The plot of The Lion King remains the same whether the original film or on stage. The lion Mufasa is king of the Pridelands, and The Lion King begins with the presentation of Mufasa's young son, Simba, to the animals for the first time. Mufasa's brother, Scar, is an outcast, resentful of his brother's authority. Scar has three hyaenas to act as his henchmen, a breed of animal which is considered not part of the Pridelands.
Scar wishes to do away with Simba because Simba has replaced Scar as next in line for the throne. Also, he wants the throne for himself, so is looking to get rid of Mufasa as well. He lures Simba to a gorge, and creates a wildebeest stampede endangering Simba's life. Scar runs to tell Mufasa of the danger Simba's in, and as Scar hoped, Mufasa hurries to the scene of the stampede to rescue his son. Mufasa places Simba out of harm's way, but when he tries to climb up the rock wall to safety, Scar pushes him off. Mufasa falls and is trampled. Scar makes Simba believe that it is Simba's fault his father had died. He tells Simba that he must run away because of what he has done. Simba obeys, and Scar sends the three hyaenas after him to kill him. The hyaenas decide not to follow Simba through thorns, assuming that he will die in the desert anyway.
In the desert, Simba encounters Timon, a meerkat, and Pumba, a warthog. They teach him their philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" : a worry-free existence. Timon decides that having a lion on their side would be a good thing ... after Pumba first suggests it. They successfully turn Simba away from being carnivorous, having him eating bugs as they do.
Years later, a lioness tries to attack Timon and Pumba. It turns out that this is Nala, Simba's childhood best friend. Scar has assumed leadership of the Pridelands, and has allowed all of the hyaenas in. Under his reign, all of the resources have been depleted. The lionesses have been sent out to try to find food. Nala is overjoyed to see Simba again, expecting him to come home and claim his rightful title. Simba tells her that he won't go back, but refuses to elaborate, afraid of what Nala would think if she knew that he was responsible for Mufasa's death.
Simba encounters an odd monkey who manages to convince him that he has to put the events of the past behind him and return to the Pridelands. The monkey is none other than Raffiki who was very close to Mufasa and who had presented Simba all those years ago.
Timon and Pumba return to the Pridelands with Nala and Simba. With the lionesses on their side, they stage an attack against Scar and the hyaenas. Simba pursues Scar to the top of a rock formation. Scar tells Simba that this is entirely the fault of the hyaenas. Simba doesn't want to talk, and the two lions fight. During the battle, Simba falls over the edge, and is just barely able to hold on. Before pushing him away, Scar says that he has a secret to tell Simba. He whispers in Simba's ear that it is he, Scar, who killed Mufasa. Simba springs back on top of the cliff, and Scar runs away.
Simba becomes king, and the Pridelands, which had been destroyed by fire, begin to regrow. Scar was last seen with his back against a wall, literally and figuratively, surrounded by hyaenas who were not at all pleased that Scar was denying involvement and blaming all of them instead...
Nala and Simba have a child, and Raffiki presents the lion cub to the citizens of the Pridelands just as he had done with Simba, completing the great circle of life.
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