ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that Disney’s The Lion King reinforces the concept of a hierarchical society in which it seems only natural that one social group is outcast and doesn’t receive adequate resources. In The Lion King, the segregated group is the hyenas. The hyenas signify the stereotypical caricature of the African American welfare recipient. Many African Americans and Africans were involved in the production of the film, and the film contains a good deal of African music. Physically, the hyenas resemble the post-slavery Black Sambo stereotype that was prevalent in US popular culture for many years, including in the popular radio and television series Amos ’n’ Andy. The hyenas represent an odd, contradictory mix of racial phobias. The hyenas roam together like gang members, representing stereotypical fears of minority gangs. The hyenas, as it turns out, fight miserably in the final race battle between the lions and hyenas.
