A Study of the Naturalist Perspective of the Movie The Lion King

The Lion King is an ideal movie to watch students studying the natural sciences. It features the application of some concepts being addressed in the classroom, especially the relationships between different organisms and their environment.

The film showed the lion, a man in the animal kingdom, the nature of the nest of the strongest consumers and predators. In the film, Mufasa’s heir, Simba, was portrayed as King of Pride Rock. Lions are considered habitat chiefs because they are clearly the most physically powerful of all other creatures, except for their large size, thunder roar, and royal appearance. Therefore, Simba inherited the entire kingdom of Pride Rock, which covers “everything the light touches.”

The Lion King showed good Simba to be sociable in nature, became close to other creatures such as Pumbaa and Timon, and showed kindness to those who deserved it. However, in real-life scenarios, lions are only friendly to their fellow species, specifically members of their group called pride. The film showed that this unit constitutes a family like Simba and his friend Nara. The male lion wanders until it is fully grown, so challenge the pride male in another region and take over that region if you win. In reality, Lioness dominates pride.

Lions settle in certain areas of food and water and live a sedentary lifestyle. As shown in the movie, it kills vulnerable animals that belong to another group, such as antelopes, zebras, and buffalo. After enjoying a gorgeous meal, these carnivores relax for a few hours before returning to their original hunting life.

Another concept featured in this movie is the concept of tropical meadows and savanna. The film location, Pride Rock, is an example of this dry, grassy plain. The film showed this type of biome, which is tropical in nature and much drier than the rainforest. Precipitation in the savanna, which is particularly predominant on the African continent, is very seasonal, usually followed by long-term droughts. This property allows sparsely populated trees that grow only when there are deep cracks in the surface or deep soil, allowing contact with the water below. There are palm trees, fruit-bearing trees, and extensive grass coverings as producers. They provide food to the inhabitants of animals, the lions, antelopes and zebras in the film. The big fire that broke out in the movie naturally occurs in real life scenarios. This phenomenon sustains plant life and stimulates grass growth.

The savanna concept reveals that the lion is called the “king of the jungle.” Because these stubborn carnivores do not like to live in the jungle, they prefer to live in open forest areas that are not rich in trees. The Lion King proves the fact that lions tend to live in the savanna because they appreciate the cool climate. Best of all, the brownish-yellow coat allows you to camouflage similar-colored dead grass, so it’s not too difficult to run behind and catch your prey. (Sheena Ricarte, Natural Science 13 Class, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 2004).