JUNE 7 IS DISNEY'S THE LION KING BASED ON THE SUDIATA LEGEND?

JUNE 7 IS DISNEY'S THE LION KING BASED ON THE SUDIATA LEGEND?

On July 19th, Walt Disney is releasing yet another remake of their beloved movie THE LION KING. This time, the studio is using  photo-realistic computer animation, the technique employed in 2017's remake of THE JUNGLE BOOK. Likewise, it looks to be a summer smash, despite the fact that everyone already knows the plot. However, what most people don't know about the plot is that it is based on an African folk hero, Sundiata the (original) 'Lion King.' Or is it?

From the start, Walt Disney used Fairy Tales for his films. For Walt, the focus was on exploring the new medium of film animation. Telling stories was a distant second. At first, folktales from Europe were used. Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Snow White were top-grossing films in the 30's and '40's. Things changed in the 90's, when the re-juvenated animation studio released Aladdin and the Lion King. While Disney writers have acknowledged The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson and French translator Antoine Galland for Aladdin, there is no such recognition for the Malian griots who have been telling the tale of Sundiata for centuries.

Are they the same? Let's examine the legend of Sundiata. The family King Suxlu (Mufasa) is killed by his jealous brother Mamota (Scar). Only Sundiata (Simba) is exiled, because he is severely handicapped and cannot walk. While in exile, Sundiata (Simba) grows massively strong thanks to the animals who raised him. With a lion-sized heart, he returns to the kingdom and overthrows his uncle. This fable has been a favorite of West African griots (story-tellers) for centuries. This difference is the simple fact that folklore from Europe, Arabia and Asia was translated into English centuries ago. The first written translation of the Legend of Sundiata didn't occur until Harold Courlander did so in 1973.

While we were at the DUNER BLOG are well-versed in World Folklore, the question arises: Were the writers of Disney even aware of the Sundiata myth? Is it just a coincidence? The world will just never know. See, screenplay writers are notoriously vague when it comes to the matter. That's why film titles always have the absurd phrase: "Inspired by true events" under the title! In fact, even this Blog isn't actually real, it was: