Katelyn Almeda: The Religious Significance of The Lion King

While researching for my paper online, I came across a very interesting article that relates the Disney movie "The Lion King" to the religion of Christianity (chttp://www.hourofthetime.com/lionking.html). Although I was unable to find an exact author, whoever wrote this made some very good points. He basically insisted that children are being brainwashed because the story of the lion king parallels that story of Jesus Christ. First of all, at the beginning of the movie, the sun is rising in the east and all of the animals are coming together and at Pride Rock. Rocks can be seen as the symbolic foundations of many religions. In the Christian Bible, Matthew 16:18 says, "...upon this rock I build my church." The Prince, Simba, is born and the animals are rejoicing because one day he will become their king. This article insists that the Baboon, who holds Simba in the air, represents a priest. He also describes Scar as "the Dark Lion, the lion which represents Cain" because he "sends the new-born Cub, by deception and trickery, off into the north where he almost loses his life.  For the north, indeed, is fearful and evil. It is the land wherein dwells the hyenas."
Another interesting aspect is that the famous tree depicted in the Lion King is the Acacia Tree. In my research about symbolism and trees, I found out that this tree has A LOT of significance within Christianity. The Bible states that both the tabernacle and the Arc of the Covenant were constructed from Acacia wood. Many also believe that the cross that Jesus was crucified on and the crown of thorns that was adorned his head were also made from the same tree. I found this all very intriguing and I wonder what other movies might have religious significance that I am not aware of.