Uncanny similarities between The Lion King & Mahabharat

The Lion King released in 1994 is a brilliant adaptation of the Hindu epic Mahabharat. It reimagines the characters and the world to create a masterpiece. The movie follows a young cub Simba’s imprudence, misfortune, inertia and awakening. The story explores basic human desires of status, accumulation & vengeance. Mythosis uses 3 mythological tales to extract the plot structure of the movie.

1. Mythological tales reveal the invisible plot structure of any story

1A. 91% of the events are borrowed from 4 mythological tales

Scar’s quest is driven by the desire to punish offenders and mirrors the tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology. Both Duryodhan & Scar unscrupulously acquire the kingdom of their kin.

Simba's quest is driven by the desire to own and mirrors the tale of Yudhisthir from Hindu mythology. Both Yudhisthir & Simba reclaim their kingdom.

Mufasa’s quest is driven by the desire for social standing and mirrors the tale of Joseph from Abrahamic mythology. Both Joseph & Mufasa are left to die by their envious brothers.

Timon & Pumba have an underdeveloped quest of loyalty & honour.

Rafiki’s quest is subsumed in the quest of Simba. He plays the guiding role of Krishn in Yudhisthir’s quest.

Lana has no quest.

Detailed mirroring of each character to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”

1B. 32 mythological tales are the source of all stories, even the untold ones

Human beings are driven by 16 fundamental desires. Every desire, whether encountering fulfilment or unfulfillment, gives rise to two distinct quests. Thus, a spectrum of 32 unique quests mirrors every human desire.

We have discovered mythological tales from across civilizations that uniquely portray each one of these 32 human quests. While each mythological tale stands as a distinct quest, the true magic unfolds when these tales are combined. This synergy is evident in the epics of Odyssey and Ramayan, where various universal quests seamlessly intertwine.

Combining any five tales from the 32, generates a staggering 24 million unique story plots. Take it a step further, by combining six tales the possibilities explode to an astounding 600 million!

The unique plot structure of The Lion King is # 26,107. It emerges from interweaving the tales of Joseph, Duryodhan & Yudhisthir.

2. Plot structure potential of The Lion King: $251-307MM

2A. Plot structure evaluation of The Lion King

An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots has led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate a story’s potential.

All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests.The Lion King uses 3 universal quests of Accumulation, Status and Vengeance.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Mufasa mirrors the universal quest of Status whereas the Scar mirror the universal quest of Vengeance. Simba mirrors the quest of Accumulation.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Mufasa borrows 16% from the universal quest of Status. Scar borrows 48% from the universal quest of Vengeance. Simba borrows 68% of events from the quest for Accumulation.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. . The Lion King has a quest interweaving score of 0.67 and is above par. An example of interweaving the quests of Simba & Scar:

2B. Plot structure is the most important but least understood element of storytelling

Any plot structure that borrows events from at least 3 mythological tales has high resonance. In our own lives, each one of us identifies with at least one quest to fulfil a basic human desire. The more quests woven into a story, the wider its appeal.

The nature of mythological tales used, makes the plot structure fresh & unique.Besides, appealing to a larger audience size the interweaving of various human desires creates a unique and original story.

Interweaving mythological tales makes the plot structure cohesive. Stories become seamless when characters are woven with each other through their quests and not merely by relationships.

Characters are consistent when they mirror a single mythological tale. Characters pursuing more than one quest appear confusing due to their divergent desires.

Borrowing 35% or more events from each mythological tale strengthens both the plot structure & character. The plot structure becomes flat when characters borrow less than the threshold. Each mythological tale has multiple twists & turns hence no forced injection is required. Characters become layered & complex when their journey is deep.

2C. Measuring the revenue potential of The Lion King

We have created an algorithm by assigning weights to the principles of The Mythosis Code. The algorithm calculates the potency of a story’s plot structure and estimates its corresponding audience appeal. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.

The Lion King has a script potential score is 0.79 and the movie will appeal to 22.81 – 27.88% of the population. Our estimate of the movie’s revenues from its audience appeal is $251 – 307MM in the domestic market.

3. Ideal plot structure of The Lion King

We have identified 32 universal quests that represent every human desire. These quests are the superset of thousands of stories across cultures that reflect our collective subconscious. Each quest has a structured sequence of events divided into 5 major arcs.

We map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale (universal quest) which reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. The ideal Plot Structure is constructed by plugging these gaps with the missing events from the tale. These events strengthen both the journey of characters as well as the weaving of quests without altering the story.

3A. Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts

Quest 1: Simba mirrors the universal quest for Accumulation

Simba’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Yudhisthir from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Accumulation.

Quest 2: Scar mirrors the universal quest for Vengeance

Scar’s desire for Vengeance stems from the need to punish offenders. The tale of Duryodhan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Vengeance.

Quest 3: Mufasa mirrors the universal quest for Status

Mufasa’s desire for Status stems from the need for respect & social standing. The tale of Joseph from Abrahamic mythology is the universal quest for Status.

Tags: 1994, Accumulation, Blockbuster movies, Duryodhan, Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Joseph, Linda Woolverton, Mythology, Plot Structure, Prediction, Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers, Status, storytelling, Vengeance, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Yudhisthir