Pride Rock

Pride Rock is a large rock located in the vast Pride Lands, made famous by The Lion King franchise. It is the home to many animals, including Simba, the main protagonist of the original film.

In the Lion King Franchise
Pride Rock is the home of the Lion King and his lionesses, and functions as the seat of power. The pride makes their den in a cavern in one part of the formation. It is shown to be so tall, that one can see the entire Pride Lands from its peak, and vice versa, the formation can be seen from any part of the Pride Lands. Because of this, the area serves as a gathering place for many events.

At the start of the The Lion King, animals from miles away gather around Pride Rock to witness Mufasa and Sarabi's newborn cub Simba being presented in front of them by Rafiki, with Rakifi standing on the formation's peak.

One other tradition that seems to persist is that when a new ruler takes the throne, he climbs to the top of Pride Rock, and lets out a roar across the kingdom. Animal herds are also known to gather at other times. At the conclusion of the first film, animals gather around Pride Rock again to witness the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub.

In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, animals gather first to witness Kiara's presentation, then to witness Kovu's banishment, and ultimately to witness Kiara's marriage to Kovu.

The area surrounding Pride Rock is usually a lush savanna; however, during Scar's reign a severe drought hits the area. The water dries up, and plant life dies, which leads the animals herds to leave.

In other Media
Pride Rock makes an appearance as a prop in the House of Mouse episode "Donald's Lamp Trade". It is also a region for the Pride Lands level of Kingdom Hearts II, which Sora, Donald and Goofy travel to. During this level, the party takes the form of African animals, with Sora as a lion cub, Goofy as a tortoise, and Donald as a hornbill. The only scene which is different from the movie is Rafiki telling Sora he doesn't have the qualities to be king before being chased away by the hyenas. They return to Pride Rock to help Simba defeat the ghost of Scar and help Simba realize he can be a good king.Pride Rock is also present in the musical version of The Lion King.It appears as a circular staircase,so it can ascend and descend for certain scenes.

Pride Rock makes a cameo in the Phineas and Ferb episode "Tri-Stone Area".

Trivia

 * In an original draft for the ending for The Lion King, Pride Rock was originally supposed to be destroyed when Scar was defeated.