Partly, yes. The Lion King (1994) began as an original story, described early on as Bambi in Africa, and as it developed the filmmakers deliberately borrowed the shape of Hamlet: a king murdered by his jealous brother, a son haunted by his father's ghost, and a return to set things right.
The writers even nicknamed the project Bamblet. But the ending turns tragedy into triumph.
What did the filmmakers say?
The directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and the writers have said in interviews and on the film's DVD extras that the project began as a nature story in the spirit of Bambi. As the story grew, they saw it echoing Hamlet and leaned into it, adding the ghost in the sky and a villain who seizes the throne through murder. They also mention other sources, from old legends about lost heirs to the real behaviour of lions.
↑ Back to the topWhere The Lion King follows Hamlet
The core is the same. A good king is killed by his brother, who is driven by envy and takes the crown. The young prince is too young or too troubled to act and goes away. His father's ghost appears and tells him to remember who he is, a clear echo of the ghost's command in Hamlet. Like Hamlet, Simba hesitates for a long time before he faces his uncle. Even the comic duo who travel with the prince recall the pair Claudius sends with Hamlet, though Timon and Pumbaa are true friends.
↑ Back to the topWhere it is completely different
Almost everything after the ghost scene changes. Simba's delay is cheerful exile rather than tortured thought. Nala, unlike Ophelia, is the one who finds him and persuades him to return, and she lives. Sarabi never marries Scar. Simba does not kill his uncle; Scar falls and is attacked by his own hyenas. And instead of a stage full of bodies, Simba becomes king and the circle of life goes on. It is Hamlet as Hamlet might have wished it.
↑ Back to the topOther stories based on Hamlet
The Lion King is far from the only retelling. Akira Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well moves the plot to corporate Japan, Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider sets it in Kashmir, Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead tells it from the two friends' side, and John Updike's Gertrude and Claudius imagines what happened before the play begins. Watching The Lion King after reading Hamlet is a good way to see how strong the bare plot is.
↑ Back to the topWho is who in both stories
| Hamlet | The Lion King | Match |
|---|---|---|
| King Hamlet | Mufasa | Murdered king who appears as a ghost |
| Claudius | Scar | Jealous brother who kills the king and takes the throne |
| Prince Hamlet | Simba | Son who must avenge his father |
| Gertrude | Sarabi | Queen left under the usurper; she does not marry Scar |
| Ophelia | Nala | The girl he loves; but Nala is strong and survives |
| Rosencrantz and Guildenstern | Timon and Pumbaa | A comic pair of friends, but loyal |
| Horatio | Rafiki | The wise friend who knows the truth |
More about Hamlet
Books Like Hamlet
The PearlJohn Steinbeck
The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne
Romeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's DreamWilliam Shakespeare
Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë
All Quiet on the Western FrontErich Maria Remarque
Much Ado About NothingWilliam Shakespeare
Animal FarmGeorge OrwellThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.