Plot

In the Pride Lands of Africa, a lion king rules over the other animals, who celebrate the birth of future king Simba, son of King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Queen Sarabi (Madge Sinclair) at Pride Rock. Mufasa's younger brother, Scar (Jeremy Irons), is resentful and jealous of Simba, who replaces Scar as heir to the throne. A few months later, as Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) grows into a curious lion cub, Mufasa gives him a tour of the Pride Lands, teaching him the responsibilities of being a king and the circle of life. Later that day, Scar tricks Simba into exploring an elephant graveyard, forbidden by Mufasa, with his best friend, female lion cub Nala (Niketa Calame), despite the protests of Mufasa's hornbill majordomo Zazu (Rowan Atkinson). At the graveyard, the cubs are attacked by three spotted hyenas, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings) before Mufasa, having been alerted to the scene by Zazu, rescues them and willingly forgives Simba for his actions. Later that night, the hyenas, who are allied with Scar, plot with him to kill Mufasa and Simba, who are both unaware of their intentions.

The next day Scar lures Simba to a gorge and tells him to wait there while he gets Mufasa. On Scar's orders, the hyenas stampede a large herd of wildebeest into the gorge where Simba is. Mufasa rescues Simba, but as Mufasa tries to climb up the gorge's walls, Scar throws him back into the stampede, killing him. After Simba finds Mufasa's body in the gorge, Scar tricks him into thinking that Mufasa's death is his fault and advises him to run away forever. As Simba leaves, Scar orders the hyenas to kill Simba, but the cub escapes. Scar then announces to the pride that both Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and steps forward as the new king, allowing a swarm of hyenas to live in the Pride Lands.

Simba, now far from home, collapses in a desert for exhaustion, but is found by Timon and Pumbaa (Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella), a meerkat and a warthog who nurse him back to health. Timon and Pumbaa then take Simba into live with them in the jungle, and the lion lives a carefree life under the motto "hakuna matata" ("no worries"). Years later, Simba (Matthew Broderick), now a young adult, rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who turns out to be Nala (Moira Kelly). The two reconcile and fall in love. Nala tries to get Simba to come back home, telling him the Pride Lands have become a wasteland with not enough food and water. Still feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off, leaving Nala disappointed and angry.

Wise mandrill Rafiki (Robert Guillaume), a former adviser and friend of Mufasa's, tracks Simba down, telling him that Mufasa is still "alive" and taking him to a pond. There Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the sky, who tells him that he must take his rightful place as the true king of the Pride Lands. Simba then realizes that he can no longer run from his past and goes back home. Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa join him, and agree to help him fight.

At the Pride Lands, Simba confronts Scar. Scar taunts Simba over his "part" in Mufasa's death, but when Scar pushes Simba to the edge of Pride Rock, he admits that he killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba jumps back up and forces Scar to reveal the truth to the other lions. Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses fend off the hyenas while Scar, attempting to escape, is cornered by Simba at the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs Simba for mercy, saying he is family and places the blame on the hyenas. Simba says he does not believe Scar anymore, but spares his life and commands him to forever leave the Pride Lands. Scar meekly walks past him, but then attacks his nephew. After a fierce battle, Simba throws his uncle off Pride Rock. Scar survives the fall, but is attacked and killed by the hyenas, who overheard his attempt to betray them.

With Scar and the hyenas gone, Simba ascends to the top of Pride Rock and takes over the kingdom as the rain falls again. Sometime later, Pride Rock is restored to its former glory and Simba looks down happily at his kingdom with Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa by his side; Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub to the inhabitants of the Pride Lands and the "circle of life" continues.

在广阔的非洲草原上，动物们聚集在狮王木法沙的荣耀石下，迎接新王子诞生。狒狒巫师拉飞奇高举起一只好奇的新生命——辛巴，动物们纷纷向其致意，全国一片欢腾的景象，只有木法沙的兄弟刀疤对此很不满意，甚至没有出席这场仪式。

时光飞逝，年幼的辛巴在成长，他对世界好奇而充满幻想，而刀疤始终都想篡夺兄长的王位，他鼓励辛巴去大象墓地探险证实自己的勇气，然后指示一群土狼手下乘机袭击。但没想到木法沙及时出现，赶走了土狼。

在辛巴的眼里，木法沙是如此勇敢和伟大，他也一直梦想成为和他父亲一样优秀的狮子。而不死心的刀疤又想出了一个阴谋计划，他将好奇的辛巴引到一个峡谷，然后让土狼们惊动一大群牛羚让他们穿越峡谷，又向木法沙报告了辛巴遇到的这个危险。救子心切的木法沙不顾一切冲进飞奔的羚羊群中救出了辛巴，但自己也被撞伤，当他尽最后力量即将爬上悬崖时，等待他的却是刀疤的邪恶笑容……刀疤将辛巴的父亲推落谷底，任其被践踏致死。

辛巴为父亲的死亡陷入了巨大的悲伤，刀疤乘机把责任推到他头上，诱逼辛巴逃出了荣耀国，自己则夺取了王位。在土狼们的追杀下，辛巴逃离了故乡，背后是他们狂妄的嚎叫“永远不要回来了！我们会杀了你！”。

落难的辛巴被狐獴丁满和疣猪彭彭搭救，他们同时也带给了辛巴一种全新的生活理念——“Hakuna Matata”，意思是忘记一切烦恼，只按自己的意愿无忧无虑地生活。失落的辛巴接受了他们的思想选择了麻木自己，三人成为至交开始一同生活。不知不觉，他也已经成长为一头真正的雄狮，和他父亲一样英俊而健壮，直到有一天，一只流浪的母狮娜娜突然闯进了他们的地皮，她也正是辛巴年幼时青梅竹马的玩伴。

娜娜带来了消息，自从刀疤篡位之后，他纵容土狼却不治理自己的国土，现在祖国已经满目疮痍，动物纷纷离开。她请求辛巴回去夺回王座重振家园，但此刻的辛巴却仍被童年的阴影笼罩，始终不敢正视自己。当他一个人跑开，在大草原上忧郁地走着时，他突然遇到了拉飞奇。这只老狒狒设法指引辛巴正视自己的职责。最后当辛巴望向星空时，突然云仿佛聚成了木法沙的影子，在父亲的鼓励下，辛巴终于迈出了自己的脚步。

辛巴和丁满等人回到王国开始和土狼们战斗。但当他本人终于面对刀疤时，狡猾的刀疤却看出了他的心事，再一次挑动其内疚和软弱的一面，把辛巴步步紧逼，赶到了悬崖边。当看到抓在悬崖壁上苦苦挣扎的辛巴时，得意忘形的刀疤却不自禁地自言自语道：“这景象好像很熟悉，哦，对了，当年木法沙也就是这样被我推下去的......”

终于得知真相的辛巴突然得到了无穷的勇气和力量，他奋力爬上悬崖再一次和刀疤及其同伙战斗，辛巴在亲人和好友们的帮助下战胜了刀疤一伙, 最后刀疤终于被打败摔下了悬崖，重伤的他遇到了部下土狼们，而当土狼们得知刀疤曾将所有错误归于他们“忠心”后，愤怒的扑上去将刀疤碎尸万段并一起消失在熊熊烈火当中。

随着辛巴发出雄壮吼声宣布王国的新生，荒凉的大地也终于迎来了生命的雨水，万物重新开始生长。若干日后，动物们再次聚集到狮王的悬崖边上，那天，出现在他们面前的是狮子王辛巴和王后娜娜。狒狒拉飞奇举起了一个新的好奇生命，辛巴和娜娜的女儿——琪拉雅……

狮子王1故事梗概