Most people think of Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed as just the cackling comic relief of the Pride Lands. They're the bumbling idiots who couldn't catch a cub in a graveyard. Right? Well, not exactly. If you look closer at the 1994 Disney classic and the 2019 reimagining, the hyenas from Lion King are actually the most complex political players in the entire movie. They aren't just hungry. They are an entire society living in an apartheid-like exile, and their alliance with Scar wasn't some random accident. It was a calculated move by a desperate, starving population to overthrow a monarch who had literally pushed them into a shadow-filled wasteland where nothing grows.
Honestly, it’s kinda dark when you think about it.
Mufasa is the "good king," but he’s also the guy who enforces the borders. The Pride Lands are lush and green; the Elephant Graveyard is a literal pile of bones. The hyenas from Lion King are stuck in the "shadowy place" where Mufasa explicitly tells Simba never to go. This isn't just about bad neighborhood vibes—it’s about survival. By the time we meet Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, they are suffering from chronic food insecurity. When Scar offers them "dinner," he isn't just being nice. He’s buying a revolutionary army with a rack of zebra meat.
The Real Power Dynamics of the Elephant Graveyard
Let’s talk about the trio. Everyone knows Shenzi is the brains. Whoopi Goldberg voiced her with this sharp, cynical edge that makes it clear she knows exactly how the world works. Banzai, voiced by Cheech Marin, is the hothead, the muscle who’s always ready for a scrap even when he’s losing. Then there's Ed. Jim Cummings just did crazy laughter for Ed, but if you watch his eyes, he’s the only one who seems to realize Scar is a psychopath early on.
It’s interesting how Disney handled the social hierarchy here. In real life, spotted hyenas are matriarchal. The females are bigger, more aggressive, and they run the show. Disney actually got this right by making Shenzi the leader. She’s the one who negotiates with Scar. She’s the one who calls the shots during the final battle. While Banzai is busy complaining about his belly, Shenzi is looking at the long game. She knows Scar is a "flea-bitten" mess, but he’s their ticket to the buffet line.
But why does everyone hate them so much?
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In the Pride Lands, the "Circle of Life" is the law of the land. Mufasa explains it as this beautiful, harmonious balance where the lions eat the antelope, and the antelope eat the grass. But the hyenas from Lion King are pointedly excluded from this circle. They are "scavengers," a dirty word in the movie’s vocabulary. It’s a classic case of "us versus them." The lions are the aristocrats, and the hyenas are the lower class that has been shoved out of sight so the grass stays green.
Why Scar’s Revolution Actually Worked (For a While)
"Be Prepared" is arguably the best villain song in Disney history, but it’s also a political manifesto. Look at the visuals. The hyenas are marching in goose-step. It’s heavy-handed Nazi imagery, sure, but it shows that these animals were organized. They weren't just a pack; they were a militia.
When the hyenas from Lion King finally take over Pride Rock, the result is ecological disaster. But wait—is that actually the hyenas' fault? The movie implies that because "bad guys" are in charge, the rain stops and the plants die. In reality, hyenas are incredibly efficient hunters. They don't just scavenge; they kill about 60% to 90% of their own food. The "wasteland" that Pride Rock becomes under Scar’s rule is likely a mix of a natural drought and the sheer overpopulation of a massive clan moving into a small territory.
- The hyenas weren't "evil" for eating; they were just too many for the land to support.
- Scar was a terrible administrator who didn't understand resource management.
- Mufasa’s "Circle of Life" relied on keeping the hyenas out to prevent overgrazing and overhunting.
It’s a brutal reality. The movie frames it as a moral failing of the hyenas, but it’s actually a classic carrying-capacity issue in biology.
The 2019 Shift: From Goofballs to Killers
In the Jon Favreau remake, the hyenas from Lion King got a massive personality transplant. Florence Kasumba’s Shenzi isn't a comedian. She’s a terrifying warlord. This version of the hyenas feels more grounded in actual animal behavior. They are larger, more menacing, and they don't treat Scar like a buddy. They treat him like a tool.
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The relationship is much more transactional in the remake. You can feel the tension. When Scar fails to deliver on his promises of "never being hungry again," the hyenas don't just mope. They turn. The final scene where they surround Scar is one of the most satisfying "eat the rich" moments in cinema history. They realize he lied to them, blamed them for Mufasa’s death, and tried to throw them under the bus to save his own skin.
So they ate him.
Misconceptions That Still Annoy Naturalists
Real-life hyena experts were actually pretty upset back in 1994. Biologist Laurence Frank and others at the University of California, Berkeley, even called for a boycott of the movie. They argued that the hyenas from Lion King gave the species a terrible reputation that hindered conservation efforts.
Here is the truth about the animals that inspired the characters:
Hyenas are brilliant. They have social intelligence that rivals some primates. They can solve cooperative puzzles and recognize individual voices from over a mile away. They aren't "cowardly" scavengers who wait for lions to finish. In many cases, it’s the other way around—lions will wait for hyenas to make a kill and then use their superior size to steal it.
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Also, the whole "laughing" thing? That’s not because they find something funny. The "giggle" is a vocalization that indicates stress, frustration, or submission. When Banzai and Shenzi are "laughing" while being chased by Mufasa, they are actually terrified.
The Legacy of the Trio
Despite the scientific inaccuracies, the hyenas from Lion King remain some of the most memorable characters in the Disney vault. They represent the "other." They represent what happens when a society creates an underclass and ignores their basic needs.
If you want to understand the movie on a deeper level, stop looking at them as villains. Look at them as a marginalized group that was manipulated by a populist leader who promised them the world and gave them nothing but dust. Scar was the one who broke the Circle of Life; the hyenas were just the ones who had to pay the price for believing him.
Next time you watch the movie, pay attention to the dialogue in the graveyard. "A king’s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun," Mufasa says. For the hyenas, the sun had set a long time ago. They were just trying to find a way to make it rise again, even if they picked the wrong lion to lead them.
What You Can Do Now
To get a better grip on the real animals behind the screen and the lore of the Pride Lands, here are some solid next steps:
- Check out the "The Lion Guard" series: It actually introduces "good" hyenas (like Jasiri), which adds a lot of much-needed nuance to how the species is portrayed in the Lion King universe.
- Watch the BBC Earth "Dynasties" episode on hyenas: It’s a total reality check. You’ll see that real-life "Shenzis" are incredibly dedicated mothers and strategic hunters, not just scavengers.
- Re-watch the "Be Prepared" sequence: Look past the music and watch the facial expressions of the hyenas. You can see the moment they go from skeptical to fanatical.
The hyenas from Lion King aren't just background noise. They are the warning of what happens when the "Circle of Life" leaves people out. They are hungry, they are smart, and they are tired of living in the shadows. And honestly? You can’t really blame them for that.