1.) Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa return to Simba’s childhood village in Africa. The entire area is in disrepair, and bodies litter the ground. Simba is distraught, unable to locate anyone he recognizes from his past. Just as he’s about to give up hope, a Red Cross helicopter lands. A man in a white suit jumps out, and takes the group inside. Simba learns that years of unprotected sex by members of the pride had caused an AIDS epidemic that decimated the entire population, and he is the only one left. In the last scene, Rafiki is shown dying in his cave, and the words “Get Tested” appear on the screen.
2.) Simba returns to the village to find that nothing has changed. As he walks through the area, everyone stops what they’re doing as they realize who he is, and that he is back. When he gets to his home, he finds that his father is actually still alive! He struggles to understand how this is possible. Mufasa takes him aside, and tells him that it was actually all a practical joke that Simba had taken too seriously; a little “lion humor” he explains. The film ends with a tear running down Simba’s cheek, and Mufasa awkwardly saying “So…uh…sorry about that.”
3.) Timon and Pumbaa wake Simba up to tell him that they have found the most incredible thing in the world! At first, Simba is skeptical, as the two are vague on the details, but they are so persistent that he cannot say no. He gets up and they lead him to a clearing in the forest. “It’s right in there…” Timon says ominously. Simba, full of curiosity, walks to the center of the clearing. Just as he is about to turn and say he doesn’t see anything, poachers throw a net over him. He struggles until his energy runs out. “How could you do this to me?” He asks his betrayers. Pumbaa takes a wad of bills from the poachers, shrugs, and says “Business is business.”
4.) The final showdown between Scar and Simba is about to take place. The two square off, snarling at one another. Just as they are about to jump, Simba lets out a yelp, grabs his mid-section and proceeds to have the worst diarrhea anyone has ever seen. The end explains that years of eating grubs and drinking bad water had given Simba a serious case of ameobic dysentery, making it pretty difficult to fight someone.
5.) After learning about what is happening in his village, Simba knows he must return to make things right. He walks back, intent on ruling again. He confronts Scar, who invites him into a cave to “chat.” Inside, Scar offers him a beverage, and the two peacefully negotiate terms, with a little good-natured “joshing” about the past few years.