What does The Lion King, Frozen, and St. Kolbe have in common?
By Anthony D’Ambrosio
Fatherhood
In The Lion King, Mufasa is more than just a king—he is a father. Wise, strong, and just, he teaches Simba what it means to rule, to take responsibility, and to understand the balance of life.
When Scar betrays him, Simba must not only reclaim the throne but rediscover his father’s wisdom and reconcile himself with his legacy.
Now, compare this to Frozen and Wish. Elsa’s father, rather than guiding her, suppresses her gifts out of fear. Magnifico, the king in Wish, is revealed to be a tyrant, hoarding dreams to maintain his power.
Distorted Father Figure
In both cases, the father figure is not a source of wisdom but of control—a barrier the child must break free from. Unlike Simba, Elsa and Asha are never immature—they do not need to grow; they only need to disobey.
This shift is not just about kings. The old king represents the father, both in the story and in a symbolic sense—the embodiment of tradition, the past, and the wisdom handed down. But in today’s stories, fathers are suspect. The child becomes the immediate hero, and the father is the hidden villain.
The lesson is clear: tradition is not a foundation to build upon but a lie to be exposed.
Stories matter.
They are the operating system of the mind, shaping how children see their parents, their culture, and their past. If we want a future where fatherhood is honored rather than dismantled, we must reclaim the storyteller’s role and tell new myths—ones that teach children to inherit, not just reject.
St. Maximilian Kolbe was a father—not by blood, but by sacrifice—giving his life to restore hope in the darkest place. His story reveals a fatherhood that strengthens rather than controls, liberates rather than oppresses. If the world needs more stories like this, then now is the time to act.
That’s why we made Triumph of the Heart - a story of hope that the world so desperately needs right now. Support our film and help us bring stories of true fatherhood to the world.
