Theme Comparison
Updated: Apr 13
One of the significant similarities they share is that of the solid paternal figure and how these relationships affect how the characters overcome the problems and situations they face.
Among many charmed films that touched many youths, two would always be included on the list. The Lion King (1994) and Life is Beautiful (1997), even though they may seem very different, the emotions they invoke are similar. One of the significant similarities they share is that of the solid paternal figure and how these relationships affect how the characters overcome the problems and situations they face.
In “The Lion King (1994),” Simba is meant to take over the throne someday, but his uncle Scar tricks him into believing he is somehow to blame for his father’s death. As a result, scar convinces Simba to run away and never return. It is not until he gets the message from his father’s ghost that he does return to reclaim what is rightfully his and uncover the truth from his tyrant uncle.
The same happens with Giosue and his father, Guido, where his father sacrifices himself for his son to live. He preserves his son’s innocence and, as best he can, follows the concentration camp rules. He plays pretend with his son to keep Giosue from realizing the cruelty of their situation by making Giosue believe they are there by choice. He explains the rules of the game to stay safe and survive.
In both films, Simba and Giosue look up to and follow their paternal figures waiting to connect to them even after they are gone. The central theme they share is seeing the world through the eyes of a child facing the world’s cruelty without losing the magic. In both films, Simba and Giosue are shaped due to their paternal figures, and those same values their parents shared will follow and stay with their children long after they are gone. The main subject in these films is still an exploration through the eyes of innocent creatures of the cruelty in the world but without losing sight of its magic.
Moreover, without their father’s sacrifice, neither The Lion King (1994) or Life is Beautiful (1997) wouldn’t have had a climax, or the protagonist would have been forced to change their character’s arc. Ultimately it doesn’t matter if a movie is an animation or live-action, animals or beings. The coincidences that really matter to connect films are the story, characters, and their development.