Well, you probably all know where it all started from: who is Timon, what was his role and in what movie. If you don't, I think you're definitely in the wrong place!:) Okay, this is a "must-do" for all Lion King fans who make a page about it, even if it's just for fun. So I can as well tell a little bit about it.
The characters:
Simba:
The main character in the whole movie. Son of Mufasa and Sarabi, the future king of the Pride Lands. As a cub Simba is curious and naive, like kids usually. When he grows up, he learns to take responsibility and tries to be a good king and a loving father.
Nala:
Simba's cubhood friend and later his queen. Nala is pretty much like Simba as a cub but the tough life under Scar's kingship teaches her to take things more seriously and when she finds Simba, she is the first one to convince Simba to take responsibility. Of course she isn't being serious all the time, she also has sense of humor.
Scar:
Mufasa's younger brother, Simba's uncle. Scar's jealousy and bitterness drove him to kill his own brother. Still many of his fans have rationalized that he was being mistreated for years and that was his revenge. One way or another, Scar has an important role in the movie as Simba's evil uncle who assumes the throne after he thinks Simba is dead.
Mufasa:
King of the Pride Lands, father of Simba. Mufasa is a powerful but rightful ruler, who would even sacrifice his own life for the ones who he really loves. As he did.
Sarabi:
Mufasa's wife, queen of the Pride Lands. Sarabi is a strong lioness and one can only look up to her. She has her pride and she's devoted to her husband and her son. Madge Sinclare, who provided her voice, died shortly after The Lion King. We miss you, Madge.
Shenzi:
A female hyena, she seems to be the leader of the hyena trio Has sense of humor (her own kind, but umor anyway), is quite attractive for a hyena and dangerous when messed around with.
Banzai:
A male opposite to Shenzi. Banzai doesn't seem to have the intelligence of Shenzi (which may not be such a great loss:)), but he is quite comical
and -- he's still a lot more intelligent than the next one.
Ed:
Hmm. Then there's Ed. He's definitely out there somewhere, in his own world. He is also comical, like Banzai, but there's a darker side in him too, as we can see in the end, when he among others attacks his leader.
Timon:
Now we're in business!;) All of you should already know who this guy is, so I probably don't have to introduce him. Let's just say a few things about him here, too, so he wouldn't feel so much like an outcast. Timon is a meerkat, he's quite a motor-mouth and he always has a joke when in a tough place. But, after all he has his heart in the right place and would do anything for his friends, especially the next one.
Pumbaa:
Timon's best friend. Pumbaa is a warthog and like Timon, he also eats bugs. Pumbaa is very warm-hearted and he's the first one to accept Simba as their companion. The only problem is that he has, errmm...A little gas problem.:P
Rafiki:
A mystic old mandrill, who lives in a baobab (did I spell it right?:P) tree. He comes and goes the way he likes, but he's very helpful and friendly. But don't get him mad, whatever you do, don't get him mad!!!;)
Zazu:
The king's majordomo. Zazu is a hornbill, and he usually tries to appear as important as possible. He watches over the Pride Lands and notes the king, if there's something going on.
Sarafina:
Let's not forget the future queen's mother. Sarafina is nala's mother, and she is only seen in a few scenes. Many fans have become very compassionate to her because she only has one line in the whole movie. Oh, what it is? "Hmm, what do you think, Sarabi?":)
Gopher:
I had to mention him, too, he was metioned in the end title credits. He also had a very tiny role in the movie, he reports Zazu from the "underground" news.
The plot:
The Lion King is a movie about Simba, a young lion cub who will one day become the king of Pride Rock. Simba's evil uncle, Scar, plots with hyenas to kill both Simba and his father, Mufasa. He succeeds, with some help from the hyenas, who set a stampede of wildebeests in the gorge where Scar has taken Simba. Scar runs to tell Mufasa about what happened and Mufasa rushes to the gorge to save his son. He saves Simba, but gets killed himself. Scar accuses poor Simba for this and Simba runs away from the Pride Lands. He's found nearly dead in the desert by Timon (yay!:)) and Pumbaa. They take him in and teach their "Hakuna Matata" philosophy to Simba. Simba accepts their problem-free lifestyle, and grows up with his new friends. One day he accidentally bumps into Nala, his cubhood friend. They both fall in love and Nala tries to convince Simba to return to his kingdom. First Simba refuses, still accusing himself for Mufasa's death, but when an old shaman mandrill, Rafiki, shows Simba that Mufasa still lives in him, Simba decides to return. He goes back to Pride Rock, learns the truth about who REALLY was the one to blame for his father's death, and regains the throne as the one true king.
The Lion King was a success all over the world, when it was first released in theaters in 1994. It won two Academy awards for best song ("Can you feel the love tonight") and best original score, and several other awards. It has millions of fans in almost every country and it has already created it's own universe. Fan fiction is written and read, websites are created -- like the one here that you're looking at.:) All this should already prove that The Lion King is not "only a kids' movie". The Lion King is a way of life.
