Tonight, some friends and I went to see "The Lion King" in 3D. Yes, I know 3D isn't worth the $14.75 price tag, but the chance to see a childhood movie in theaters again is priceless. In fact, it's the first movie I remember seeing in theaters. This movie has left an indelible mark on our generation, as proven by the masses of twentysomethings in our theater.
"The Lion King" is very American. I'll even go so far as to say that it has shaped every American's vision of Africa. Admittedly, when I traveled to Africa for the first time, I saw everything through the lens of "The Lion King." The name of my blog? Rafiki's chant: "Asante Sana Squash Banana." The baobab tree in Kaole? So "Lion King." Every moment of my first safari? You get the picture.
Even in Namibia, when the WorldTeach 2011 crew took our first safari in Etosha, "The Circle of Life" just happened to start playing right as we rounded the corner to see a springbok giving birth. What's more "Lion King" than that?
This was my first "Lion King" viewing since Namibia. I was confused when everything seemed different. As they panned over the savanna in the opening scene, I saw the road past Engela. When Mufasa takes Simba to the top of Pride Rock to survey their kingdom, I saw the Kavango River looking out over Angola. The dried ground where Timon and Pumbaa found Simba was Sossusvlei. And that baobob tree? It was the same baobob tree that I passed every day on the way to school at our basketball court.
You see, "The Lion King" is Africa, but Africa is not "The Lion King." Disney was brilliant in their portrayal of this distant land, their creative use of Swahili, and their accurate animation of those beautiful vistas. But there is so much more. There are people, for one. There is culture beyond the mysticism of Rafiki. There are not lions running through the Saharan Desert in East Africa...huh?
But I remain appreciative of the way it exposes Africa to Americans in the tiniest sense. Of the way it helps people identify with your stories and pictures. Of its lessons that translate to so many seasons of life. And of its catchy sing-alongs.
"The Lion King." TIA.
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