and stand up to his villainous uncle. Likewise, in Hercules, the plot is also quite simple. Hercules’s evil uncle, Hades, robs Hercules of his immortality at birth as, according to prophecy, Hercules is the only one who can thwart Hade’s plan to take over Mt Olympus. Hercules then sets about regaining his immortality, thwarting Hade’s evil plan in the meantime. In my opinion, the plot was made this way so that there was no room for ambiguity whatsoever, as it wouldn’t sit well with Disney’s primary target audience of younger children. Although they’re both melodramas, The Lion King is the more serious of the two, as the story is influenced heavily by the Shakespearean play Hamlet (McElveen), which again, in my opinion, is that while the plot is simple enough for the children, the literate adult audience wouldn’t find the film ridiculous. Sure enough, there are funny moments in the film, but the nature of the film is, by far, the darkest I’ve ever seen in Disney. In Hercules however, it is just pure fun and hilarity. The story is based on Greek mythology, in its loosest terms, because the true story of Hercules and the story told in the film are just way too different. Hilarious one-liners, numerous references to pop phenomena and funny dialogue, all combine to make this film a really light hearted affair that is targeted chiefly at young children and families. Even though there isn’t any depth in the film, it doesn’t make the film any less enjoyable, because most of the audience of Hercules are usually kids, and they aren’t looking to discover the meaning of life or whatever, instead, they are there chiefly for shits and giggles. That said however, it is interesting to note how both films are so alike and different at the same time.

A similar theme found in both films is the ‘coming-of-age’ theme. In ‘The Lion King’, Simba, a young, carefree prince who has no idea of concepts like ’responsibilities’ and ‘duty’ when he escapes from his kingdom in shame, returns to claim his rightful place as the alpha male of Pride Rock a more thoughtful, mature and responsible adult. Likewise, in ’Hercules’, we see Hercules, the titular character, constantly growing, maturing. We first see him as an insecure adolescent, then, an arrogant, hot-headed, brash, and impulsive young man who is blinded by fame. Lastly, we see him evolve into a character of noble spirit, willing to sacrifice his self, if it means being able to save his loved one. In both films, we see the protagonist maturing, both physically, and mentally, and this manages to strike a chord with us because, as an audience, we’re actually growing alongside them. We look at their mistakes, and we feel a connection, because we’ve made plenty of mistakes growing up too. As an interesting aside, in both films, the journey from boy to man, were depicted in an extremely short montage, not lasting more than 1 minute. In my opinion, this was done deliberately. By skipping the adolescent stage, both films avoid touching on sensitive subjects like teenage angst and puberty and the like, making it easier for younger children to digest the plot, and also to avoid the numerous awkward questions that would follow after the film. Anyways, these 2 great films have shown, in my opinion, the power to not only capture our imaginations, but at the same time, makes us empathize with the protagonist, thus forming a strong bond between us, the audience and the film.

However, although the themes are rather similar, there are a few minor differences. In ‘The Lion King’, there is a darker, more subtle undercurrent, of a more ‘adult’ nature, as opposed to the wild creativity, brightness and cheerfulness of ‘Hercules’. Death and violence, normally airbrushed out of most, if not all animated Disney tales, is very much present in The Lion King. In The Lion King, we see Mufasa being trampled to death by a stampede of wildebeests and a rather graphic and violent fight between 2 full-grown lions. Not only that, while The Lion King is indeed about the coming-of-age of a young boy, it is also very much about guilt and redemption, both rather ’adult’ concepts. In fact, The Lion King is actually a ‘children's facade on a very serious story of responsibility and revenge’. In a chilling parallel with Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Mufasa approached Simba the way Hamlet Sr approached Hamlet Jr, via an apparition that gave them advice that were open to interpretations (McElveen). Although Mufasa does not directly order Simba to kill Scar, it is subtly implied. Again, very adult stuff. Meanwhile, in Hercules, it’s all about adolescence self-discovery and the meaning of the word ‘responsibilities’. Which is cool and all. Except that it isn’t true. According to ancient mythology, Hercules was sired when Zeus seduced Alcmene, a mortal. Jealous Hera, Zeus’s wife, then conned Hercules into murdering his own family, thereafter forcing him to perform 12 impossible tasks, no doubt hoping he’d die in the process. As expected of Disney, they couldn’t have any of this ‘murdering his entire family’ nonsense, therefore in producing Hercules, they’ve cut out what they deemed unacceptable, and transformed what’s left into something totally different, though no less awesome. A light-hearted peek into Greek folklore, aimed at eliciting a laugh a minute with its zany wit and creativity.

There is also another theme that is similar in both films, that of ‘family’ or more specifically, the father-son complex. In The Lion King, Mufasa raises Simba with a stern yet loving hand, striving to find a balance between father and friend. He also gave his own life so that his son Simba may live on. As if that wasn’t enough, he returns as a spirit to offer guidance to Simba just when he (Simba) needed it the most. In Hercules, Hercules has been separated from his true father since birth, and only meets him when he is a teenager, therefore it is hard to judge what kind of father Zeus might have been. Nevertheless, Zeus still offers fatherly guidance and encouragement to his son from time to time, like a father should. In the end of both films, both Hercules and Simba manage to make their fathers proud, again something both films share in common. While there is some generational conflict between Simba and Mufasa, which stems mostly from Simba treating a king’s duties with light-hearted playfulness, their father-son relationship never wavers. Simba always treats his dad with respect. In Hercules, although Hercules is frustrated when told by his dad he can’t return to Mount Olympus just yet, he still treats his father with respect and reverence. The strength of their father-son bond is also shown clearly, when Hercules first rips open a volcano to free his father, and then, when they fight side-by-side to save their home, Mount Olympus. Both films show a strong father-son relationship, keeping in line with Disney’s traditions of producing family-friendly animations.

There is another unrelated difference that I’d like to point out in these 2 films, that is, the role of the female protagonist. In The Lion King, the female protagonist is Nala, Simba’s childhood friend. While in previous Disney films, a romantic relationship between the male and female leads are almost inevitable, this film deviates from the norm, focusing instead on guilt and redemption. That is not to say there is absolutely no hint of a romance. Romance in this film is merely a subplot. In fact, Nala’s contribution to this film seems limited only to coaxing Simba back from exile and giving birth to Simba’s child. However, in Hercules, Meg, Hercules’s love interest and female protagonist, is an extremely vital part of the plot. In fact, the second half of the film itself is about Meg’s budding relationship with Hercules, her subsequent betrayal and defection, and later, her noble sacrifice to save Hercules’s life. In terms of character development, Meg is definitely the more fleshed-out one. In the film, we see why she is always so bitterly cynical. Turns out Meg once sold her soul to Hades to save a man she once loved, only for him to leave her for another woman after her sacrifice. That sucked. How’s that for character development? Whereas in The Lion King, Nala just isn’t there. She’s obviously matured physically, but that’s about the extent of it. She has no back story, no whatever. That’s a pretty major difference right there between these 2 films.

Comparing these 2 films, I find that these two well-crafted masterpieces, created in the golden era of the ‘Disney Renaissance’, through a combination of excellent animations, a stellar cast and good screenplay, have achieved something truly special. This 2 films (especially The Lion King) have managed to become something of an icon for the 90’s, because of its global appeal. Anywhere, anyone, I’m sure they have heard of these 2 films at least once in their lifetime. Although there are quite a few differences between these 2 films, it is these subtle differences that give Disney animations their color and variety, proving that Disney animations aren’t just cut from different ends of the same cloth. In a word, these 2 films are timeless.