Lion King revolution

[Jalapeno Enema]

The "villain":

In one of Disney's finest rip-offs to date, The Lion King hyenas were the mangy lowlifes who tried to kill Simba, assisted in the assassination of Mufasa and utterly destroyed the Pride Lands after helping Scar take over as king. Jesus, what is those assholes' problem?

Hold on a minute there:

They want something to eat. That's their problem, and it's only a problem because Mufasa banished them from the Pride Land and forced them to live in an elephant graveyard, which is no place to raise a child, hyena or otherwise. We never know why they were banished to the Pride Slums, leaving us to assume Mufasa's unedited explaination of the Circle of Life went something like this:

Mufasa: Everything you see exists together, in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures-- from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.

Simba: But Dad, don't we eat the antelope?

Mufasa: Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die, our bodies become grass. And the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.

Simba: Wow... Say, Dad, where do the hyenas fit into the great Circle of Life?

Mufasa: Ugh, the hyenas. No, f#@k those guys.

Simba: Yeah, that's fair.

That's the only way to explain how Scar got an entire army of these animals behind him with such dissident slogans as "Stick with me, and you will never go hungry again!" Scar wasn't promising them unlimited power, just the ability to eat and function as members of society. The hyenas were pissed because the oppressive lion regime had reduced them to second-class citizens, hoarding all the pie for themselves.

No wonder they followed Mufasa's brother. What Scar offered the hyenas was a revolution of the common man. He was more or less their four-legged Lenin.
cracked.com (http://www.cracked.com/article_18417_the-lighter-side-dark-side-5-villains-who-were-good.html)

[Fulanito de Tal]

Nice

[Hoplite]

It makes a good (albeit probably un-intended point).

The Lion King is a very "pro status-quo" movie; it reinforces a lot of the cultural mores we have in the US. One reason I do not intend to let my kids watch those movies.

[Psy]

Simba is nothing but a spoiled brat born into the ruling class and Scar is just a fraction of the ruling class that uses class inequality to elevate himself.

Kimba (A.K.A Leo) was much more progressive, true like Simba he was born into the ruling class but that authority was long gone by the time Kimba came back and Kimba had to become a front line revolutionary to avoid being exploited by a new ruling class in the jungle. Kimba fought for not only equality under his benevolent rule but to improve the conditions of animals of the jungles i.e building a school, farm (so animals didn't have to hunt each other and so there would be a surplus of food), post office and his son started a project to building housing for the animals of the jungle.

I find it interesting the Japanese take on the premise is a tragic hero (Kimba never has a truly happy ending as his struggle only ended with is death and even then his son had to fill the power vacuum created by his death as there are many forces that want to reverse the revolutionary gains Kimba brought) bringing civilization to the animals of Africa with aims to build a more equal society. While the American take is just that a far less impressive leader restores the status quo and inequality is explained away and Simba never had to work for leadership while Kimba throws himself into the thick of conflicts showing he is willing to die for the animals under his protection.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I always thought that Scar was cool as hell when I watched that as a kid.

[Pirate Utopian]

Scar was a fascist obviously.
L0AiN8vrn9Y

[Psy]

Scar was a fascist obviously.
L0AiN8vrn9Y
Compared to the space fascists in Gundam Scar is a amateur
DZtlFXgkvKw

The fascists in Gundam twists competing imperialism of the Earth Federation into a nationalistic rally cry towards fascism for Zeon, all Scar does is offer the Hyenas food thus Lion King only references fascism through images.

And really Scar is a unrealistic dictator in reality when the Hyenas went to Scar about scarcity of food Scar would have been in no position to threaten them as the Hyenas were his enforcers, in real life the Hyenas (being the military) simply would have overthrown Scar in a coup seeing Scar as being a liability to their privileged position in class society.

A big problem is Disney logic where once the status quo is overthrown by anyone society just collapses, the idea that Scar's rule would become a new status quo (like how Claw in Jungle Emperor created a new status quo from the power vacuum created by the death of Kimba's farther) is rejected out of hand due to the logic of Disney films.

[Tablo]

Haha, I love Universal Century Gundam. :lol:

[bcbm]

hyenas are lumpen

[Chambered Word]

The fascists in Gundam twists competing imperialism of the Earth Federation into a nationalistic rally cry towards fascism for Zeon, all Scar does is offer the Hyenas food thus Lion King only references fascism through images.

Reminds me of 'The Incredibles'. I only watched a bit of it but it seemed like anti-communist propaganda to me.

[Sir Comradical]

Wow, and here I am thinking Lion King was just a children's rehash of Hamlet played by anthropomorphic animals.

[Dimentio]

Scar was a fascist obviously.
L0AiN8vrn9Y'

No, a populist and a bonapartist.

Well in power, he neglected his own subjects and destroyed the national economy. He could be likened to for example Manuel Noriega or Papa Doc Duvalier.

:lol:

[Aeval]

Scar was a fascist obviously.

Oh no, apparently Scar is a liberal and Mufasa was a fascist (http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC40folder/LionKing.html):


Meanwhile, Scar takes over. As the Bad Leader he brings the kingdom to ruin. Mannered and aristocratic, and clearly not producing heirs like his more manly brother, he is pointedly gay. He is also a rationalist and utilitarian, coveting the absolute power of kingship but not buying into its mystique. He exerts a corrupting influence on the young, skillfully putting all sorts of ideas into Simba's head. Worst of all, he willingly enters into an unholy alliance with the hyenas, a teeming brood of half-starved scavengers ghettoized in a "dark region." Taken as a whole, he represents that bête-noir of contemporary right-wingers, the Liberal Politician.

...

The hyenas speak in "street voices" provided by Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin and clearly represent poor blacks and Hispanics. They are also stereotypical gang members, inherently criminal, cutthroat and mercenary — brawling with each other when not united by a common victim. As scavengers whose own neighborhood offers slim pickings, they eagerly accept handouts. Scar provides them: he gains the hyena's loyalty by promising them a steady stream of meat, thus creating the Welfare State.
:lol:

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

the hyenas roughly mirror rosencrantz and gildenstern, who unlike the hyenas were hamlet's buds and courtiers
so it is indeed curious why the screenwriters chose to ghettoize them

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

the wizard of oz one is briliant

The "villain":
You're in a tough spot if "Wicked" is right there in your name, but WWW isn't exactly the most image conscious celebrity in Oz, either: She kidnapped Dorothy, threatened to drown her dog and tried to set The Scarecrow on fire, all to get her hands on the girl's ruby slippers. Foot fetish or not, that was some stone-cold villainy.


Hold on a minute there:
Remember that the Witch wasn't after Dorothy, and she wasn't trying to rule the world. All she ever wanted was those slippers. Say, how did Dorothy acquire those magical shoes in the first place? Why, by taking them off the blood-drenched feet of the Wicked Witch of the East. Who she just murdered. Who also happened to be the Wicked Witch of the West's sister.

Let's look at the whole "accident" from the West Witch's perspective:
The Witch sisters are hanging around Oz, minding their own business when some random teenager crushes a woman to death with a house, killing her instantly in an act of domiciliary manslaughter. Next, the teenager waltzes out and corpse-loots the victim's shoes (some sort of creepy kill-trophy, no doubt) which under every inheritance law in the universe damn well belong to the deceased's surviving family.


From where we stand, the Wicked Witch of the West had every right in the world to bludgeon Dorothy to death with a sock full of toxic batteries, but what did she do? Absolutely nothing. She just wanted her shoes back, and every action that she took was motivated by that want. Then, of course, Dorothy raises an army in the form of a giant, talking lion, a man made of metal and an unkillable scarecrow, steals the Witch's broomstick and kills the Witch, staging a nice little Witch sister reunion in the afterlife.

[Psy]

Wow, and here I am thinking Lion King was just a children's rehash of Hamlet played by anthropomorphic animals.
It was but you have to remember Disney animated films have a feudal view of the world since the feudal view of monarchies are the only romantic view. For example in Hamlet there was a new status quo under Claudius, thus why Hamlet was the only one plotting to kill Claudius yet this can't happen in a Disney movie as it show monarchs more as a rule class rather then leaders fated into position of leadership. Thus in Lion King as soon as Scar takes power Pride Rock starts to collapse rather then Scar simply becoming the new ruler of Pride Rock and nothing much changes from point of view of average animal.

In complete contrast in Jungle Emperor the defenders of the status quo were the bad guys while the revolutionary leaders pushing for a more egalitarian society were the good guys.

[Jazzratt]

I always thought that Scar was cool as hell when I watched that as a kid. He's a disney villain pretty much all of them come off as total badasses.

[Dimentio]

the hyenas roughly mirror rosencrantz and gildenstern, who unlike the hyenas were hamlet's buds and courtiers
so it is indeed curious why the screenwriters chose to ghettoize them

That is Timon and Pumba.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

that doesn't make sense tho
timon and pumba help him they dont betray him

[ZeroNowhere]

that doesn't make sense tho
timon and pumba help him they dont betray himRosencrantz and Guildenstern have no intention of betraying anybody either, but are rather pretty nice chaps. They're victims.

Timon and Pumba are like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in a world where Hamlet is not rash and where Mufasa's death is just about as dark as they're willing to go.

[Angry Young Man]

that doesn't make sense tho
timon and pumba help him they dont betray him

But Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray Hamlet. I mean these character parallels really don't hold up. There's no Polonius, no Ophelia, no Laertes. Even Sarabi doesn't really compare to Gertrude.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no intention of betraying anybody either, but are rather pretty nice chaps. They're victims.

so are the hyenas


But Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray Hamlet.

exactly

[Rafiq]

Notice the Racism in that movie too. The bad guy always has to be the brown one. I mean, how much more obvious could it get? Mufasa, the golden, and red haired lion fighting the brown eyed browned skinned black hair lion.

[Hoplite]

Notice the Racism in that movie too. The bad guy always has to be the brown one. I mean, how much more obvious could it get? Mufasa, the golden, and red haired lion fighting the brown eyed browned skinned black hair lion.
This always bugged me when people talk about the movie. That's how lions are naturally colored.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RoVKle4RyYs/SP4r_7wMV9I/AAAAAAAAAM8/D9q4LjPHEiE/s400/male-lion-picture.jpg
http://www.africanbackgrounds.com/images/AfricanBackgrounds_00100_Male-lion-resting_400.jpg

Lion coloring is MUCH closer to Scar than to Mufasa. I wouldn't call it racism, just portraying the hero as ideally beautiful. Hardly a slight against the human race.

[Angry Young Man]

exactly

No, R&G betray Hamlet's friendship by spying on him for Claudius. The hyenas are neither spies nor Simba's friends

[synthesis]

He's a disney villain pretty much all of them come off as total badasses.
http://imc1.piccsy.com/3313-che-guevara-530-431.jpg

[Jazzratt]

http://imc1.piccsy.com/3313-che-guevara-530-431.jpg
http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Hades-Hercules-disney-villains-1024535_720_480.jpg
http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Jafar-Wallpaper-disney-villains-976650_800_600.jpg
http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2353168.jpg
http://www.freewebs.com/eourso/ursula-2.jpg
The defence rests.

[Angry Young Man]

Then the Prosecution would like to refer the Jury to the case of Disney vs. The Nottingham Folklore Institute.

That's pretty much the only one though. Robin Hood was sooooo shit!

[scarletghoul]

Jafar is by far the coolest villain. My brother and me used to be obsessed with him, and quote him all the time.

genie: "who's laughing now"
jafar: "why I believe its me"

omg so cooool
[/jafar fanboy]

I was kicked off the Aladdin fan forums when i was younger for politicising things

[Psy]

Jafar is by far the coolest villain. My brother and me used to be obsessed with him, and quote him all the time.

genie: "who's laughing now"
jafar: "why I believe its me"

omg so cooool
[/jafar fanboy]

I was kicked off the Aladdin fan forums when i was younger for politicising things

I don't see how Jarfar is the coolest, his power came from being an advisor to the Sultan then the lamp. He just is not a total badass like some other villains that can actually beat the crap out of the hero in a fair fight.

[Hoplite]

Dude...Hades rocked the hardest. Everybody knows that.

And Hercules was such a whiny little ***** in that movie, I was rooting for Hades after half an hour.

[synthesis]

http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Hades-Hercules-disney-villains-1024535_720_480.jpg
http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Jafar-Wallpaper-disney-villains-976650_800_600.jpg
http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2353168.jpg
http://www.freewebs.com/eourso/ursula-2.jpg


The defence rests.

The defense rests... on a classic-car-shaped waterbed.