Editing Simba (section)

===Creation===
''The Lion King'' was conceived in 1988.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Beck |first=Jerry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&q=ruben+a.+aquino+the+lion+king+interview&pg=PA145 |title=The Animated Movie Guide |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |year=2005 |isbn=9781569762226 |location=United States |pages=145–146 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510110341/https://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&q=ruben+a.+aquino+the+lion+king+interview&pg=PA145 |archive-date=May 10, 2023}}</ref> Although considered an original story<ref name=":5-1">{{Cite web |last=Carnevale |first=Rob |date=October 6, 2011 |title=The Lion King 3D – Don Hahn interview |url=http://web.orange.co.uk/article/film/the-lion-king-3d-don-hahn-interview-67182466 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808054507/http://web.orange.co.uk/article/film/the-lion-king-3d-don-hahn-interview-67182466 |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |website=[[Orange UK]]}}</ref><ref name=":6-1">{{Cite web |year=2011 |title=The Lion King 3D – Don Hahn interview |url=http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/the-lion-king-3d-don-hahn-interview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926084815/http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/the-lion-king-3d-don-hahn-interview |archive-date=September 26, 2013 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |website=IndieLondon |publisher=}}</ref>{{NoteTag|Disney has stated that ''The Lion King'' was their first "original" animated film, in the sense that its story is not directly based on or adapted from any pre-existing work or material.<ref name="originalpost">{{cite news |last1=Nyman |first1=Shane |title=25 things you (probably) don't know about Disney's 'Lion King,' which turns 25 this year |url=https://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/2019/02/07/disneys-animated-the-lion-king-turns-25-musical-back-appleton/2733823002/ |access-date=January 26, 2024 |work=[[The Post-Crescent]] |date=February 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519125152/https://www.postcrescent.com/story/entertainment/2019/02/07/disneys-animated-the-lion-king-turns-25-musical-back-appleton/2733823002/ |archive-date=May 19, 2022}}</ref><ref name="lionkingoriginalhuffpost">{{cite news |last1=Bradley |first1=Bill |title=Was 'The Lion King' Copied From A Japanese Cartoon? Here's The Real Story |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lion-king-kimba_n_6272316 |access-date=January 26, 2024 |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=January 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204202206/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lion-king-kimba_n_6272316 |archive-date=February 4, 2023}}</ref> Although loosely inspired by and sharing several similarities with [[William Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Hamlet]]'', ''The Lion King'' is not considered to be an adaptation of the play.<ref name="colliderhamlet">{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=William |title=Just How Deep Is 'The Lion King's' Debt To 'Hamlet?' |url=https://collider.com/the-lion-king-hamlet-connection-explained/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=June 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722013716/https://collider.com/the-lion-king-hamlet-connection-explained/ |archive-date=July 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="oprahlionkinghamlet">{{cite news |last1=Vincenty |first1=Samantha |title=The Lion King's Surprising Connections to Hamlet |url=https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28376309/the-lion-king-hamlet-comparison/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |work=[[Oprah Daily]] |date=July 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203235256/https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a28376309/the-lion-king-hamlet-comparison/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |quote="Based on," no. But it's thematic similarities are undeniable.}}</ref>|name=}} that follows a young lion, Simba, becoming an adult and learning to take responsibility for his actions,<ref name=":34" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Paluso |first=Marianne |date=March 14, 2012 |title=Interview: Don Hahn, producer of "The Lion King" and "Chimpanzee" |url=http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=12925 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002084754/http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=12925 |archive-date=2 October 2013 |access-date=2 August 2013 |work=The Trades}}</ref> the film's creators drew inspiration for the character from various sources, namely several [[coming-of-age stories]] and the [[biblical figures]] [[Moses]] and [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2011 |title=Roundtable Interview: The Lion King |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7433 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112011218/http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7433 |archive-date=January 12, 2024 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |website=Blu-ray.com |publisher=}}</ref><ref name=":8-1">{{Cite web |last=Bonanno |first=Luke |date=September 27, 2011 |title=Interview: Don Hahn, Producer of The Lion King |url=http://www.dvdizzy.com/donhahn-lionking-interview.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705193616/http://www.dvdizzy.com/donhahn-lionking-interview.html |archive-date=July 5, 2017 |access-date=July 26, 2013 |website=DVDizzy.com |publisher=}}</ref> The film underwent several title changes, one of the earliest of which was ''King of the Jungle''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 28, 2011 |title=10 things you don't know about Lion King |url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2011/11/28/752396/10-things-you-dont-know-about-lion-king |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116200525/https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2011/11/28/752396/10-things-you-dont-know-about-lion-king |archive-date=January 16, 2024 |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=[[The Philippine Star]]}}</ref> According to producer [[Don Hahn]], this title was intended to serve as an [[allegory]] about Simba needing to survive and grow up in both a literal and [[metaphor]]ical jungle.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Baker |first=Craig S. |date=Jul 1, 2019 |title=25 Surprising Facts About 'The Lion King' |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/57386/30-facts-about-lion-king |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111142744/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/57386/30-facts-about-lion-king |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=[[Mental Floss]]}}</ref> However, they renamed it ''The Lion King'' upon realizing lions don't live in jungles, and wanting to shift focus to a simpler story about a lion becoming king.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 26, 2021 |title=The Original Names Of 10 Huge Hollywood Movies |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/movies/the-original-names-of-10-huge-hollywood-movies/slidelist/36445145.cms#slideid=36445166 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111143524/https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/movies/the-original-names-of-10-huge-hollywood-movies/slidelist/36445145.cms#slideid=36445166 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=[[Business Insider India]]}}</ref> Some filmmakers nicknamed the film "''Bambi ''in Africa" due to similarities between ''The Lion King'' and Disney's own ''[[Bambi]]''.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Noyer |first=Jérémie |date=September 30, 2011 |title=Lion King D-rectors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff: 2D's for a 3D hit! |url=http://animatedviews.com/2011/lion-kings-roger-allers-and-rob-minkoff-2d-for-a-3d-hit/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326132238/http://animatedviews.com/2011/lion-kings-roger-allers-and-rob-minkoff-2d-for-a-3d-hit/ |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |access-date=July 25, 2013 |website=Animated Views |publisher=}}</ref> The name "Simba" is the [[Swahili language|Swahili]] word for "lion".<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Baxter-Wright |first=Dusty |date=July 26, 2016 |title=21 things you didn't know about The Lion King |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a44918/things-you-didnt-know-lion-king/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111184142/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a44918/things-you-didnt-know-lion-king/ |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]}}</ref> Unlike Disney's three previous romantic films ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', and ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', ''The Lion King'' focuses on Simba's relationship with his father.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title="The Lion King" – Production Information |url=http://www.lionking.org/text/FilmNotes.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330055419/https://www.lionking.org/text/FilmNotes.html |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |access-date=August 31, 2018 |website=The Lion King WWW Archive}}</ref>

In April 1992, the filmmakers hosted a "brainstorming session" in which much of the film, including Simba's personality, was re-written.<ref name=":1" /> Story supervisor [[Brenda Chapman]] realized they had written a proud, unlikeable character.<ref name=":26">{{Cite news |last=Sim |first=Bernardo |date=July 22, 2019 |title=The Lion King: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Simba |url=https://screenrant.com/the-lion-king-facts-about-simba/#originally-simba-wasn-t-a-very-likable-character |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723141029/https://screenrant.com/the-lion-king-facts-about-simba/#originally-simba-wasn-t-a-very-likable-character |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> Originally, Simba was intended to remain with his pride after [[Mufasa]]'s death until this was revised to make him a more [[sympathetic character]].<ref name=":1" /> Additionally, one of the earliest iterations of Scar was a rogue lion unrelated to Simba,<ref name=":2" /> whereas Simba was meant to be raised by Scar in another version.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bradley |first=Laura |date=July 19, 2019 |title=Inside Mufasa's Lion King Death Scene, a Tearjerker for the Ages |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/07/the-lion-king-original-vs-remake-mufasa-death-scene |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208040226/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/07/the-lion-king-original-vs-remake-mufasa-death-scene |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite news |last=Rawden |first=Jessica |date=August 7, 2017 |title=Apparently, Scar Was Originally Supposed To Raise Simba In The Lion King |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1689290/apparently-scar-was-actually-supposed-to-raise-simba-in-the-lion-king |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127173742/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1689290/apparently-scar-was-actually-supposed-to-raise-simba-in-the-lion-king |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |work=[[CinemaBlend]]}}</ref> According to [[Disney Theatrical Group]] president [[Tom Schumacher]], Scar was planned to kill Simba and Mufasa at the same time, only for other characters to mistake him for saving Simba from the stampede.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Griffiths |first=Emmy |date=July 25, 2019 |title=The original ending of the Lion King was too dark for the remake |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2019072575743/lion-king-dark-original-ending-remake/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112161638/https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2019072575743/lion-king-dark-original-ending-remake/ |archive-date=January 12, 2024 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |work=[[Hello! (magazine)|Hello!]]}}</ref> Instead of meeting [[Timon and Pumbaa]], this version of Simba would have grown up a slacker under Scar's reign, making him easier to overthrow.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lorusso |first=Billy |date=August 8, 2017 |title=The Original Plan For Simba In 'The Lion King' Will Literally Blow Your Mind |url=https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/film/the-original-plan-for-simba-in-the-lion-king/2039268 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112162038/https://www.elitedaily.com/entertainment/film/the-original-plan-for-simba-in-the-lion-king/2039268 |archive-date=January 12, 2024 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |work=[[Elite Daily]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Radulovic |first=Petrana |date=July 16, 2019 |title=The curious case of dust in The Lion King |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/16/20692330/disney-the-lion-king-special-visual-effects-dust-cg-animation-2d-3d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116210531/https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/16/20692330/disney-the-lion-king-special-visual-effects-dust-cg-animation-2d-3d |archive-date=January 16, 2024 |access-date=January 16, 2024 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]}}</ref> A short scene depicting a young Simba wandering the desert before meeting Timon and Pumbaa was also cut.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Acuna |first=Kirsten |date=November 23, 2018 |title=17 things you probably didn't know about the making of 'The Lion King' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/lion-king-trivia-2017-7#9-there-was-another-scene-of-simba-originally-wandering-around-in-the-desert-more-before-passing-out-from-exhaustion-9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115150938/https://www.businessinsider.com/lion-king-trivia-2017-7#9-there-was-another-scene-of-simba-originally-wandering-around-in-the-desert-more-before-passing-out-from-exhaustion-9 |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |access-date=January 15, 2023 |work=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref>

Screenwriter [[Linda Woolverton]], one of the writers credited with creating the character,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Abramovitch |first=Seth |date=December 3, 2018 |title=Original 'Lion King' Screenwriter Apprehensive of Remake: "I Wasn't Thrilled With 'Beauty and the Beast'" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/linda-woolverton-lion-king-remake-beauty-beast-1165869/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004190646/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/linda-woolverton-lion-king-remake-beauty-beast-1165869/ |archive-date=October 4, 2023 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |quote=[[Linda Woolverton]], the creator of such beloved Disney characters as Belle and Simba}}</ref> joined the film to revise its screenplay, which included providing Simba with a stronger adversary by changing the rogue lion into Simba's uncle.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Reif |first=Alex |date=July 2, 2020 |title=10 Things We Learned from Linda Woolverton During WDFM's Happily Ever After Hours |url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2020/07/02/10-things-we-learned-from-linda-woolverton-during-wdfms-happily-ever-after-hours/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112150254/https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2020/07/02/10-things-we-learned-from-linda-woolverton-during-wdfms-happily-ever-after-hours/ |archive-date=January 12, 2024 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Laughing Place}}</ref> She felt the change contributed more [[Shakespearean]] elements to the story.<ref name=":8" /> The character has often been compared to [[Prince Hamlet]] from [[William Shakespeare]]'s tragedy ''[[Hamlet]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lion King Characters |url=https://www.thelionking.co.uk/the-lion-king-characters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415090359/https://www.thelionking.co.uk/the-lion-king-characters |archive-date=April 15, 2024 |access-date=February 12, 2024 |website=[[The Lion King (musical)|The Lion King]]}}</ref> In an earlier version of the script, Simba was meant to lose his final fight to Scar, being thrown from Pride Rock before his uncle ultimately dies in a fire.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ashton |first=Will |date=July 1, 2020 |title=The Lion King: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Disney Animated Movie |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2549109/the-lion-king-behind-the-scenes-facts-about-the-disney-animated-movie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030085736/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2549109/the-lion-king-behind-the-scenes-facts-about-the-disney-animated-movie |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |access-date=January 11, 2023 |work=[[CinemaBlend]]}}</ref> Nala's younger brother Mheetu, who Simba was to have rescued from a stampede, was also written out of the film,<ref name=":2" /> as well as a trio of Simba's childhood friends.<ref name=":16-1" /> For a while, the story team struggled to come up with a convincing reason as to why Simba would believe he was responsible for Mufasa's death, without killing him.<ref name=":40">{{Cite news |last=Bradley |first=Bill |date=February 24, 2020 |title=Your Favorite Disney Movies Were Almost Completely Different, This Director Says |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/disney-movies-different_n_5e472416c5b64433c6167239 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125134018/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/disney-movies-different_n_5e472416c5b64433c6167239 |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |access-date=January 25, 2024 |work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref> Story artist [[Chris Sanders]] explained that the key to this was eventually accepting that a young child in an extremely emotional state would simply believe what their uncle told them.<ref name=":40" />

Addressing online speculation that Simba and Nala could potentially be related since Mufasa and Scar are the only adult male lions identified in the film, Woolverton acknowledged that although it is possible, she had never written Simba and Nala as cousins or siblings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Losgar |first=Maxwell |date=May 27, 2016 |title=Your Burning Questions about Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, Answered |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/05/linda-woolverton-interview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801145131/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/05/linda-woolverton-interview |archive-date=August 1, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref> Although Woolverton admitted that songs such as "[[Hakuna Matata (song)|Hakuna Matata]]" were non-essential to the plot and arrived later during the writing process, she confirmed that it helps demonstrate Simba during his "lost boy" phase.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Emma |date=June 2, 2014 |title=Linda Woolverton and the Making of Maleficent |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/linda-woolverton-maleficent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204145713/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/linda-woolverton-maleficent |archive-date=December 4, 2023 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |work=[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]}}</ref> Some of Disney's marketing team doubted Simba's marketability, since most of Disney's lead characters at the time were female or princesses.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Riedel |first=Michael |date=October 16, 2020 |title=How The Lion King Became a $9 Billion Broadway Smash |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/how-the-lion-king-became-a-dollar9-billion-broadway-smash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011716/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/how-the-lion-king-became-a-dollar9-billion-broadway-smash |archive-date=November 1, 2020 |access-date=February 1, 2024 |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref>