Did Sarafina Really ate Banazi Parents

[Luken]

So apparently in the musical The Lion King their is a song call Chow Down ... now in that song there is some hint that Sarafina ate Banazi Parents .... is this true or not If it true i just found it hard to believe it could happen

[cleargreenwater]

I personally don't consider TLKoB's handling of the hyenas canon, no. Julie Taymor is a playwright working from pre-existing material (including the musical's biggest 'Scar solicits Nala' "innovation") without any particular deep insight into it, and she's pretty lackadaisical/drops the ball often in her consideration of the hyenas, understandably because they're blanket characterized as sidekicks in what she was handed. She also assumes & positions Banzai as the main hyena of the trio (so why not cobble together some slap-dash melodramatic motivation?) and, if I'm remembering correctly, writes out the bawse "Friends?" confrontation with them at the end as well, instead simply having Scar fall to them in a dramatic swell of music, which is....aww, really? That's the best part! ;P

The only thing she does well with the hyenas in TLKoB is having Ed lift his leg on Pride Rock. XP That was a nice touch XD

It's all good, TLKoB is clearly a human-centered character experience in a more visible way than the movies, and a gorgeous one at that. I just wouldn't accept the Broadway show as offering additional canon/source material in any significant way, particularly where the hyenas are concerned.

[RedKite]

(I always thought Shenzi was the main hyena, as they are a Matriarchal-run species.)

[DGFone]

When The Lion King the movie was made, Shenzi was in fact the leader of the trio, because the team knew that hyenas are matriarchal. You can see the "pecking order" of the three when we first see them: First comes Shenzi, followed by Banzai and then Ed.

As for Sarafina eating one of the hyena dads, I think that was added just for the song and is not meant to be considered canon. The musical is full of these tiny added things, which sometimes include even going so far as having Zazu breaking the fourth wall in "I Just Can't Wait to be King!".

[cleargreenwater]

[quote="RedKite"](I always thought Shenzi was the main hyena, as they are a Matriarchal-run species.)[/quote]

They are, which is why I'm saying Julie Taymor's innovations/interpretations of anything regarding the hyenas in TLK on Broadway should be taken with a grain of baseless/thoughtless salt and not be taken too seriously.

To me Banzai's parents being killed by Sarafina also falls into this same category of "unreliable & off-hand" non-canon, given Taymor's track record.

And ye TLK gods, HOW do you cut out the hyena's shining moment at the end? JUST HOW. Pfffff.

[RedKite]

I KNOW! WHY?

[Luken]

Ok that what i thought i just found it odd that a Lioness would eat a Hyena it not like that happens in the wild

[Meskhenet]

I find it to be a little farfetched if you ask me. It wouldn't surprise me that a lioness would attempt kill a hyena. since lions and hyenas are natural enemies like cats and dogs. Although in nature documentaries we usually see the male lions attacking the hyenas, and the lionesses wouldn't usually bother with hyenas unless they're defending their cubs or stealing a kill literally from under the hyenas' snout. Fun fact: Lions are mostly scavengers they usually hunt when needed because they don't have the stamina or speed to properly hunt. And I don't understand why she would anyway eat Banzai's parents anyway for a few reasons.

1: She lives in a well fed pride- Since Sarafina lives in the Pride Lands there are essentially a variety of prey that she could hunt for with her pride sisters. And with all the choices of prey she has such as a gazelle, antelope, or wildebeest why would she waste her energy on a couple of hyenas that could probably only feed Mufasa and Sarabi.

2: She couldn't risk it- Just like lions, hyenas live in a group called a pack. So if she tried to attempt to eat Banzai's parents let alone lays a paw on them then it's guaranteed that the rest of the pack would use that as an excuse to rip Sarafina apart and then she herself becomes the meal. And even if the pack wasn't there to back them up the hyena couple could do some serious damage on their own. One set of hyena jaws can easily break a rhinoceros leg with one chomp if given the opportunity. So, imagine what two sets of jaws could do to her.

3: The hyenas themselves couldn't risk it- Since it's obvious that Mufasa is willing to protect his pride members (Remember the Elephant Graveyard scene when Mufasa practically attacked Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed when they came near Simba and Nala. ) Then it is without a doubt that Mufasa will come to Sarafina's rescue. If Mufasa can pin three hyenas down on his own then pinning two down without the rest of the pack should be a cinch.

[ScarLoyal]

I'm pretty sure that in TLK Broadway, Sarafina ate Banzai's dad and Shenzi's mum but I could be wrong.

[Animal of the Wild]

Sarafini is barely even in the movies, so its hard to say