The Lion King
Uncanny similarities with the epic Mahabharat
EST V ACT domestic box office revenue
$251 – 307MM V $313MM
Mythosis universal quests used
3
Audience appeal
22.81 – 27.88%
Script Score
0.79
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. The invisible plot structure of The Lion King
1A. The script of The Lion King borrows 92% of its events from 3 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.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 26,107
Tales interweaved
Joseph, Duryodhan & Yudhisthir
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. The potential of The Lion King’s plot structure: $251 – 307MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of The Lion King
- 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 have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. 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. Box office revenue estimation of The Lion King
The Lion King’s plot structure reveals three unique character quests that deeply mirror universal quests and are tightly interwoven.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.79
Audience appeal
22.81 – 27.88%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. The ideal plot structure of The Lion King
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
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.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Though there’s no gap in The Lion King’s plot structure it can be further strengthened by assigning a quest to Rafiki.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
The Lion King’s plot is a subset of blockbuster plot structure # 26,107.It emerges from interweaving the tales of Joseph, Duryodhan & Yudhisthir.
Contact us for The Lion King’s plot structure #26,107
Tags: Duryodhan, Joseph, Yudhisthir, Vengeance, Status, Accumulation, Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, Linda Woolverton, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 1994