Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
-Whoopie Goldberg
The Lion King is a great ultra-conservative cold war propoganda movie.
This is why:
Hyenas are the bottom of the food chain in The Lion King. In that sense, they are like proletariat. They have been chained to the bottom of a system without any explanation, and they refuse to accept that. So they want the lion-slash-tzar that starves them out of the way. They ally with an intellectually superior individual (Scar) who is higher ranking in the food chain for this to happen.
So what happens when a socialist system is imposed in the Pride Lands and the hyenas are given equal opportunities as lions? They starve. It just doesn't work. It disrupts the natural cycle with such a crazy culture clash. It just can't be. They need a helping hand (Simba) to restore things back to order: some people upper class, some people middle class, and some people lower class. This may be The Circle of Life according to Mufasa but it is a system that Scar wants to change; he wants to defy such a system. However, experiments like this only result in a regime of terror.
But when the poor hyenas, the riff-raff dangling at the bottom of the Food Chain (only in The Lion King, not in real life, mind you), batten on carrion- their natural function, after all- they are stigmatised as ''poachers''; when, under the foul ursurper, they are allowed to claw their way up the Darwinian hierarchy, the place goes rack and ruin. This is what happens, the movie says, when under-dogs rise above their station. At one bizarre point, they are even seen goose-stepping. Should I elaborate on it more?
Everyone should know this by now. The Nazism is too obvious... What about the Communism? What about the Education for Death, the Indoctrination Military Conduct?
It is clear the hyenas have very, very vacant expressions. One word: Brainwashed. They look much like the recruited school boys in Afghanistan during the Taliban's reign, reciting ''Death to Israel, death to America!'' 24/7.
''Long live the King!'' and ''Death to Israel, death to America'' is pretty much the same thing as ''Heil Hitler''.
Some critics say the hyenas represent a particular minority: Blacks.
I don't believe any of this. It is clearly a stereotype on minorities of any society. Particularily, speculation surrounds only Blacks. Well, Blacks are clearly not despoilers of any land. Why it is portrayed like this in The Lion King is beyond me. For as long as Blacks have been on this earth, they have never despoiled the land. Any one color or race can be a despoiler, including Whites. Color and race has nothing to do with it. However, a particular race or group of people, viewed as ''minorities'' for centuries such as Blacks and Jews are not the source of all Wickedness in the world. To make a long debate short: There are good Jews and bad Jews. There are good Blacks and bad Blacks just like Whites. However, the entire race should not be labeled ''Wicked'' or ''Despoilers'' due to one's act. Yes, this includes Muslim terrorists. Because of a few Muslims' bad acts, ALL Muslims are labeled terrorists. You know, there is such a thing as WHITE terrorists, who, I am sure, are Christian or Catholic. But do we label WHITE PEOPLE as terrorists? No, just Muslims because of 9/11. What is wrong with the world???
I actually believe the hyenas represent rebellious Russian peasants or recruited Taliban members. Perhaps even Muslims who eventually turn on their dictator.
Anyways, back to the topic:
The hyenas are technically the dregs of society. And yet many people think they represent poor Blacks living in the Ghetto. Perhaps... but have you ever drew comparisons with the poor Russian peasants neglected by the Tsar?
Shenzi: Just look at you guys...No wonder we're danglin' at the bottom of da Food Chain.
Banzai: Man, I hate danglin'.
Shenzi: Ch'yeah? Ya know, if it weren't for them lions, we'd be runnin' the joint.
Banzai: Man, I hate lions.
Shenzi: So pushy...
Banzai: And hairy!
Shenzi: An' stinky!
Banzai/Shenzi: And man are they... UUUUUGGG-LY!
They even mock lions the same way it was very popular to mock the tsars in Russia. In fact, despite what a great and noble politician/leader King Mufasa was, he failed to acknowledge the hyenas, a minority, and welcome them into their social circle of survival and natural function. Ironically enough, he emphasiszes
that ''We are all apart of the Great Circle of Life,'' yet, he neglects a particular society of under-dogs that deserves the hunting grounds and environment of the Pride Lands as much as anyone else.
The hyenas, then, represent the poor Russian migrant farm-workers, and Mufasa represents Nicholas Romonav, the Last Tsar of Russia. Then Scar must represent Lenin- right?
They could aslo represent Iraqis and Sadam Hussein. After all, the Iraqis began mocking him near the end of his fall.
In the ''Be Prepared'' scene, Scar began his song and while the lyrics and music were appropriate, the images on the screen were incredible- and not in a good way. Notice how Scar first sings to the mentally challenged and moronic Ed, then to the other two, and then he masses. It was known for Lenin to naturally intimidate the slower, weaker citizens. Also, somewhere along the song the hyenas are tricked into confusing ''helping Scar'' with the military. When they agree to help him they are ''accidentally'' wearing bony helmets.
Coincidentally, as he sings, a shadow of himself is projected behind him, portraying a much larger and menacing lion than he really it. Mussolini/Stalin/Hitler, anyone?
Anyways, then the hyenas begin to parade before Scar in a very militaristic, facists, Nuremberg Parade choregraphed-style fashion. Ah, so it's not about Communism anymore. Also, Nazism is being thrown into the bag. (This, however, is clearly obvious and always has been.)
Also, the rest of the scene is strangely colored in red while the beginning was green. No, not Christmas colors. Christmas Time was long since over when this film was released. Red could possibly represent many things, but the Nazi Flag was always fresh in my mind. Green for the uniforms, perhaps? Or the Pakistani Flag? Where is the Taliban now? Pakistan, right?
When Scar jumps up to a rock and the camera pans down to reveal him in full power above the hyenas, he rises above a half-moon which can be interpreted in two ways. It strikes similarity between the image on the Communist flag with the hammer and the ox. This is perhaps a theory that is an anti-Islam message.
Islam, Communism, and Nazism. All things anti-American bashed into the same 5-min sequence. That is definitely a movie for your kinds to watch.