The Lion King (Grolier) | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher |
Grolier Enterprises |
Published |
1994 |
ISBN-10 |
0717283534 |
Pages |
44 |
“ | ” |
The Lion King is a book inspired by the film of the same name. It was published by Grolier Enterprises in 1994.
Synopsis[]
One day, the prince heir of Pride Rock, Simba, was presented to the Pride Landers in a royal presentation. King Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, did not attend the ceremony. Zazu confronted Scar over his absence, but Scar merely ate the bird. Mufasa arrived in time to save his adviser and admonished Scar for having missed Simba's presentation. In reply, Scar called Simba a "little hairball" and warned Mufasa to never turn his back on him.
Eventually, Simba grew into a young cub, and his father took him to the top of Pride Rock to overlook the kingdom. Mufasa informed Simba that he would be the king someday, then forbid him from visiting the "shadowy place." Just then, Zazu arrived with news that hyenas were in the Pride Lands, and Mufasa took off to deal with the problem, to Simba's chagrin.
After Mufasa's departure, Simba asked Scar about the shadowy place, and he revealed that it was an Elephant Graveyard. Excited by the prospect, Simba invited his friend, Nala, to explore the area with him. After the two lost their babysitter, Zazu, they wandered into the Elephant Graveyard, only to get cornered by three hyenas named Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. The hyenas chased and cornered the cubs, and Simba defended Nala with a kittenish roar. In the nick of time, Mufasa arrived and defeated the hyenas, thus saving Simba's and Nala's lives.
Mufasa instructed Zazu to escort Nala home, then scolded Simba for having disobeyed him. He explained to the cub that being brave did not mean that someone should go looking for trouble. Simba questioned if they would always be together, and Mufasa told him that the Great Kings of the Past looked down on them from the stars and that they would always be there for him if he needed them, as would Mufasa himself.
Meanwhile, Scar plotted with the hyenas to kill both Mufasa and Simba. He lured Simba to a gorge and used a wildebeest stampede to endanger his life. Mufasa rushed to his son's rescue, but when he tried to climb up the side of the gorge to safety, Scar threw him to his death.
After Mufasa's fall, Simba found the body and grieved for his father. Scar soon arrived and convinced Simba that he was to blame for Mufasa's demise. This prompted the cub to run away from the Pride Lands. Though Scar sent his hyena minions after Simba, the cub managed to escape into a thorn thicket and flee into a desert. Eventually, Simba collapsed from thirst, but he was quickly found and rescued by Timon and Pumbaa. The duo taught Simba to live by their worry-free philosophy, "Hakuna Matata," and encouraged him to eat grubs instead of meat.
In the following months, Simba grew into a full-grown lion. One night, he and his friends were looking at the stars, and he wistfully thought back on Mufasa's story about the Great Kings of the Past.
The next day, a full-grown Nala hunted down Pumbaa, only for Simba to interfere and fight her. Eventually, the two recognized one another, and Nala informed Simba that Scar had let his hyena allies devastate the Pride Lands. Despite her pleas for help, Simba refused to reclaim his birthright.
Later, Rafiki brought Simba before the ghost of his father, who implored him to return home and take his place as the rightful king of the Pride Lands. Simba did as Mufasa had instructed and challenged Scar for the throne. With the help of his hyena minions, Scar cornered Simba on the edge of Pride Rock and confessed that he was responsible for Mufasa's death. Furious, Simba lunged at Scar, and the lionesses attacked the hyenas. After a brief battle, Simba managed to defeat Scar, who got eaten alive by his hyena minions.
With Scar dead, Simba ascended Pride Rock and became the new king. He took Nala as his queen, and the two had a cub. As the parents watched proudly, the newborn prince was presented by Rafiki to his future subjects.