I. Introduction
	A. Attention Getter – Ask the audience if they are familiar with the film as a 	whole.
		1. When someone mentions The Lion King or any of its respective sequels 		and spinoffs, what do you think of?
		2. Ask the audience who has seen The Lion King by raising their hands.
			a. Of those of you who have raised their hands, who here has seen 				or heard of The Lion King 2 and/or The Lion King 1 ½?
			b. What about the TV shows Timon and Pumbaa and/or The Lion 				Guard?
	B. Credibility Statement – As someone who has been studying political science 	and as someone who grew up with the franchise, I can state with credibility that 	there are issues that I learned about through political science that are shown in 	The Lion King franchise.
	C. Thesis Statement – While The Lion King is one of the most beloved and most 	recognised Disney films of all time, the film, along with its sequels and spinoff 	television shows, have alluded to issues such as racism, stereotyping, 	discrimination, and even commentary on the modern political climate.
	D. Relevance Statement – With The Lion King celebrating its 25th anniversary 	soon and the massive appeal of the franchise as a whole, this speech will give a 	feeling of nostalgia while also possibly ruining your childhood.
	E. Preview Statement – Today, I am going to show specific examples from 	entries within The Lion King, The Lion King 2, and The Lion Guard that showcase 	examples of the aforementioned issues that I have discovered through my own 	research.
	F. Transitional Statement – With that being said, I will start with the film that 	started it all, Disney’s 1994 masterpiece, The Lion King.
II. The Lion King
A.	The first issue I want to highlight is the idea that the first film could have racist undertones due to its portrayal of the hyenas in the film.
B.	In the film, if you pay attention, the main characters have neutral accents, save for Scar, whose accent is British, the hyenas’ accents are African-American and Latino, which is evidenced by Shenzi, who is portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg, and Banzai, who is portrayed by Cheech Marin.
1.	In an article by The Chicago Tribune, David Foster interprets the fact that because the hyenas have these accents and that in the film, they are specifically kept out of the Pride Lands, the film is seen to have an anti-immigration allegory.2
C.	In addition to this, Jump Cut states that the film also draws parallels to fascism and Nazism.3 While this, in turn, has similarities to the modern political climate due to events like Charlottesville and the Antifa movement, The Lion King’s portrayal of this is most prevalent in the “Be Prepared” sequence which has drastic similarities to The Triumph of the Will, a Nazi propaganda film from the 1930s.
D.	Transitional Statement – With these examples shown in The Lion King, you would think that Disney would do change something about these kinds of issues portrayed in their work. Unfortunately, Disney ventures into more dangerous territory with The Lion King 2.
III. The Lion King II – Simba’s Pride
A.	With the second instalment in the film trilogy, The Lion King 2 lifts elements from the first film when it comes to controversial issues.
B.	Like the first film, The Lion King 2 showcases a marginalised group of animals that are treated differently from everyone else. In the film’s case, it is the group of lions known as the Outsiders, who were banished by Simba prior to the events of the film.
1.	The Outsiders opens the door for the film to show its take on discrimination and stereotyping through the character of Kovu.
C.	For example, Kovu grew up being taught to kill Simba and then shows a completely changed worldview thanks to Kiara. However, despite professing innocence when he and Simba are caught in an ambush, Simba immediately accuses Kovu of being in on it.
1.	This is an example of while Kovu will say that he has changed and even prove that he has, Simba’s response says that because Kovu was originally one of the Outsiders, his words are meaningless, which is blatant stereotyping.
2.	Another example of this stereotyping and discrimination comes when Kovu is given an unfair trial and banished from the Pride Lands despite him pleading for forgiveness. This shows not only Simba’s discrimination towards Kovu, but it also shows hints at political corruption due to Kovu not getting a say at all and having punishment be handed down to him swiftly.
D.	Transitional Statement – As you can see, both of the first two Lion King films do not shy away from these kinds of issues. However, this does not mean that the TV shows are safe from them either.
IV. The Lion Guard
A.	The Lion Guard is the second Lion King television spinoff, after 1995’s Timon and Pumbaa, and it came to television in 2015. However, with the socio-political climate of the 2010s, it is no doubt that there are some of these themes that appear throughout the show.
B.	Discrimination and stereotyping again make an appear in the first season episodes “Never Roar Again” and “Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots”, respectively.
1.	In the former episode, Ono, who is the keenest of sight in the group, loses his head feathers and is viewed differently by others, to the point where it makes him uncomfortable and the other Guard members saying in his defence that he “stands out.” This could double as a pro-LGBTQ+ message due to others may not be accepting of those who are different and even the episode’s song encourages people to “stand up and stand out.”
2.	In the latter episode, When Kion, the Guard’s leader and the fiercest, gets separated, he meets a female hyena named Jasiri who he initially views as an antagonist, which alludes from the first film about how hyenas were seen as an inferior species. Disney, not learning its lesson from the films, is showing through Kion’s initial encounter with Jasiri as stereotyping because with hyenas’ history throughout the franchise, they are primarily shown as the antagonists.
C.	However, the episode “The Savannah Summit” from the show’s second season draws eerily similar parallels to the modern political climate, in particular the G20 Summit.
1.	In a BBC News article during the G20 Summit, it states that U.S. President Donald Trump was in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about creating a fool-proof system that deals with cybersecurity in an attempt to deter election fraud.1 However, despite Trump showing uncertainty, it is stated that “the idea of a partnership with Russia was ridiculed by senior Republicans.”1
2.	This ties in to the episode because in it, the animal leaders are gathered for what Simba calls the “Savannah Summit”, which might reference G20. Makuu, the leader of the crocodile float and an antagonist in the first season, is seen as the odd one out as he is generally seen as an unlikeable figure by the other leaders, which draws parallels to Donald Trump. In addition, several animal leaders conspire against Makuu and once he finds out, he collaborates with the Guard to feign his death so everyone would regret conspiring against him. This shows that The Lion Guard is showing a hypothetical situation in which several world leaders conspired against another and the consequences of said actions that would come with it.
V. Conclusion
	A. Restate Thesis – As you can see, there are a number of political and social issues that are prevalent throughout The Lion King that can be noticed if one reads between the lines.
	B. Today, I showcased several issues that are commonplace in today’s society that are also hidden within The Lion King franchise.
	C. Hopefully, through the examples I have explained and showcased, it will make you think twice about what is being presented in front of you and make you think differently about a Disney film such as The Lion King.
	D. If you have any questions or want more insight as to how the franchise delves more into issues such ones I have presented, I am always free to discuss whenever I have free time available.
Works Cited
1. “Donald Trump backtracks on Russia joint cybersecurity unit.” (2017, July 10). Retrieved October 21, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40552571
2. Foster, D. (1994, July 26). 'The Lion King' falls prey to howls of sexism, racism. The Chicago Tribune, p. 26.
3. Roth, M. (March 1996). "The Lion King: A short history of Disney-fascism”. Jump Cut, (40), 15-20. Retrieved October 21, 2017, from http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC40folder/LionKing.html