What if Walt Disney was the producer of Looney Tunes/Walt Disney Animated Classics/The Lion King/Simba the Lion King

Simba the Lion King is a popular children's novel written in 1980 by British author Roald Dahl. It was adapted into a film, The Lion King, in 1994. The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa and was influenced by William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The plot centres on a young lion prince named Simba, who is cast out of his pride by his evil uncle Scar, who claims he killed his father. While Scar rules with an iron paw, Simba grows up beyond the Savannah, living with a honey badger. But when his past comes to haunt him, Simba must decide to challenge Scar to end his tyranny and take his place in the Circle of Life as the rightful King.

Because of the story's occasional macabre and potentially frightening content, it has become a regular target of the censors.

Summary
As the sun rises, Rafiki the mandrill calls the animals to Pride Rock. He greets King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi before presenting their cub to the gathered animals. Elsewhere, Mufasa's brother, Scar, laments his lost chance at becoming King. Back at her baobab tree, Rafiki paints an image of the cub and asks the spirits to conjure the new prince's name: Simba.

Time passes and Simba grows into a lively young cub. Mufasa shows Simba the Pride Lands from the top of Pride Rock and explains that everything exists in a delicate balance known as the Circle of Life. Mufasa warns Simba not to stray beyond the boundaries of the Pride Lands, pointing out a shadowy area in the distance. Zazu, a hornbill who acts as Mufasa's advisor, arrives and delivers his daily report on the state of affairs in the King's domain.

Simba goes to see his Uncle Scar. The scheming lion piques the cub's curiosity by mentioning the elephant graveyard, where Simba is forbidden to go. Meanwhile, the lionesses go hunting. Simba arrives and asks his best friend, a female cub named Nala, to come with him to the elephant graveyard. He lies to the lionesses about where they are going, and Sarafina (Nala's mother) and Sarabi allow the cubs to go, escorted by Zazu. Simba and Nala formulate a plan and manage to lose Zazu, while Simba brags about his future position.

The cubs go to the graveyard and begin to explore. Zazu catches up, but they are confronted by three hyenas: Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. The hyenas intend to eat the trespassers and gloat about their find. Mufasa rescues the cubs and frightens off the hyenas.

Mufasa is disappointed and angry at Simba's reckless disobedience, and explains the difference between bravery and bravado. Mufasa tells Simba about the great kings of the past and how they watch over everything from the stars. Mufasa says that he will always be there for his son. Later he discusses Simba's behavior with Zazu, who reminds Mufasa that he had the same tendency to get into trouble at Simba's age.

Back at the elephant graveyard, Scar tells the hyenas of his plan to kill Mufasa and Simba so that he can become king. He raises an army of hyenas, promising that they will never go hungry again if they support him. Scar takes Simba to a gorge and tells him to wait there. On Scar's signal, the hyenas start a wildebeest stampede into the gorge. Scar tells Mufasa that Simba is trapped in the gorge. Mufasa leaps into the stampede and manages to save his son, but as he tries to escape, Scar throws him off the cliff back into the stampede, killing him. Scar convinces Simba that his father's death was his fault and tells him to run away, but as he leaves, Scar orders the hyenas to kill him. Simba escapes but the hyenas tell Scar that he is dead. Rafiki and the lionesses mourn the deaths. Scar claims the throne and allows the hyenas into the Pride Lands. Rafiki returns to his tree and smears the drawing of Simba, while Sarabi and Nala quietly grieve.

Out in the desert, Simba collapses from heat exhaustion. Vultures begin to circle, but are scared away by a honey badger named Bunga. Simba feels responsible for Mufasa's death, but Bunga takes the cub to his jungle home and shows him his species' carefree way of life. Simba grows to adulthood in the jungle.

Under Scar's rule, the Circle of Life is out of balance and a drought has hit the Pride Lands. Zazu, now a prisoner of Scar, listens to the king's woes. The hyenas are complaining about the lack of food, but Scar is only concerned with himself and why he is not loved. He is haunted by visions of Mufasa and rapidly switches between delusional confidence and paranoid despair. Nala arrives to confront Scar about the famine and Scar decides she will be his queen and give him cubs. Nala fiercely rebukes him and resolves to leave the Pride Lands to find help. Rafiki and the lionesses bless her for her journey.

Back in the jungle, Bunga wants to sleep, but the restless Simba is unable to settle. Annoyed, Simba leaves them, but Bunga loses his courage and follows him. Simba leaps across a fast-moving river and challenges Bunga to do the same. Bunga falls in and is swept downstream. He grabs a branch over a waterfall and calls for Simba's help, but Simba is paralyzed by a flashback of Mufasa's death. Bunga falls from the branch and Simba snaps out of the flashback, rescuing his friend. Simba is ashamed that Bunga nearly died because of his recklessness.

Simba and Bunga settle to sleep and discuss the stars. Simba recalls Mufasa's words, but his friend laughs at the notion of dead kings watching them. Simba leaves, expressing his loneliness and bitterly recalling Mufasa's promise to be there for him. Rafiki hears the song on the wind, joyfully realizes that Simba is alive, and draws a mane onto his painting of Simba.

In the jungle, Bunga is hunted and chased by a lioness. Simba confronts her and saves his friend, but recognizes the lioness as Nala. She is amazed to find Simba alive, knowing that he is the rightful king. Nala tells Simba about the devastated Pride Lands, but Simba still feels responsible for Mufasa's death and refuses to return home.

On his own, Simba meets Rafiki, who explains that his father lives on. Mufasa's spirit appears in the sky and tells Simba he is the one true king and must take his place in the Circle of Life. Reawakened, Simba finds his courage and heads for home. Meanwhile, Nala wakes Bunga to ask where Simba is, and Rafiki appears to tell them all the news. They catch up with him in the Pride Lands, where he witnesses the ruin of his home. Bunga and some other honey badgers distract some hyenas, allowing Simba and Nala to reach Pride Rock.

Scar calls for Sarabi and demands to know why the lionesses are not hunting. Sarabi stands up to him about the lack of anything to hunt, angrily comparing him to Mufasa, and Scar strikes his sister-in-law, saying he's ten times the king Mufasa was. Enraged, Simba reveals himself. Scar forces a confession of murder from Simba and corners him. Believing that he has won, Scar taunts Simba by admitting that he killed Mufasa. Furious, Simba recovers and forces Scar to reveal the truth to the lionesses. Bunga fights the hyenas while Simba battles Scar to the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs for his life, blaming the hyenas for everything. Simba lets him leave out of mercy, but Scar attacks again. Simba blocks the attack and Scar falls from the cliff. The hyenas, who heard Scar's betrayal and are still starving, tear him to shreds.

With the battle won, Simba's friends come forward and acknowledge Simba as the rightful king. Simba ascends Pride Rock and roars out across the kingdom. The Pride Lands recover and the animals gather in celebration as Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub, continuing the Circle of Life.

Film adaptations
Though Roald Dahl declined numerous offers to have a film version of Simba the Lion King produced, he was conviced by his wife Liccy Dahl in 1988 and had selled the novel's film rights to Walt Disney, along with the ones to his other novel Timon and Pumbaa. The Lion King was released on June 15, 1994, to a positive reaction from critics, who praised the film for its music, story, and animation; it finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing release of 1994 and the second highest-grossing film of all time. It is also the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time. There are numerous changes in both the plot of the film and the plot of the book (specially Timon and Pumbaa was added into the film as a subplot and the two titular characters remplacing Bunga), though the film was generally well received. Liccy Dahl said that, "I think Roald would have been delighted with what they did with Simba."