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[[File:KingOfTheKalahari.png|thumb|The first page of the ''King of the Kalahari'' script]] |
[[File:KingOfTheKalahari.png|thumb|The first page of the ''King of the Kalahari'' script]] |
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| − | '''''King of the Kalahari''''' is an early |
+ | '''''King of the Kalahari''''' is an early treatment for what would become ''[[The Lion King]]''. It was written in 1988 by [[Wikipedia:Thomas M. Disch|Tom Disch]] and consists of nine pages split into three acts.<ref>[http://news.jamescumminsbookseller.com/?p=59]</ref><ref name=":0">https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/josc/2018/00000009/00000003/art00006;jsessionid=1lni9fgqq2ssa.x-ic-live-03#</ref> |
==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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After the prey is devoured, the pride returns to their home, where Sheena greets her son [[Rego]], the Heir Apparent. Despite his regal title, he is lazily playing with a mouse, which earns him a gentle scold from his mother, who orders him to stop playing with his food. |
After the prey is devoured, the pride returns to their home, where Sheena greets her son [[Rego]], the Heir Apparent. Despite his regal title, he is lazily playing with a mouse, which earns him a gentle scold from his mother, who orders him to stop playing with his food. |
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| + | One day, Rego is lured away from the other lions by Mruki, towards a group of hyenas. The hyenas chase Rego while Mruki climbs a nearby tree to watch. Just as Rego is about to be caught, he is saved by the king of the elephants, Jambo, who is considered Brond's equal. |
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| + | Soon afterwards, the lions follow the herds north. On the way, Mruki takes the first bites from an antelope he has killed, in defiance of the "Laws of Precedence," causing King Brond to exile him. |
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| + | The treatment jumps forward a year for the second act. Brond's pride, including a now nearly grown Rego, encounters Mruki, now fully grown and with a distinctive black mane. Mruki challenges Brond and defeats him, thus becoming the new king. Sheena, believing her son to be in danger, advises Rego to leave the pride. He leaves with Brond's court jester Bobo, a mandrill who is also in danger. The two face numerous difficulties including the hyenas from earlier, who hunt them down and trap them in a tree. Bobo escapes and finds help in the form of a pride of female lions in want of a male. He leads them to Rego and the hyenas are soundly beaten. Rego now has a new pride and a love interest in a lioness named Nanda. |
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| + | The third act begins with Mruki violating the laws of veldt again by attacking a baby elephant. Rego's pride is following the same herds as Mruki's when they unexpectedly come upon King Brond, who has been living with two old male friends since his defeat. Rego is taught how to fight by these three older lions. With this newfound knowledge, Rego's pride moves on and runs into Mruki and his pride. Mruki and Rego fight in a waterhole, with many animals watching them. Rego wins and Mruki is to be banished. As he leaves, Rego warns him not to walk on a salt pan, but Mruki ignores him. The crust gives way under Mruki's feet and his falls down into the mire. The final shot shots Rego as the King of the Kalahari, with Nanda nursing their cubs.<ref name=":0" /> |
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== Trivia == |
== Trivia == |
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* An edited version of the script's first page yields more of the story.<ref>[[File:KotK.png|50px]]</ref> |
* An edited version of the script's first page yields more of the story.<ref>[[File:KotK.png|50px]]</ref> |
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| + | *Brond's palace is said to be a complex sandstone outcropping.<ref name=":0" /> |
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| + | *The animals dance in celebration when Brond is first seen in his palace.<ref name=":0" /> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 17:30, 15 August 2021
The first page of the King of the Kalahari script
King of the Kalahari is an early treatment for what would become The Lion King. It was written in 1988 by Tom Disch and consists of nine pages split into three acts.[1][2]
Plot
After the pre-credit sequence (crossing the Sahara and the Congo jungle), we hear the deep, creepy voice of the vulture Skobi. He says that the Dark Continent is composed of many small kingdoms and that the broad veldts is ruled by a "king of beasts," or a lion. He is the creator of three laws that apply to all the beasts: be alert, be fast, and be patient. While he talks, a herd of wildebeests eats grass while a pride of lions monitors them. One wildebeest sniffs the air and alerts the others to run. One wildebeest falls behind the herd, and the lions hunt him down. Their king, Brond, stands above them.
With their prey caught, the lions gather to feast, though Brond is allowed the first bite, much to the annoyance of a young male, Mruki. Lisaba scolds him for this, reminding him that Brond and his mate Sheena are the first to eat from the carcass, but Mruki ignores her, advancing on the fallen prey. This earns him a swipe from Weena, Sheena's younger sister, and mocking from Sheena's daughter. Mruki's annoyance is only fueled by reprimands by Skobi.
After the prey is devoured, the pride returns to their home, where Sheena greets her son Rego, the Heir Apparent. Despite his regal title, he is lazily playing with a mouse, which earns him a gentle scold from his mother, who orders him to stop playing with his food.
One day, Rego is lured away from the other lions by Mruki, towards a group of hyenas. The hyenas chase Rego while Mruki climbs a nearby tree to watch. Just as Rego is about to be caught, he is saved by the king of the elephants, Jambo, who is considered Brond's equal.
Soon afterwards, the lions follow the herds north. On the way, Mruki takes the first bites from an antelope he has killed, in defiance of the "Laws of Precedence," causing King Brond to exile him.
The treatment jumps forward a year for the second act. Brond's pride, including a now nearly grown Rego, encounters Mruki, now fully grown and with a distinctive black mane. Mruki challenges Brond and defeats him, thus becoming the new king. Sheena, believing her son to be in danger, advises Rego to leave the pride. He leaves with Brond's court jester Bobo, a mandrill who is also in danger. The two face numerous difficulties including the hyenas from earlier, who hunt them down and trap them in a tree. Bobo escapes and finds help in the form of a pride of female lions in want of a male. He leads them to Rego and the hyenas are soundly beaten. Rego now has a new pride and a love interest in a lioness named Nanda.
The third act begins with Mruki violating the laws of veldt again by attacking a baby elephant. Rego's pride is following the same herds as Mruki's when they unexpectedly come upon King Brond, who has been living with two old male friends since his defeat. Rego is taught how to fight by these three older lions. With this newfound knowledge, Rego's pride moves on and runs into Mruki and his pride. Mruki and Rego fight in a waterhole, with many animals watching them. Rego wins and Mruki is to be banished. As he leaves, Rego warns him not to walk on a salt pan, but Mruki ignores him. The crust gives way under Mruki's feet and his falls down into the mire. The final shot shots Rego as the King of the Kalahari, with Nanda nursing their cubs.[2]
Trivia
- An edited version of the script's first page yields more of the story.[3]
- Brond's palace is said to be a complex sandstone outcropping.[2]
- The animals dance in celebration when Brond is first seen in his palace.[2]
