My Lion King Forum

Feel free to lock/delete this is it has already been addressed, I can`t recall and am too lazy to do a thorough search.

I have watched The Lion King many times, and there always seem to be new things to discover about it. Details you didn`t really notice before, or you may realize something new you hadn`t truly thought about on previous viewings.

This is the case with me realizing that Simba must have thought he caused the wildebeest stampede. Sure, Scar is the one who brings him down there, but Simba still puts all the blame on himself for needing to be rescued. What struck me though, is that Simba must have thought it was his fault that the wildebeest started stampeding in the first place. After Scar walks off, Simba is left to practice "that little roar" of his. He does, and one of his roars echoes throughout the gorge. In the next second, the ground starts shaking (the pebbles start moving) and the massive herd of wildebeest come running down the side of the gorge. For the cub, I feel it`s a logical assumption that the stampede is a reaction to the sound of the roar. Simba must have thought his roar scared the animals into running...

I am kind of emberrassed to say I`ve never truly thought about it like that until the last time I saw the film, I`m sure you`ve all realized it ages go.

Honestly I don't recall thinking of it like that either, Simba never actually stated anything about the cause of the stampede itself, nor any other character for that matter. Eesh, no wonder he's so guilt-ridden.

Yeh I always thought this as it adds up to him believing he killed his father which is reinforced by Scar.

For the longest time, mainly because for many years, I didn't know English and my family don't like to put on dubbing, that Simba's roar was in fact what started the stampede. Really ironic that I was able to watch The Lion King and enjoy it without actually being able to understand what was being said...

It was only later on that I realized that it was Scar and the hyenas that started the stampede. Because of this, I always found it easy to see how come Simba blamed himself for it, because in many ways, I fell for the exact same thing. Rather ironic, really.

Yeah, I guess he was to young to make his own decision while listening to Uncle Scar who has been there for him (kind of) up until that point was the best decision. Just put yourself in Simba's shoes and it all adds up to him believing he did it.

I liked that they did it this way.

'Show, don't tell' is the best kind of storytelling for movies among other mediums. Show why a character feels a certain way or show their character traits in action instead of blatant stating such through dialogue.

I too only recently realized this. It kinda blew my mind actually. lol

One thing I do think is kind of interesting is that, after the stampede, he never roars until the end of the movie (at least as far as we know). I might be stretching it a bit but if I were Simba, after Mufasa died, I'd be afraid to roar from then on. It'd just remind me of what I had done (because in Simbas mind, it was his fault). So at the end, when he does roar, it's this glorious moment and it's like a symbol of moving on, forgiving yourself, redemption, etc. Almost makes me tear up just thinking about it.

^ Ohhh good point!! I like that idea

I forgot to mention the facial expressions. As he's walking up Pride Rock, he's got this unsure look on his face but just before he roars, he smiles with this determined look. It's like he's got this new found strength and confidence.

https://youtu.be/VUM9qkHn5u0?t=1m18s

Strictly speaking, Simba probably roared at least a few times in between the stamped and him retaking the Pride Lands. After all, he had to learn how to do so somewhere, and he wasn't very good at roaring at the time of his exile. I am sure that he would have enjoyed scaring the living daylights out of Timon and Pumbaa for fun and games( as seen here: http://pridelands.eu/hd/image21257.html), and that could be where he learned to roar.

However, that is not exactly the same. While he might have learned how to physically roar, when he takes that first roar as king, in many ways, it is his first real roar.