1. The Lion King as the Hero’s Journey
Shannon Luster
12th AP English

2. The Ordinary World
Simba’s Ordinary World is the world that exists at the time of his birth.
The family is together and happy.
He assumes he will always have his father.
He also assumes he can do whatever he wants to do.

3. Call To Action
Simba’s call to action occurs when his father has to rescue him from the hyenas.
His father gives the call to action of growing up/accepting responsibility for other’s lives.

4. Refusal of the Call to Action
Simba disobeys his father’s advice by going to find Scar. He follows Scar’s advice to go into the valley to wait for his father.

5. Meeting the Mentor
It is important that you understand the audience may not see the mentor as a “good” person.
What is important is how the character views the mentor.

6. Crossing the Threshold
Simba crosses the threshold when he leaves his homeland at the insistence of his mentor.
He feels that there is no choice at this point because he feels responsible for his father’s death.
He has to enter a special world where he must learn to “grow up” and “take responsibility for his own actions.”

7. Tests, Allies, Enemies
Simba finds his allies, Timon and Pumba, in the Special World. These guys help him survive. They teach him how to survive on his own.
His true, “good” mentor, Nala, appears in this special world as well. It is she who gives him the courage to face his in-most cave.

8. Approach to the In-most cave
In The Lion King, this occurs when Nala tells Simba of his mother’s problems and of the destruction of the Ordinary World due to Scar’s rule.

9. The Ordeal

10. Reward
Once Simba faces his in-most cave(learning to accept the death of his father and learning that his father’s death was not his fault), he receives a reward.
He is allowed to speak to and to see his father once more. This allows him to have closure on his inner turmoil.

11. The Road Back
In order for a Hero to be called a Hero, he must return to the Ordinary World to apply the knowledge he has learned.
The allies will be with him, and sometimes the mentor goes with him too.

12. The Resurrection
In the resurrection, the Hero must face his toughest battle yet.
This battle will make the Hero pure; it will be a battle that is for much more than the Hero’s own life.

13. Returns With The Elixir
Remember that the elixir does not have to be a potion.
He has reconciled what he has learned in the Special World with his life in the Ordinary World.
He has become the true Hero.