Simba: Remember Who You Are

Remember...

Remember... what?

Simba sure can tell you.

Hakuna matata, he knows all about it. But the one thing he was running from is his past. While he kept remembering the worst things about his past, he forgot one very important thing.

Who he was.

He kept trying to hide from something that he couldn't run from. I can tell by the way he reacted to things.

NALA: "And your mother... what would she think?"
SIMBA: (looks scared at the mention of his mother, as Nala unknowingly quoted Scar) "She doesn't have to know... Nobody has to know."

"I can't go back. Why would it matter, anyway? It won't change anything."

NALA: "Scar told us about the stampede."
SIMBA: "He did? What else did he tell you?"

Anyone else sensing a pattern? Simba is up to his old habits again, running from the past.

Luckily, Rafiki and Nala talked some sense into him.

So, where are we now?

He's going home. Home to what is now, as Broadway Nala stated, a shadowed land.

"The leaves have fallen. This shadowed land, this was our home. The river's dry, the ground has broken." Basically, this place is messed up. That's all I can really say without going all Broadway singer on you (GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZA BUYABO, GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZA BUYABO). And what is Simba supposed to do?

Busa le lizwe bo! And what does that mean? "Rule this land."

Of course, he can't do it all alone. That's where my favorite Disney girl comes in! She knows it'll be dangerous helping him fight his crazy uncle, and still, she goes on and does it. See? Now that's love. Timon and Pumbaa put their lives at risk so that he could fight his crazy uncle. That's love, too. Maybe not the kind you can feel tonight, but it's love.

The only problem? He still thinks he is responsible for his father's death and Uncle Scar knows how to use that against him (notice... he stops addressing him as his uncle when he sees the shadowland).

SCAR: "I would hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Simba?"
SIMBA: "That won't work, Scar. I've put it behind me."
SCAR: "But what about your faithful subjects; have they put it behind them?"
NALA: "Simba, what is he talking about?"
SCAR: "Oh, so you haven't told them your little secret. Well, Simba, now's your chance to tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa's death."
SIMBA: "I am."
SARABI: "It's not true. Tell me it's not true."
SIMBA: "It's true."
SCAR: "You see? He admits it! MURDERER!"
SIMBA: "No, it was an accident."
SCAR:  "If  it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive. It's your fault he's dead. Do you deny it?"
SIMBA: "No."
SCAR: "Then you're guilty!"
SIMBA: "No! I'm NOT a murderer!"
SCAR: "Oh, look, Simba, you're in trouble again. Daddy isn't here to save you, and now EVERYONE. KNOWS. WHY!"

See? I told you he was smart, didn't I?


So, now who looks like the bad guy? Our beloved, beautiful, red-maned, downright gorgeous baby. Er, Simba. And yet still, Nala is concerned for Simba when he's about to fall off Pride Rock. I'd be like, let him fall and let him burn. Their love just gets stronger as the movie goes on. And then suddenly...

"Hmm... where have I seen this before? Oh I remember! You look just like your father did before he died. Oh, and here's my little secret. I killed Mufasa."

He says this because he thinks Simba is about to die, right? Only, he... doesn't. Hearing this gives him the strength to keep fighting.

SIMBA: "Tell them the truth."
SCAR: "Truth is in the eye of the behol----ghsfjdsifjs--- Alright. (Simba chokes him) ALRIGHT! I did it."
SIMBA: "So they can hear you."
SCAR: "I killed Mufasa!"

And there goes that Nala, you can tell as soon as he says that, she's like, "Oh heck no!" and just sprints to attack him. This is where the war begins.

So, then Scar tries to run away from fighting his much stronger, handsomer, bigger-maned nephew. He sure did grow up to be the mane event, like no king was before. When Simba catches up with him, the first thing he says is: "Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie." Which, sadly, is true.

Come to think of it, most of what is recorded that's he's said to his nephew has been a lie or a masked truth. Like, how he convinced him to go to the elephant graveyard. Or, how he convinced Simba that he was responsible for his father's death when he was just a little cub who didn't know better than to believe him. It's like convincing a two-year-old that they're the reason you lost your job. It scars them for life and they aren't mature enough to not take it to heart.

So, the rest I can't really narrate. How about I just let you see it?

So now you've finished the movie for the most part (I only embedded major scenes). And can we watch that mother-son bonding again?

Isn't it so cute?

I hope you know why I love this movie so much now. Especially that one last "Remember." Everything that could possibly go wrong has, but it is fixed. I mean, the trauma he went through can't be undone (he is still haunted in the film's sequel, Simba's Pride), but still. He is now not only "the king I see inside," but now he IS being that king.

And Scar gets what he deserves. When you try to put the blame on others, it falls back on you. He learned that the hard way and his so-called friends ate him. I would have done the same thing, but... so much for friendship!

My favorite scene (competing with all of the Simba and Nala romance) has got to be when Simba returns victoriously from his battle with Scar. The way he goes back to his mother and we see more head-nuzzling and then he goes to Nala and they do a little hug/kiss/whatever-it's-the-equivalent-to and then Rafiki shows up again, binky thing and all. I love the change in their relationship. Remember when Simba first met him? He called him a creepy little monkey and was obviously annoyed by his presence. Here, he gives him a big hug. Makes me smile every time. And then we hear that famous music...

He's walking up Pride Rock. This is where body language is important, you guys. He looks... almost like he's reluctantly taking the place as king. Everyone around him seems to be sensing hope from it. My favorite part of it is when he looks down and sees the skull falling down in the rain. It makes me think of how the past is dying and now a brighter future is coming. And it gets better. "Remember..." Mufasa says. And that is where Simba suddenly gains confidence (remember the "Endless Night" lyric, "one word, just a word will do to end this nightmare?") and...

ROARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

Busa le lizwe bo!

And then, the revival of the Pride Lands. Is it me or does this movie have the best finale in the Disney Renaissance ever? Tarzan fans might disagree--- that finale was epic as well. The circle of life is back in balance, the hyenas are gone, the leaves have gotten back on the trees, the ground is unbroken, the river has water in it again, and Simba and Nala have a baby (says in a baby-shower-attendee voice mixed with fangirl mixed with church lady mixed with female toddler)! My OTP, plus a cute little lioness! Or, lion if you've read the books. But, let's say we're talking about Kiara. The way they look at their cub and then they look at each other... I'm fangirling again. Which leads me to this Phil Collins lyric...

"Put your faith in what you most believe in. Two worlds, one family. Trust your heart, let fate decide to guide these lives we see."

This brings me back to talking about my favorite couple. They started out as best friends. They had fun together, got in trouble together, wrestled with each other. Then, they grew up to be best friends still, and they fell in love. They fought with and for each other. They support each other through thick and thin.

And look at how Simba has grown throughout the film. He was an adventurous, slightly arrogant ("I am a genius!... I pulled it off!") cub, then grew to be the king we all knew he was, the king we saw inside (as you can tell, that's kind of my favorite line from "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"). He has taken his place in the great circle of life.

Busa, Simba! Busa, Simba!

"It's the circle of life and it moves us all through despair and hope, through faith and love 'til we find our place on the path unwinding in the circle... the circle of life."

-Carmen Twillie & Lebo M.

Adult Simba's best lines
"...It means no worries for the rest of your days!"
"Hey, it's okay."
"So many things to tell her, but how to make her see the truth about my past... Impossible! She'd turn away from me."
"No one needs me."
"Look! You think you can just show up and tell me hot to live my life? You don't even know what I've been through!"
"You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault."
RAFIKI: "Who are you?" SIMBA: "I thought I knew. Now, I'm not so sure."
"How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be."
"The winds are changing."
"That won't work, Scar. I've put it behind me."
SIMBA: "Tell them the truth." SCAR: "But truth is in the eye of the behoghawjwk--- alright. ALRIGHT! I did it." SIMBA: "So they can hear you." SCAR: "I did it. I killed Mufasa."
"Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie."
"I'm not like you, Scar... run. Run away and NEVER return."
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

Rafiki: He Lives In You

Oh, Rafiki. A friend to all.

No, literally. It means "friend."

Rafiki is... an interesting character, but I think he (or in Broadway's case, she) brings a lot to The Lion King.

Some think he's crazy, some think he's wise. But I say...

Sorry, but I just had to use that image.

For those of you who haven't seen TLK, or haven't seen it in a very long time, Rafiki is the baboon who presents Simba (and later, his daughter, Kiara) in front of all the Pride lands in the opening sequence, "Circle of Life." He comes across as rather crazy. I mean, who else chants,

"Asante sana, squash banana! Wewe nugu mimi apana!"

That's means you're a baboon. And he's not. Call him crazy, call him confused, call him... wise?
 

  

Again, I am at school so I cannot guarantee these are the right videos.

There's a lot to learn from this crazy monkey and Mufasa as well. What is that one famous line?

"Remember who you are."

Simba was running from his past quite a bit, but in the midst of trying to forget everything that had happened, he forgot who he really was. In these few scenes, you can really see how much his father's death has taken a toll on his life.

The song "Endless Night" by Jason Raize really describes how he was feeling when he said:

"You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault."

 

Simba has a hard time accepting the past. Yeah, you can't change it, but you can keep it from repeating. One of my favorite parts is when Rafiki says "I know who you are! You're Mufasa's boy!" and this is the conversation that follows:

SIMBA: "You knew my father?"

RAFIKI: "Correction: I know your father."

SIMBA: "Sorry to tell you but, he died. A long time ago."

RAFIKI: "Nope! Wrong again! He's alive!" (He said something else after this and I don't remember what it was.)

Then, he leads Simba through the jungle. Mufasa ain't there; just a pond.

SIMBA: "That's not my father. That's just my reflection."

RAFIKI: "No, look harder. You see? He lives in you."

Now, "He Lives In You" was not actually played in the movie, but it was on the "Rhythm of the Pride Lands" and even made it into being the "Circle of Life" equivalent as the opening sequence for Simba's Pride. 

This song means a lot to me, personally. Especially that lyric, "In your reflection, he lives in you." It relates to me very well. Only, in my case, it's more like, "She lives in you."

People have always told me that I looked like my grandmother on my dad's side. After she died, people were all like, "You look just like her" and "You're like a reminder of her" and such. My dad even used this song as an example. 

Now, that didn't really have anything to do with my post. I just wanted to share that with you.

Anyways. Just listen to those lyrics.

"Hela, hey mamela. Hela, hey mamela. Hela, hey mamela.

He lives in you!

He lives in me!

He watches over everything we see!

Into the water, into the truth...

In YOUR reflection,

He lives in you."

Mufasa isn't dead. He is survived by Simba. When I first took the time to ruminate about those lyrics, I thought of the obituaries I occasionally read in the newspaper. "She is survived by her husband and three kids." When someone dies, they don't just... die. They live on in our hearts, in our souls, in our minds. They don't just leave. It's impossible.

That reminds me of Evanescence's lyric from "My Immortal" (the singing voice of adult Simba in the movie covered this song, by coincidence. Look up Joseph Williams):

"If you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave 'cause your presence still lingers here and it won't leave me alone. These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real, there's just too much that time cannot erase... You still have all of me."

That also reminds me of the lyrics from "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan:

"Come stop your crying. It'll be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry... You'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forevermore... I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on... You'll be here in my heart always. Always. I'll be with you. I'll be there for you always, always and always. Just look over your shoulder... I'll be there always."

Another famous line of his is "The past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." He uses the example of hitting a grown, moody lion in the head (at least I found Simba kinda moody in this scene...) to show that the past can hurt. But hey, it's in the past! Sometimes the past's effects are still present in the now. And even though you can't change what happened, you can choose how you are going to react and how you are going to change things.

So, there are a lot of things to learn from this baboon. And I almost forgot to embed this one...

 

Everybody, sing it with me! "UPENDI!!!! Down in upendi, way down in upendi, down in upendi..."

Now, here are his absolute best lines!

Best of Rafiki (in the first TLK)

"Asante sana! Squash banana..."

"Can't cut it out! It'll grow right back!"

"I'm not the one who's confused. You don't even know who you are!"

"He lives in you."

"Change is good."

"It doesn't matter, it's in the past!"

"Ah yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can run from it, or... learn from it."