SIDE 1

MUFASA

(looks out over the Pridelands)

Look, Simba: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.

YOUNG SIMBA

Wow...

MUFASA

A king s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new king.

YOUNG SIMBA

And this ll all be mine?

MUFASA

Everything

YOUNG SIMBA

(in awe)

Everything the light touches...

(looks off in the distance)

What about that shadowy place way out there?

MUFASA

That s beyond our borders. You must never go there, Simba.

YOUNG SIMBA

But I thought a king can do whatever he wants.

MUFASA

Well, there s a lot more to being a king than getting your way all the time.

YOUNG SIMBA

(pointing in the distance)

Dad, what are those birds over there?

MUFASA

They re buzzards.

YOUNG SIMBA

They re scary. Why don t you chase  em away?

MUFASA

I don t have to. They re doing what they re supposed to do. You see, Simba, everything exists in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all creatures  from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.

YOUNG SIMBA

But Dad, don t we eat the antelope?

MUFASA

Yes, but when we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. Everything is connected in the great circle of life.