Academic Articles

 

Clark, L. S. (2006). Religion, American Style: Critical Cultural Analyses of Religion, Media, and

Popular Culture [Review of Making the American Religious Fringe: Exotics, Subversives, and Journalists, 1955-1993; Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture; Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture, by S. McCloud, H. Hendershot, & D. Chidester]. American Quarterly, 58(2), 523–533. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40068377

This article examines popular culture, American nationalism, and ethnocentricity and their connection to the teachings and principles of America’s most popular religion; Christianity. 

 

Hobday, M. (2019, April 1). Learning from the Lion: Is Disney's The Lion King an effective

teaching tool for Christianity? University of Chichester ChiPrints Repository. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from http://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/5691/.

In this academic dissertation, Madeleine Hobday discusses the many parallels between Christianity and The Lion King film, most notably the figure of Jesus Christ and the character, Simba. She expands on how the film can act as a teaching mechanism for Christian theology.

 

Mayward, J. (2017) "Film and Religion: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural

Studies,"Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 21 : Iss. 2 , Article 9. 
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol21/iss2/9

This article explains the concepts involved with the integration of religion and film by highlighting the advertent and inadvertent means by which film makers incorporate theological concepts into scripts and character portrayals.

 

Academic Books

 

Daly, R. (2009). Sacrifice Unveiled: The True Meaning of Christian Sacrifice. T&T

Clark.

This text unpacks the meaning of Christian sacrifice and how it relates to atonement and love, while also describing the father-son dynamic within Jesus’ sacrifice. This relates well to the theme of sacrifice and sacrificial atonement found in The Lion King film. 

 

Brown, J. C., & Bohn, C. R. (1989). Christianity, patriarchy, and abuse: a feminist critique.

Pilgrim Press.
This text discusses the inextricable link between Christianity and patriarchy as it relates to human psychology and relationships, providing a comprehensive overview of Christian history and how patriarchal values were adopted and upheld. 

 

  

Gill, R. (2020). Christian Ethics: The Basics. 1st edn. Taylor and Francis. Retrieved October

17, 2021, from https://www.perlego.com/book/1599224/christian-ethics-the-basics-pdf
This textbook explores basic information about the formation, adoption, and teachings of Christian ethics and where such formations originated through early translations of the Old and New Testaments. Understanding Christian ethics allows for deeper understanding of Christian views on good, evil, righteousness, and sinfulness. 

 

 

Internet Sources

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Biba, E. (2021, May 3). In real life, Simba's mom would be running the pride. Animals. Retrieved November 13, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/lion-pride-family-dynamics-females. 

The National Geographic website highlights the non-patriarchal of lion prides, proving that the patriarchal storyline of The Lion King film is not based on the real-life habits of lions, but rather man-made systems of governance, which are heavily influenced by the Christian church.

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Brake, M. (2019, July 29). The lion king, re-imagining righteousness, and religious pluralism. Pop Culture and Theology. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2019/07/31/the-lion-king-re-imagining-righteousness-and-religious-pluralism/. 
This website explores religious pluralism and biblical definitions of righteousness, using The Lion King as a reference, throughout. These writings also look deeply into the ancient Judaic practices of Jesus’ time, describing how they are present throughout the film.

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David, E. (2009, November 4). The Man Behind the mouse. ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved October 16, 2021, from https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/novemberweb-only/fofdisney.html.
This article from Christianity Today gives a historical, biographical account of Walt Disney, including his Christian background. His personal belief system may have contributed to the themes and styles of Disney films, like The Lion King.

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Ducote, N. (2015, May 6). What "christian patriarchy" is. Homeschoolers Anonymous. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://homeschoolersanonymous.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/what-christian-patriarchy-is/. 

This website for home schooling families explains what patriarchy is and how it is mislabeled, misunderstood, and perpetuated by the Christian church.

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Hassan, W. (2020, September 25). Spiritual lessons from the lion king. Traversing Tradition. Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://traversingtradition.com/2019/07/29/spiritual-lessons-from-the-lion-king/. 
This website explores a more philosophical and broadly spiritual view of the themes and contents in Disney’s The Lion King. It presents alternative perspectives than those that are purely Christian.

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Miller, P. D. (2013, December 18). The lion king: Disney's almost Christian tale. Schaeffer's Ghost. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeffersghost/2013/12/the-lion-king-disneys-almost-christian-tale/.
This article was written by Paul Miller and contains a review of The Lion King film, with emphasis on the Christian themes throughout. The article gives reference to several Christian scripture references that are related to the film’s storyline and themes.

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Kjos, B. (2020). The Spirit Behind The Lion King. The spirit behind the lion king. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/tsbtlk96.html. 
This blog post explores the various parallels that exist between The Lion King’s Pride Lands and the Christian depiction of God’s Kingdom. In contrast, it also mentions some potentially pagan themes/rituals throughout the film.

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S., M. (2019, September 6). Theology in "The lion king". Medium. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://gothgordongekko.medium.com/theology-in-the-lion-king-aaaa098b7772. 
This website contains and in-depth look at the Christian theological elements that are presented throughout The Lion King. It offers a detailed analysis of biblical allusions and figures found throughout the Disney film. 

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Starlight, N. (2017, January 26). Christian symbolism in Disney's 'the lion king'. ReelRundown.

Retrieved October 20, 2021, from https://reelrundown.com/animation/The-Lion-King-Theory-Is-Simba-Jesus. 
This opinion/interpretative piece, written by Naomi Starlight, contains interesting theories as to the origins and parallels of The Lion King characters with characters from the Christian bible. 

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Unknown. (2020). Religious themes in the lion king. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from http://religiousthemesinthelionking.yolasite.com/information.php.
This blog appears to be a project that contains helpful content, ideas, and references that have helped guide exploration and organization of the research topic.

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Unknown. (2019, October 15). The lion king explained: Let the darkness in. The Lion King Explained: Let the Darkness In | Watch | The Take. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://the-take.com/watch/the-lion-king-explained-let-the-darkness-in.
This website explores themes within The Lion King such as darkness and light, embracing difficulty, self-exploration, existential questioning, and the patriarchy.

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Vision Forum Ministries Team. (2007, June 26). The tenets of biblical patriarchy. Vision Forum Ministries. Retrieved November 12, 2021, from https://homeschoolersanonymous2.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/2fdd2-the-tenets-of-biblical-patriarchy-vision-forum-ministries.pdf. 

This website was created by Vision Forum Ministries and highlights the facets of biblical patriarchy, which easily compares to The Lion King depiction of masculine leadership and feminine subordination. 

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Other Sources

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Allers, R., & Minkoff, R. (1994). The Lion King. Buena Vista Pictures.

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English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/

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