Margaret Lazarus is an independent filmmaker and writer who graduated from Vassar College and Boston University with a degree in communications. Lazarus is a social activist who uses film and writing as a way to spread her messages about issues ranging from rape culture to nuclear threat. In her critique, "All's Not Well in Land of the Lion King,'" she states that Disney has reinvented folk tales but has kept today's stereotypes in society. From beginning to end, the film follows the stereotypes of how society is divided based on color, status, and lifestyle. Throughout the essay, Lazarus uses fallacies to implicate and create stereotypes as well as language to set a sarcastic and negative tone. .
Lazarus uses fallacies to create unfavorable stereotypes, meanwhile proving that she is a stereotypical, radical feminist and an advocate to humanistic views. Lazarus generates impractical comparisons among the animal characters and human society, "This is not a story about animals-we know animals don't behave like this. This is a metaphor for society that originated in the minds of Disney creators." (Lazarus 2). The "Lion King" is a fictional children's movie that's meant to entertain and not persuade children to perceive the movie the same depraved way Lazarus does. She also makes unsound assumptions concerning the race and behaviors of the movie characters. In her critique, Lazarus acts racist by inferring that the hyenas are black and are born to live in a ghetto, elephant graveyard while the upper class lives in the prerogative "Pride Lands". Lazarus defines Scar as a homosexual by his choice to live in solitude and the way he talks and motions towards the other characters, "Scar has a black mane, and speaks in an effeminate, limp-pawed, British style done by Jeremy Irons-seemingly a gay caricature." (Lazarus 1). Lazarus' description of Scar is irrelevant; her insinuations towards Scar being homosexual have nothing to do with the film nor do any of her rationalizations correlate with her implications.
I was astounded as we analyzed Margaret Lazarus` views on her side of "The Lion King". ... Children do not read in to them as much as Lazarus makes it out. ... I was angered by what Lazarus had added to the movie. ... Lazarus took it a bit too far to criticize and innocent cartoon the way she did. ... When I listened to Lazarus` accusations I could only frown. ...
