The Lion King telling him the Pride Lands have become a drought-stricken wasteland under Scar's reign. Feeling guilty over his father's death, Simba refuses and storms off. He encounters Rafiki, who tells him that Mufasa's spirit lives on in Simba. Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the night sky, who tells him he must take his rightful place as king. Realizing that he can no longer run from his past, Simba decides to return to the Pride Lands. Aided by his friends, Simba sneaks past the hyenas at Pride Rock and confronts Scar, who had just struck Sarabi. Scar taunts
The Lion King Disney's own "Bambi" as being their model during development. The 1994 release of "The Lion King" drew a protest in Japan, where "Kimba" and its creator Osamu Tezuka are cultural icons. 488 Japanese cartoonists and animators, led by manga author Machiko Satonaka, signed a petition accusing Disney of plagiarism and demanding that they give due credit to Tezuka. The controversy surrounding "Kimba" and "The Lion King" was parodied in a 1995 episode of "The Simpsons", where a lion appearing in the clouds is saying, "You must avenge my death, Kimba... I mean, Simba." Protests were raised against one scene where