The Hero's Journey Archetypes in 'The Lion King' (1994)

In Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ (1994), much of the cast fits neatly into the Hero’s journey archetypes checklist.

Hero: Simba. He is the main character whose perspective the film follows, and he is the one who must change and grow throughout the film to vanquish the films main villain and save the pride-lands.

Shadow: Scar. The main driving force behind the darkness and misery that befalls the pride-lands. He also has a direct personal connection to the Hero as he kills Mufasa, Simba’s father.

Herald: Rafiki. The Mandrill/Monkey and sage of the royal family. It’s nearer the end of the film, however he still fulfils the role of appearing to Simba to inform him of the starvation and near collapse of the pride-lands under Scar’s rule, and convinces him to return.

Threshold Guardian: The Hyenas. The three hyenas that inhabit the elephant graveyard are the first conflict that Simba runs into, and also a trap set up by Scar. It’s arguably the event that is the first trigger for the following events of the film.

Mentor: Timon/Pumbaa. These are the two characters that take Simba in, and fill the void of Mufasa as Simba’s guardians. They teach him a new way of looking at the world, and under their guidance he transforms from the naive child Simba, to the powerful and confident adult capable of taking on Scar.

Allies: The other lions in the pride. Near the end of the film, they assist the Hero and company in taking back power from Scar and the Hyenas.

Mother: Sarabi, Simba’s mother. Represents the nurturing and safe world in which child Simba exists within his family, and which is torn away from him in the films main conflict.

Father: Mufasa, Simba’s Father. Represents a role-model and a seemingly impossible standard that Simba must achieve in order to stand a chance against his adversaries.

Child: Zazu. Zazu the red-billed hornbill is a royal messenger and Simba’s caretaker. Although he is an adult, his rigid and up-tight manner of thinking, short temper, and blunt attitude mark him out as one of the more naïve characters, and he is often used as the butt of the joke.

Maiden: Nala. She is Simba’s main love interest, and although he does not directly have to vanquish evil in order to save her, he finds himself in conflict with her when she tells him that he must return to the pride-lands and stand up to Scar. In this sense, he has to fulfil her expectations of him in order to win her favour.

Trickster: This role was left till last since it’s the only role that doesn’t fit a single clear character. It could be said to be Rafiki, since his eccentric and chaotic attitude makes him difficult to read, and it takes longer than with the other characters for him to clearly align with good/evil.

However, it could also be said to be the Hyenas, as they seem to have little social/political agenda of their own, and only align with Scar as he promises to feed them and bolster their status. 

Although they are a force of evil for most of the film, when they become hungry under Scar’s bad leadership and see the return of Simba, they switch sides and kill him, implying their loyalty is only to whomever they believe will benefit them.