The Land Before Time and The Lion King are great movies, no doubt. On that note, however, they didn’t perform much differently than each other. Watching one of those is almost like watching the other. The formulas which make up each of these movies don’t have too much variety when looked at side by side. While this probably won’t make for very good discussion, I do believe that this thread will be food for thought. I am going to explain why I believe that these two movies follow the same rode from beginning to end. Disagree with my logic if you will, but here goes:
They both start around the time of the main character’s birth. Both Littlefoot and Simba are born just shortly after the film starts.
A creature tried killing the heroes in each of the movies, also towards the first segment. Someone tries stealing Littlefoot’s egg for a meal, and Scar tries killing Simba via the hyenas.
Each of the main characters lose one parent entirely, while getting separated from the other. Littlefoot’s mother dies and he loses his father not long before the film starts, and Simba’s father dies, and he gets separated from his mother when he runs away.
After losing contact with both parents, each character is depressed until making some new friends. Simba meets Timon and Pumbaa, while Littlefoot meets Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. The new friends help the heroes to overcome their self pity and move on.
Each of the main characters gets advice from an older character that is trying to help them. Littlefoot gets Rooter, and Simba gets Rafiki. After each of them gets a talking to, it takes a while for the information to sink in, then it is accepted later. Littlefoot was still down for a bit after his talk with Rooter, and Simba still wasn’t ready to go back for a little bit after his talk with Rafiki.
The villains are unable to be stopped by the main heroes alone, but with help from a friend, the anti heroes fall at the last minute, when things were looking the worst. Just when that Sharptooth was about to get Littlefoot, Cera rushed in and knocked into that rock just in time. When Scar was nearly about to get Simba, the move that Nala taught him allowed him to win just in time. So without friends like Cera and Nala, neither hero would have had the strength to overcome their final obstacle.
The circle of life theme is discussed in each film. Grandma Long Neck in one, and Mufasa in the other. (Then again, this point may not really count since the grandma instance was in movie four.)
Both characters spent the majority of the movie away from where they needed to be, but finally reached their appropriate home at the end. Littlefoot finds the Great Valley, and Simba returns to Pride Rock.
Each hero loses one parent due to the villain. Littlefoot’s mother dies from that Sharptooth, and Scar orchestrated the death of Mufasa.
Each of the main characters have a troublesome moment between one friend that later gets resolved. Littlefoot has a falling out with Cera who goes her own way, and Simba gets into an argument with Nala and they separate for a bit.
Both of the characters wander off prior to their parents’ deaths. Littlefoot runs off to play with Cera where they meet the Sharptooth who kills his mother, and Simba goes off into that valley where Mufasa dies trying to save him.
Those are all the similarities I can think of at the moment, but as you can see, those movies have a ton in common, making one almost wonder if one inspired the other to a degree. They both flow in pretty much the exact same manner on many occasions. I’m not really sure what there is to add to a thread like this; I just wrote it to show people who weren’t already aware of just how similar those movies are. Being an aspie, I am known for making connections between two things rather frequently. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s an aspie trait. Well, I hope my comparison has been enlightening.
