It is sunrise on the savanna. All the animals gather at Pride Rock to see Mufasa, the Lion King, and his queen, Sarabi, introduce their newborn son, Simba. Meanwhile, Mufasa’s wicked brother, Scar, laments the unfairness of his life. He resents the new prince and the cub’s status as next in line to be king – a job he covets for himself.

Time passes, and Simba grows into a cocky young cub. Mufasa leads his son to the summit of Pride Rock where they look down upon the Pridelands – the kingdom that one day, when he is king, Simba will rule. Mufasa tells Simba that everything lives together in a delicate balance called the Circle of Life, and warns him never to go beyond the boundaries of the Pridelands and into the territories of the evil hyenas.

Convinced he is responsible for his father’s death, Simba leaves the Pridelands. He escapes into the jungle where he meets Timon, a wisecracking meerkat, and Pumbaa, a big-hearted warthog. Rather than ever return to face the other lions, Simba decides to stay with his new friends in the jungle, where he grows from a cub into a young lion.

In the interim, under Scar’s cruel and careless rule, the Pridelands become dry and lifeless. Hyenas roam the territory picking clean whatever is left and terrorizing the lionesses. Nala decides that she needs to flee to the jungle in order to escape Scar’s clutches and help find a new land where the lionesses can live in peace.

Later, in the jungle, Pumbaa finds himself being hunted by a hungry lioness. Simba comes between them to save his friend, and the two lions fight. The lioness flips Simba, and he realizes that she is not just any lioness, but his old friend – Nala. Nala is shocked to find Simba alive, and she tells Timon and Pumbaa that he is the true king. When Simba and Nala are alone, they start to realize the depth of their feelings for each other. Nala tells Simba of the Pridelands’ devastation, and that he must return and reclaim the throne from Scar.