In the February 18, 1894 edition of the Detroit Free Press, a captivating speech delivered by a young Hindu monk at a Unitarian Church is documented. The report featured a fable recounted by the monk:

A lioness hunting a sheep in the act gave birth to a cub. The lioness died and the cub was given suck by the sheep and for many years thought itself a sheep and acted like one. But one day another lion appeared and led the first lion to a lake where he looked in and saw his resemblance to the other lion. At that he roared and realized the full majesty of self. Many people are like the lion masquerading as a sheep and get into a corner, call themselves sinners and demean themselves in every imaginable fashion, not yet seeing the perfection and divinity which lies in self.

This “Hindu monk” was none other than Swami Vivekananda, and his fable, with its profound message of self-discovery, would serve as the seed for a cinematic masterpiece. A century later, in 1994, Disney brought forth a film that transformed this seed into a magnificent tree — a cinematic marvel whose magic has lasted till date even through the fast-changing technologies of animation. The Lion King was adapted from a Japanese anime film from the 1960s — Kimba the White Lion.

The story was Shakespearean in its adaptation of Hamlet for a new generation of moviegoers. The film mirrors Hamlet in the protagonist’s story arc — the young prince whose evil uncle has committed regicide must confront and vanquish the usurper to reclaim his patrimony. The prince dithers and copes with his situation through escapism and avoids confrontation with his playmates, Timon and Pumba(Timon and Pumbaa’s behavior is modelled after Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet). Like Hamlet, Simba the protagonist is visited by the ghost of his father, and he eventually picks up the gauntlet.

The story appeals to the wronged individual in all of us, and in his own redemption, Simba demonstrates a biologically immutable fact — an alpha male lion has to take his place as the leader of the pack and not spend his time grubbing for insects. In classic Hollywood hero style, Simba takes his father’s position, gets the girl and produces an heir to the throne. In line with the young audience, the makers choose to leave out the oedipal rage of Hamlet, sexual complexity and the eventual suicide of Ophelia his mother.

As 2024 draws to a close, Disney expands the Lion King saga with Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel that delves into the history of Simba’s father, Mufasa. The story expands into the movie as a story told by the mystic Mandrill Rafiki to Kiara, the daughter of Simba, to alleviate her fear of the storm.

This powerful dynamic that plays out so visually in the movie, breathes new life and inspiring meaning into the much-cited ‘Apta Vakya’ in our Vedas: ‘Swayameva Mrugendra’

‘Swayameva Mrugendra’ — The film eloquently illuminates the path to true leadership: it is through the realization and manifestation of the Self — the Swayam — that one organically ascends to the mantle of Mrugendra, the Indra of life. To put simply It is not through birth status, bloodline purity or past glory but through the manifestation of the strength of the self in the present that one becomes the true leader. This Vedantic wisdom is interwoven with the eco-spiritual reality of the Circle of Life.

The movie starts with finding Milele — a mythical utopia of the animals dismissed by many lions as a fable. Milele is envisioned as a paradise as imagined by animals but is a very real place here on earth. A place of plenty with green grass and plenty of water and food for everyone. It lives in the hearts of everyone.

This description is in direct contrast against the lines of John Lennon’s famous ‘Imagine’ of 1971: ‘Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try… ‘ Lennon questions the need of heaven both as a literal place or even as a theological otherworldly prize, implying that heaven can be achieved on Earth, Milele is not only not a dream but could be achieved first in the heart and then in the acceptance of the eco-spirituality of the Circle of Life and one’s harmony with it. Thus, in a way the spirit of both the lyrics separated by more than half a century, is the same — a harmonious living- heaven on Earth, without all conflicts here on earth.

But above all the movie is about the outcaste — the pain and consequence of being an outcast.

The film poignantly explores the theme of ostracization and its consequences. Rafiki, himself an outcast due to his misunderstood mystical gifts, imparts a crucial lesson to young Kiara: the rejection inflicted by one’s own kind breeds a destructive force that will eventually devour that very society. The pain of being hurt by our own can only be overcome by finding solace in people who you love and who love you back. It is strange to find even siblings react differently to same kind of treatment although they have been subjected to same kind of upbringing and share the same values.

The film offers a nuanced critique of exclusivist and expansionist ideologies through the actions of the murderous albino lion king, who claims himself as the only Lion King and declares ‘Vengeance is mine’ to justify his murderous elimination of other lion packs. This along with calling the others ‘heathens’ while not central to the plot, becomes an important side note- especially in today’s context.  At the same time, Mufasa is also identified as a ‘stray’ not with royal blood. He was banished from being in the company of male cubs and made to be with a pack of lionesses. The humiliation becomes a blessing as Mufasa learns to smell the wind and infer from that the minutest details of prey-predator movement.

Thus, film presents three distinct experiences of social exclusion: the white lions, driven by resentment to become ruthless predators; Rafiki, the wise mystic who finds kinship beyond blood ties, with a spiritual vision that leads all animals to wellbeing; and Mufasa, the “stray” who rises to become a leader despite his lack of royal lineage.

The film also delves into the transformation of Taka into the villainous Scar, illustrating how negativity, when allowed to fester, can corrupt even a noble person. Yet, it also subtly suggests that innate goodness is always there within and can still find expression, even in the darkest of hearts.

When you come out of the theatre with your children, you know you’ve given them an important glimpse into the core values of Vedanta, from a Hindu heritage. And there will be one nagging question: why are we not producing such movies?