SImba's Pride Racist?!

[Fuzzy]

Ok.. so after browsing around one of the MySpace Lion King groups im in, I came across this thread that suggested an idea that might suggest that SP is racist in some respects.

After reading through it and what not, I figured I'll reply and bring it up here just to see what your thoughts on it might be since its seldom that a good fully TLK vs. Real Life disscusion is brought up.

Here is the opening post in that thread found here for member of MySpace.

Posted by: Jillybean

"
Okay, a friend of mine have a theory that Lion King 2 is a racist movie. We examined some of the points.

-Lions on the pridelands are brighter and stronger looking. Lions in the outlands are dark and weak looking.
-The pridelands are nice and have trees, grass, clean water, and lots of food. Outlands have little water, food, no nature, etc.
-The outland lions were not allowed on the area designated pridelands.

Its kind of like the Pridelands lions are representing Americans back when there was much segregation in the world and the Outlands lions represent the African Americans.

I just want to hear you opinion on this subject. ^_^
"

my reply was:

I might argue against the 'idea' that SP is racist without dismissing that it might be able to be viewed as such, and here is why..

Dinsey, as well as any film producing company (esp. animated films) use a technique that dose not differ much.

Villians or bad groups (in this case) are intended to look 'dark' and 'evilish' otherwise, in this case, if the lions/lionesses of the outlands looked like that of the ones in the pridelands, people would have a hard time getting more into the movie.

What I'm trying to say is, making an animated film that has you right in mind with the characters (beliveable so to say) is very difficult to begin with, not to mention if you can notice a big difference in characters evil-good allignment.

The other point I'd like to bring up is that of which the outlands were dark and a bad place to live.. well thats an easy one.. if the outlands looked as nice as the pridelands, dont you think that the outsiders would want to stay there, and not bother to take over the pridelands? I guess you could argue its a matter of right, or whatever else.. However in retrospect, I would really depend on how and why the outsiders were exiled to the outlands in the first place (as that is not fully clear for 'ALL' of the outsiders).

Just my thoughts, but an intresting viewpoint on how it could be taken as racist -- I had never really given it much thought. And I'm going to share this idea with a few members of a very large and active Lion King forum (lea-halalela) and see what they might make of it.

[nathalie]

I totally agree with you on this one.

It's mostly that the bad guys are in a worse state then the good guys.

[Simba '04]

Ok I can't see it being racist at all, someone wasn't making a very fair observation. Everything in this world seems to be racist now. Ok, the lions from the pridelands to me were brighter colored because, well, that is the way it was in TLK and no one said that is racist! As LKD said, evil villians tend to be darker colored just because they lurk around in the shadows always coming up with evil ideas. The whole Pridelands/Outlands different paradises is kind of a good reason to be considered racist, but it isn't. The pridelands are bright and sunny because Simba restored them to being like that in the original TLK movie. The outlands are like that because in normal movies when you see evil villians, you tend to see them in the back allies and underground, kind of like the sun is evil to them! Usually evil people don't like to be out in the sun because that is putting them out in the open for getting caught, they like to do stuff in the dark to get away with it un-noticed. idk, i just can't see a Disney movie being racist, it's just not Disney!

[Katse]

Originally posted by Fuzzy
[B]-Lions on the pridelands are brighter and stronger looking. Lions in the outlands are dark and weak looking.
-The pridelands are nice and have trees, grass, clean water, and lots of food. Outlands have little water, food, no nature, etc.
-The outland lions were not allowed on the area designated pridelands.[B]

-This is all just a certain technique of how people make their movies. There are mainly certain colors that pertain to a certain type of character. Blacks, reds, other dark colors=evil. Blues, whites, bright, "happy" colors=good. It's all a simple formula. It's been used almost as long as there's been animation. This is what helps the audience determine who's good and who's evil. The fact that they look weak adds to that mind set.

-Like '04 said, why would they want to get out if the Outlands was a paradise just like the Pridelands? It wouldn't look so intimidating and so much like a villian's lair if it was all bright and beautiful.

-This person obviously doesn't know how real lion prides act. This is a fact in the wild that prides have different territories and they're not allowed to trespass. It's with just about every other animal, too.

Conclusion, this person just seems to be looking for an arguement and is another one of those millions of people who try too hard to make Disney look bad.

[Nephilim]

Snerk. These people should try watching Dumbo.

[va-kasi]

That person has obviously forgotten the moral of SP.

[Sharifu]

Yeah I agree with you Brad. I don't think of SP as being a racist movie. I mean that's how villians are in most animated movies.

Btw Brad I like your new banner!

[simba2662]

Although Scar has a darker appearance, I think the outlander lionesses would probably be the same colour as the pridelanders had they not lived in a dust bowl.

The villan point is a great one, young kids need to see physical characterics for the bad guys.

[la_reina]

OMG...not again...
Well, all I know is that TLK2 is really supposed to be based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, which I'm pretty sure you all know This racism thing to me is just crap.

Originally posted by Nephilim
Snerk. These people should try watching Dumbo.

[Only-now]

*laughs* This shouldn't even be a topic (im not putting you down Fuzzy..lol..just to illistrate my point) It's ridiculous..lol.

[Wasanifu]

It's not racist, it's highlighting racism, after all in the end doesn't Kiara show Simba that there is no diference between the outlanders and Pridelanders. Therefore 'Racism' in SP is just a theme, like letting go of the past.

[Fuzzy]

Originally posted by Only-now
*laughs* This shouldn't even be a topic (im not putting you down Fuzzy..lol..just to illistrate my point) It's ridiculous..lol.

I agree with you..in fact..!
btw its nice to see you 'round again mate ^^!

[lion_roog]

Well, atleast it's not as racist as strawberry cake with rainbow sprinkles...I think it's just wrong how those rainbow sprinkles are made to live in fear of being mobbed just because they are all not pink...and after I told this to my friend, he recommended that I go see a phcyciatrist. When will people quit ignoring the discrimination?!...

[Ashara]

::Giggles insanely:: We had this discussion in school. I go to a very racist school. Everyone is white, and if you're not, you're "That kid". I'm not racist myself. I usually stand to the back and laugh. But, no. Some angry parent watched the movie, and screamed,"Disney did it again! Just like the S-E-X in the sky! (Which was actually S-F-X, as we all know.)".

[Katse]

Just more people looking to bash Disney and possibly get money out of it. It seems to be a growing trend.

[lion_roog]

Originally posted by Ashara
::Giggles insanely:: We had this discussion in school. I go to a very racist school. Everyone is white, and if you're not, you're "That kid". I'm not racist myself. I usually stand to the back and laugh. But, no. Some angry parent watched the movie, and screamed,"Disney did it again! Just like the S-E-X in the sky! (Which was actually S-F-X, as we all know.)".

I believe it was S-E-X....I refuse to believe otherwise!...