As a tribute to Cecil, the magnificent lion who was senselessly killed in Zimbabwe by a hunter who lured him out of a wildlife preserve, I wanted to say a few words about The Lion King.  Both a magical animated film and my favorite musical,  The Lion King was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1994 and the musical debuted in 1997.  As reported by Playbill, “it is the top-earning title in box-office history for both stage productions and films, according to the Associated Press.”

The Lion King is the story of Simba, a young lion who is tricked by his wicked uncle into believing he is responsible for his father’s death.  In shame, Simba flees the Pride Lands but later returns to defeat his uncle and become king.

As children, we are all taught that the lion is the king of the jungle, a fierce, majestic creature to be revered and respected.  There is a lion in Ten Fingers Touching and at the end of the story he proudly carries Marianna on his back to the harbor.

The extensive outrage over the brutal death of Cecil is understandable.  Pictured is a tribute portrait of him by Aaron Blaise, one of the animators of The Lion King.