From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There’s more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
Don’t these words just resonate with you? Lyrics from the extremely popular The Lion King soundtrack, Circle of Life are just right. When the original The Lion King released in 1994 it instantly became a favourite with every age group, not just children. 25 years later Disney has come out with its remake with cutting edge technology that makes the whole animation almost life-like.
Each character has been portrayed so beautifully and each has a role to play in Simba’s circle of life. It’s a story of a lion cub who loses his father in tragic circumstances and ultimately has to rise up to his responsibility as king.
Little Simba with those adorable eyes is just too cute to miss as are his crazy friends Pumba and Timon. The beautiful Nala, wise Rafiki and the power-crazy Scar are important in their own way and how Simba overcomes his obstacles to eventually become the King forms the crux. The extraordinary graphics and the amazing soundtrack ensured that the kids and I loved it!
5 Things We Learnt From The Movie
Circle Of Life
As much as we don’t like to talk to our kids about things life and death, I like the way the father and son talk about the circle of life. The circle of life which Mufasa explains to Simba is – that we are all born and then we all die. We shouldn’t be afraid of this natural phenomenon and Mufasa explains this to Simba beautifully and I think the kids understood it without it frightening them.
Hakuna Matata is the best philosophy
This is actually one of my personal favourite phrases as is the song. It means ‘No worries for the rest of your day’. Life is difficult whether for a child or an adult. But that doesn’t mean you need to be sad about it or suffer through.
The choice is in your hands – your happiness especially.
You can choose to constantly worry or decide to see the bigger happier picture and go through life. This is something that kids, as well as adults, should remember and try to apply. Pumba and Timon are classic examples of this philosophy and will keep you in splits.
“Being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble”
Mufasa tells Simba that he is not allowed near the forbidden area. However, Simba is encouraged by his evil uncle Scar. He should have listened to Mufasa’s orders from the beginning. You can still be brave without inviting potential danger, and Simba gathers this from his very wise father. That’s what I tell my kids, be brave but be aware of what dangers lurk. In today’s day and age, unfortunately, there are many.
“The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”
Whenever there was a problem, Simba would run from it. He allowed his guilt to eat him up and shape him to quite an extent. We have to learn to face our wrongs and make them right where possible.
Don’t run, be courageous and face what life has in store for you.
There are only so many times and places you can run to. Closing off our mind to people we see or define as “different” would just cause us to miss out on different perspectives that we may need in our lives.
True friends will be there for you no matter how much time has passed.
With the kind of peer pressure kids face these days to do things – talk to some people, ignore others, act out and the list goes on. Over time you will go through friends that were temporary and those who are for life. My advice to my kids and adults has always been, your true friends will always be there for you. When the going gets tough, those who have your back are what matters.
If you haven’t watched the movie, you definitely should. Let me give you a glimpse into what you may be missing.