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.