Sarafina (The Lion King)

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Sarafina in The Lion King

Sarafina is a fictional lioness character who first appeared in Disney's popular 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. Her name in Swahili means 'bright star'. She was voiced by Zoe Leader.

Sarafina and her daughter Nala in The Lion King

[edit] The Lion King

Sarafina is the mother of Nala, maternal grandmother of Kiara, and mother-in-law of Simba. She is a minor character and has only one line of dialogue: "Hmm. What do you think, Sarabi?"^[1]

Sarafina is first seen bathing her young daughter Nala as young Simba comes running along to tell Nala about the elephant graveyard. She is seen later mourning the loss of Mufasa and Simba with the other lionesses, and then she is seen years later aiding in the battle against Scar's hyena minions when Simba returns.

[edit] The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Sarafina (left) in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Sarafina makes a few brief appearances in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, although her appearance has changed dramatically. When Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, is about to go on her first hunt, Sarafina says "My, how you've grown." She is voiced again by Zoe Leader, but is uncredited. She is presumably present among the lionesses when Zira crosses the border, and at the end at Kiara and Kovu's wedding with all the lionesses.

[edit] Other appearances

Sarafina in an Estonian comic. (Note the toes coloured to match her underside colour. This is a mistake.)

Despite Sarafina's status as a minor character her role has been expanded through comics and books. In The Lion King: Six New Adventures, Sarafina makes an appearance in the book Nala's Dare. She aids a rogue lion called Ni and saves Nala from hyenas before introducing Ni to the rest of the pride.

Sarafina is also present in the musical version of the story, portrayed by the prima ballerina of the cast. Her costume is of a brighter shade of orange than the other lionesses, to set her apart, and she is the most prominent of the younger, hunting group of lionesses. In the musical, she is taking Nala hunting, rather than giving her a bath, when Simba comes to take Nala to the elephant graveyard.

[edit] References

1. ^ TLK Script (HTML 3.0 Version). http://www.lionking.org/scripts/Script.html#bath. Retrieved on 1 August 2006.

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