Despite being for kids,Disneyis known for including some truly dark moments in its movies, from the hanging hidden inTarzanto Mufasa’s death inThe Lion King. However, even longtime fans were shocked when, two years ago, Disney chose to confirm that a longtime fan theory is 100% true, despite being incredible grisly.
InThe Lion King, the Pride Lands are home to countless species of animals, with the lions overseeing the grand ‘Circle of Life,’ where all animals are part of the food chain. The one exception is the hyenas, whose endless appetites have caused them to be banished away from the other animals. WhileScar turns the hyenas into his personal armyby promising to let them hunt in the Pride Lands, fans were hung up on one question:how did they survive up until that point?
Typical of overblown fan theories, someLion Kingviewers decided the answer was cannibalism. And, in a shocking twist,not only was the theory correct, but Disney officially admitted it!
Disney Confirmed Lion King’s Hyenas Are Cannibals
It’s How They Survived Before Scar Came Along
In 2023, Marvel published a new series titledDisney Villains: Scar. From the creative team of Chuck Brown, Trevor Fraley, Chiara Di Francia, and Jeff Eckleberry,the series explores Scar’s backstory and how he was able to organize the hyenas into his personal army. The series revealed some surprising tidbits, includingScar’s close relationship with Rafikiand the existence of the Queen of the Bone Eaters - the hyena leader before Scar took control.
InDisney Villains: Scar #3, Scar is introduced to the hyenas by a group of vultures who want him to take over, reasoning that in the resulting chaos, there’ll be plenty of meat for them to scavenge. Hiding nearby, Scar witnesses a chilling hyena ritual, as the Queen of the Bone Eaters selects a member of the hyena pack to be cannibalized by the others. It’s revealed that while the hyenas are able to maintain a starvation diet by carrying out raids on the Pride Lands,they often resort to cannibalismwhen they’re unable to catch other prey.
However, the cannibalism gets even more specific. When the hyena pack attempt to eat Shenzi (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1994 movie), the Queen of the Bone Eaters states that it’s only fair, since Shenzi has been on the other side of the equation multiple times before.It was hugely surprising that Disney would allow a licensed tie-in to confirm that a named movie character has engaged in cannibalism.
The twist also makes Mufasa’s decision to exile the hyenas far darker, confirming that by banning them from hunting in the Pride Lands, he wasn’t just restricting their ability to find food, but sentencing them to death via starvation. In that context, it’s not so surprising thatScar was able to step inand offer them an alternative - though as the movie shows, he’s ultimately eaten by the hyenas himself in the end.
Lion King’s Cannibalism May Be Dark, But It’s Loyal to the Movie’s Vision
The Classic Film Takes the Animal Kingdom Seriously
As wild as it is for Disney to confirm a movie character has engaged in multiple acts of cannibalism, it does fitLion King’s depiction of the animal kingdom. While the movie obviously takes huge liberties in how it depicts the African savanna,pains are taken to depict realistic animal behavior. From Timon and Pumbaa feasting on insects to the way the lionesses hunt, kids watchingThe Lion Kingare likely to come away with a better understanding of the animal kingdom, withthe iconic ‘Circle of Life’explaining the food chain in a compelling way.
WhileLion Kinggets a lot of animal details right, it also perpetuates the myth of an elephants’ graveyard. This is reputedly a place where elephants voluntarily go near the end of their life, dying among the remains of the former members of their herd. The phenomenon isn’t real, though elephantshavebeen recorded as taking note of same-species remains and potentially even mourning their dead.
Whilecannibalism is relatively rare in hyenas, it does happen more than with other savanna animals, and often results from power struggles or preying on their own young. As inDisney Villains: Scar, it’s almost always a reaction to a lack of other food options, and the speciesdohave a matriarchal power structure that makes the Queen of the Bone Eaters an accurate character. However, while this dark theory may be realistic, is it Disney’s darkest moment?
Disney Is No Stranger to Truly Dark Moments
But What’s the Darkest of Them All?
Throughout its decades of movies, Disney has told some truly dark stories, from the evil forest inSnow White and the Seven Dwarfsto the twisted donkey transformations shown inPinocchio. Fans have also professed to being disturbed by moments likeDumbo’s pink elephants and the grinning clown inThe Brave Little Toaster, however these moments are more about tone than any subject matter that isn’t suitable for kids.Is there anything that actually measures up to literal cannibalism?
There are a few contenders where children were confronted with genuinely dark subject matter, even in blockbuster films.Tarzanfamously shows its villain Clayton being accidentally hanged, albeit only depicting his dead body in shadow.Beauty and the Beastshows Gaston falling to his death, with eagle-eyed fans spotting that in his final moments,skulls are hidden in his eyesto herald his fate. And of course, the death of Bambi’s mother has become a byword for childhood trauma.
However, perhaps the darkest Disney moment comes from 1985’sThe Black Cauldron, wherethe defeat of the Horned King results in the flesh being stripped from his bonesas he shrieks. The only other moments that can hold a candle come from the more adult-orientedFantasia, where dinosaur predation and the demonic Chernabog offer up plenty of nightmare fuel. Today, it’s unlikely that Disney would go quite so dark in its movies, thoughDisney Villains: Scarmakes it clear that it’s still willing to push the boundaries.
Whether the confirmation of cannibalism counts as Disney’s darkest moment is up to fans, but it’s certainly something thatLion Kingfans never thoughDisneywould go out of its way to confirm, especially in the case of a named character voiced by a popular celebrity.
Disney Villains: Scaris available in collected form now from Dynamite Entertainment.
The Lion King
The Lion Kingis one of Disney’s most iconic animated franchises, beginning with the 1994 film. The story centers around Simba, a lion prince who battles his treacherous uncle Scar for the throne of the Pride Lands. The franchise has expanded into sequels, remakes, and television series.
