The Lion King learning resource

Look at the image (above) in pairs and describe what you see. Think about:

• setting
• characters
• colour
• shape
• composition (where things are placed in the image)
• anything else that has captured your attention.

What do you think is going on this image?

Watch the trailer (below).

• Is this a successful trailer? Does it make you want to watch the film? Why? Why not?
• What do you learn about the movie in the trailer? What are some of the techniques used to ‘sell’ the film ?

As a class, share your responses to the film

• What stood out for you?
• If you had to choose three adjectives to describe the movie, what would they be? (Make a list on the whiteboard. See how many relevant adjectives you can come up with as a group.)

• In groups of three, take turns to retell the story. One person tells the beginning of the story, one person the middle and one person the end.
• In your group of three, use the story structure template to map the key moments and events in each section of the narrative.

(We've provided word and pdf versions of both story map templates. Younger students might like to draw instead of write.)

The creative teams working on Disney films go to great effort to design evocative, dramatic worlds for their films. To help with inspiration, a team from The Lion King spent three weeks in Kenya scouting, photographing and sketching the region’s wildlife.

In pairs, discuss:

• the different places/settings in the film
• what each place is like

Compare the two images (above) and answer these questions:

• Where does each of these scenes happen in the story?
• Describe what you see – what stands out in each of these images?
• How would you describe the mood of each place?
• How is this mood created? Refer to colour, shape, size, composition (where things and people are placed) to help explain your answer.
• What feelings do the characters have in these scenes?

Discuss as a class:

• Are there places you know that create similar moods and feelings to the pictures above when you go there? Explain how and why.

When Scar and the hyenas take over the Pride Lands, the lands change to a harsh and desolate environment. Fortunately, they change back again under Simba’s rule.

• Imagine transforming one of the threatening or scary places in the film into a happy, friendly place.
• Discuss what would need to change. Think about colours, tones and objects.
• Now draw that place so that it feels different.

For an audience to be able to connect with a story and care what happens to the characters, the characters need to have personalities and familiar human thoughts and feelings. Think about the different personalities of the animals in The Lion King.

Look carefully at the screen shots (below) and discuss as a class:

• Who are the characters in this shot?
• What are they thinking and feeling?
• How can you tell? Think about facial expressions and body language.

Character design and concept art

To design the characters and get the right look and feel for the world of the film, Disney artists create a range of concept artworks. Concept is another word for idea, and the creativity and imagination that we see in Disney feature-length animated films emerges from all of these shared ideas. Many of these concept artworks are now kept at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library.

• Look at the three beautiful examples of The Lion King concept art presented on the Disney Animation Studios website.
• Look at each image and describe what ideas the artist is trying to communicate in each design.
• Not all concept design ideas are used in the final film, but each of these images has influenced the final film. Can you explain how?

Disney artists and animals to begin with real-life examples and then apply their imaginations and creativity.

• Watch the following video and listen to the animators' experiences when creating characters for The Lion King. (It's quite long, so you might like to begin at around 2:40.)

As a class, discuss:

• How did the animators get inspiration for the character designs?
• What are some of the challenges the animators experienced?
• How did the animators work together?

One of the challenges that the animators faced when creating the characters from The Lion King was to blend human and animal characteristics into one character.

• Try this challenge in another way by playing the drama game Animal stories

Make a flipbook

Turn one of the characters that was created in the game into a flipbook animation made out of a post-it notepad:

1. Create your character. Keep it very simple – remember you have to draw it about 20 times to get a good animation. Give it a clear outline.
2. Think of a simple sequence of movement such as jumping, waving, disappearing behind a wall or walking onto and off the page.
3. Choose a part of the drawing to change each time. Plan this on scrap paper by drawing 10 squares and sketching each movement in order. Slightly change the action of one part of the drawing on each square.
4. Draw each picture on one of the small blank pages in your booklet. Start with the last page of the book and work forwards, so you can see the previous drawing beneath. Trace most of that image and change one thing slightly each time to give the illusion of movement.
5. Keep the figure as close as possible to the edge of the page.
6. Flip through the booklet and watch your character animate. Magic!

Colour is used in filmmaking to communicate information about setting, story, character, mood, and emotion. This is particularly the case in animation, which allows for a more imaginative and stylised use of colour. The Lion King has a very distinctive colour palette.

Colour palette refers to the range of colours chosen as part of the production design – specific characters may have their own colour palette and the film as a whole will work with a particular range of colours. The thoughtful use of colour adds meaning to the story, while colours can also express emotions and feelings.

Look at the colour palette (below) for The Lion King:

• In pairs, discuss what these colours mean to you.
• Create a poster for the film using this colour palette.

In The Lion King, the songs and music build the story's world and connect with the dramatic events. The music was such an important part of the film that the first trailer released was of the film's opening with the song 'Circle of Life' communicating the style and mood of the film. You can find out more about this opening scene here.

Rewatch the opening of The Lion King (above).

• As a class discuss what the song adds to the visuals.
• Try watching the scene without the music to help you understand what is added by the music.

In pairs, think about ‘The Circle of Life’ song and discuss:

• What is the song about? What is meant by the circle of life?
• Are there any lines in the song that are particularly meaningful for you? You can find the lyrics here.
• What ‘circles of life’ are mentioned in the lyrics?
• What ‘circles of life’ are represented in the story of the film?
• What other circles of life do you know about in nature?
• Share your ideas with the rest of the class.

Working in a group or as a class, create a stop motion animation that shares the idea of the circle of life. You can find out how to do this here.

Friendship

Although The Lion King tells a story set in the animal kingdom, the characters experience many of the joys, pleasures, frustrations and challenges that are part of the human experience.

In pairs, discuss:

• What makes a good friend?
• What do you appreciate about your friends?

Watch the scene (below) where Pumba and Timon discuss friendship.

Discuss as a class:

• What do these characters have to say about friendship? Do you agree?
• What other examples of friendships are there in the film?

One of the most famous scenes in The Lion King is the scene in which Mufasa is killed. The creative team of around 30 filmmakers took weeks to create this scene. Art director Andy Gaskill said the team wanted to “introduce real drama and real human truths and still keep it appropriate for family viewing”.

Answer the following questions in writing and then share your response with a classmate.

• Why is this scene important to the story of the film?
• How does Simba respond to the death of his father?
• How does this impact the rest of the characters?

Look at the quote above.

• Do you agree with what Rafiki says?
• Have you ever had an experience that you wanted to run from but chose instead to learn from?
• Discuss your ideas with a classmate.