The Lion King is an animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released in 1994 by Walt Disney Pictures. The story is about Simba, a lion cub prince whose father Mufasa is murdered by his brother (and Simba's uncle) Scar. Simba is forced to live in exile and Scar becomes an oppressive king. Years later as an adult, Simba returns to take his rightful place as king.
The film spawned two direct-to-video sequels, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride in 1998 and The Lion King 1½ in 2004, along with a photorealistic remake in 2019. Additionally, there is a musical theater production of the same name which debuted in 1997 and two television spin-offs, Timon & Pumbaa (1995–1999) and The Lion Guard (2015–2019). The original film and the musical adaptation have been referenced often in The Simpsons.
References[edit]
Episodes[edit]
| Picture
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Season
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Episode number
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Episode name
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Reference
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6
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125
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"'Round Springfield"
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Bleeding Gums Murphy appears in the sky to thank Lisa for making more people familiar with his music. Then Mufasa the Lion appears in the sky, in reference to a similar scene in The Lion King where the late Mufasa gives his son advice from the clouds. Mufasa says: "You must avenge my death, Kimba... I mean: Simba!" This is a reference to the accusations that the Disney Studios plagiarized a large part of the look and plot of the 1960s Japanese animated TV series Kimba, The White Lion.
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12
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265
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"Simpson Safari"
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The scene with the sunrise, silhouettes of animals and rhythmic music are all reminiscent of the opening moments of the film.
When Kitenge is driving the Simpsons on a safari, Pride Rock can be seen in the background.
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15
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319
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"Today I Am a Clown"
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During his televised Bar Mitzvah, Krusty thanks the cast of The Lion King as they leave the stage.
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17
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375
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"Girls Just Want to Have Sums"
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The Itchy and Scratchy musical "Stab-A-Lot" spoofs the songs and the look of The Lion King. The song "Two Days, Two Circles" is a parody of The Circle of Life.
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19
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403
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"Midnight Towboy"
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Homer is driving at night in search of milk for Maggie. He sees a billboard with the letters "MILK" going down the left edge, but when he gets closer he sees that it really reads "Mr. T Is the Lion King", advertising a performance at the Capital City Playhouse.
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20
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440
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"Four Great Women and a Manicure"
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In Lisa's retelling of Snow White, the Evil Queen is killed by forest animals in a manner similar to Scar's death, where he is killed by hyenas, right down to the shot of her being killed by said animals shown only in shadow just like when Scar is being killed by hyenas.
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22
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478
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"Angry Dad: The Movie"
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Bart and Homer walk by a poster for an animated film called The Lyin' King, a pun on The Lion King.
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23
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493
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"The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants"
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The Loin King is a reference to The Lion King.
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27
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592
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"How Lisa Got Her Marge Back"
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While Lisa sings Don't Rain on My Parade, a baboon is shown raising a lion cub, referencing the opening scene of The Lion King.
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34
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738
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"Game Done Changed"
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During Principal Skinner's song "Magnet Performing Arts School", Database and Martin are seen dressed as Pumbaa and Rafiki from the musical.
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35
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753
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"McMansion & Wife"
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Jebediah Springfield holds the baby up over a ridge in a parody of the scene where Rafiki holds Simba up.
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Specials[edit]
| Picture
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Comic issue
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Story name
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Reference
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Bart Simpson #7
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All's Veldt That Ends Veldt!
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When Bart is being chased by two lionesses, he turns and asks them, "Haven't you guys ever heard of 'The Circle of Life'?" He then remembers, to his chagrin, Lisa telling him, "That's just a nice way of referring to 'The Survival of the Fittest'!"
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Simpsons Comics #75
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...The Permanent Record Room!
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Bart tells Milhouse that he doesn't feel guilty about pulling pranks because he would otherwise become a prank victim himself, which Milhouse compares to The Circle of Life. Bart then tells him to stop quoting Elton John songs.
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Common cast and crew[edit]
External links[edit]
