The Lion King (1990 draft)

The Lion King is an early treatment for what would become the film of the same name. It was written by J. T. Allen and dated January 19, 1990.
==Synopsis==
In the middle of the Serengeti, as vultures circled overhead, Simba playfully fought with his cousin, Nala, over a stick they had found on the ground. Two spinster ratels, Rina and Rada, noted the cubs' playfulness. Rada called for Simba and Nala, and Simba asked how they were. He then dashed away from the ratels and ran to catch up with Nala. He eventually did so, and Nala questioned him on how he would be the king someday. She then pounced toward a locust. The locust led the cubs to Daabi, a young aardvark with a slurred dialect, who hid behind a termite mound. Simba pursued her, and they merrily chased each other from one mound to another. Daabi asked Simba several questions about being king until her mother panicked over her daughter being with a lion. Daabi tried to explain, but she was carried away from Simba by her mother. The same thing happened when Simba approached baby ostriches.
Soon, Simba approached a baby baboon, who told him that Nala was up a tree. With the help of the baby baboons, Simba climbed up the tree and approached Kwashi, an elderly but dignified baboon with a silver beard. Kwashi admitted that he did not know Nala. Just then, the mother baboon shrieked in horror at Simba and carried her children off. Kwashi dismissed the young prince, and Simba left, disappointed.
Just then, Nala came up, mocking Kwashi's "little imposter" comment toward Simba, and Banagi, a hyena, appeared before them. The cubs ran in different directions, and Banagi chased Nala. Simba pursued the hyena until Kwashi, Simba's father Mufasa, and Mufasa's tickbird Zazu arrived to scare off Banagi. Mufasa took the cubs back home, and the narrator was revealed to be Kwashi.
Once back home with the Ndona Pride, Mufasa, Zazu, Simba, and Nala watched as Sarabi, Naanda, and other lionesses hunted down a zebra. Along with Diku and Dwala, Sarabi's sisters, the lionesses successfully pinned the zebra down. After the pride finished their fill, a vulture named Kobi, along with the hyenas Baasho and Banagi, charged in to eat the remains of the zebra.
The scene transitioned to night, with the pride fast asleep. Simba approached his father about why he stayed up all night, and Mufasa replied that he stayed awake to report all that he saw to the Great Lion. Simba went to sleep with his mother, who sang him an African lullaby, assuring him that he would be the next king.
Years later, an adolescent Simba saw Nala with the lionesses. As he went to catch up with her, he received compliments from Rina and Rada on how much he had grown. Simba then pounced on Nala while she was hunting, but Sarabi dismissed her son, telling him that he and Nala had different roles in the pride now that they were older. Simba questioned this, and Sarabi told her son to ask his father about it.
Simba woke his sleeping father, and Mufasa answered by stating that male lions had to protect the pride from intruders. Despite Simba's dissatisfaction with the simplicity of his new role, Mufasa and Zazu escorted Simba to the termite mounds, where Simba tried to hunt down an older Daabi and the full-grown ostrich chicks. Kwashi approached Mufasa and told him that Simba would never learn how to hunt if he only hunted his friends. Zazu told the young cub that if all else failed, he had to follow the vultures for food and water. Mufasa scolded his son for showing favoritism when he hunted, but Simba rebelled against his father's instructions, claiming that "nature is wrong."
Not long after this, Naanda and Dwala approached Mufasa about an intruder who had attacked Sarabi. The intruder was discovered to be Scar, who was twice the size of Mufasa. He and Mufasa entered a brief battle, and Scar was defeated. Zazu escorted Scar to the border, and there, Banagi, who had watched the fight, complimented Scar and persuaded him to be the next king.
Back among the pride, Nala had a quick conversation with Simba, but Scar returned to the pride with Banagi's clan. Mufasa charged at them, but Scar and the hyenas overwhelmed him as the pride looked on helplessly. Sarabi told her son to run, and the hyenas chased after Simba. Despite assistance from Kwashi and Herr Rhino, Simba was still pursued by the hyenas. He climbed up a dead tree branch, which broke and caused him to fall.
An exhausted Simba was awoken by a tickbird, who told him that he was on territory that belonged to an enemy pride. Three lions beside him scared him off, and Simba got lost in a sandstorm. Meanwhile, back in the Serengeti, Zazu received assistance from Rina and Rada, who repaired his injured wing. The lionesses were gathered on a rock plateau, weary and pale over the shortage of food. An angered Sarabi engaged in a quick duel with Baasho, but it was put down by Scar. Naanda tried to calm down her sister, and Nala questioned her mother as to why they could not just run. Naanda replied that this territory had belonged to them for many generations.
Simba awoke from the sandstorm and saw two vultures. He then remembered Zazu's advice to follow the vultures to food and water, which led him to follow the birds to where cheetahs were eating a gazelle. Back at Pride Rock, Banagi harassed the lionesses to hunt for more food, while Kwashi talked with Zazu about finding a lion to champion Scar. Meanwhile, Nala tried to approach Scar romantically, as Scar had been looking for a mate for some time. 
Across the savanna, Simba asked the Lion in the Moon to tell him the status of the pride. Soon, he was approached by Timon, who told him that younger meerkats were trying to sleep. Simba learned of Timon and Tesma's species, and Simba proclaimed that he was a lion.
Back in the Serengeti, Nala grew tired of Scar and told him that she wished to go back to hunting. Scar refused and slapped Nala, causing her to run from him. Nala then told Scar that Banagi was controlling him, and Scar angrily objected to this, attacking a nearby Baasho. Back at the meerkat mounds, Simba was with Timon and his mate, Tesma, who was on sentry duty. There, Timon, along with the Komboli Rangers, scouted for food. Timon grabbed hold of a seven-foot yellow cobra, who attempted to attack the colony. The Komboli Rangers eventually buried the cobra alive by digging under it.
While Kwashi and Zazu continued to search for a new lion to take over the pride, Timon accepted Simba as a Komboli Ranger and welcomed him into the colony. Simba soon departed from the meerkats, as he had learned that size did not always equal strength. Soon, Kwashi and Zazu awakened Simba and told him that he had to return home to confront Banagi and the hyenas. Before he returned home, Simba invited Herr Rhino to accompany him to the fight. When Simba returned home, he was shocked by the emptiness of his homeland and organized a strategic plan.
Within the pride, Scar was told by Banagi and Baasho that Nala was responsible for rebelling against him. After Scar had an angry outburst, the lionesses protected Nala. Scar broke through their resistance, and Nala fled into the marshy borderland, where she found Simba. Simba asked Nala about Scar's weaknesses, and she replied that Scar was fearful of lightning. Nala, Herr Rhino, Daabi, her cousin aardvarks, Kwashi, and the baboons became Simba's allies. Simba ordered the aardvarks and ratels to dig a tunnel for Scar to fall into, while the baboons gathered rocks overhead. 
A storm broke out, and Nala got Scar to follow her into the trap tunnel. Because of his fear of lightning, Scar fell into the tunnel, and Nala sprang out of the hole as Simba's allies buried Scar in dirt. The baboons threw rocks at the fleeing hyenas, and with the help of the lionesses, Simba dispersed the hyena pack. However, lightning struck, and Scar sprang from the trap. Simba and Scar engaged in a fight. Unable to defeat Scar, Simba stopped at a dead tree, and there, a dead branch fell on Scar, crushing him. After the fight, Simba banished the hyenas to the desert and became the rightful king. The land eventually recovered, and Simba grew into an adult with a full mane. He joined his young son, his mate Nala, and the pride, where there were more cubs playing at their paws.
==Appearances==
==Gallery==
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==References==
Category:Concepts
Category:Drafts
Category:Real world