The following are fictional characters from Disney's The Lion King franchise.
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A total of fourteen supervising animators from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney-MGM Studios were responsible for establishing the personalities and setting the tone for the first film's main characters. The animation team studied real-life animals for reference, as was done for the earlier film Bambi.[1] The animation of the characters counted with supervision by wildlife experts such as Jim Fowler, who visited the studio on several occasions with an assortment of lions and other jungle inhabitants to discuss behavior and help the animators give their drawings an authentic feel. He taught them how lions greet one another by gently butting heads, and show affection by placing one's head under the other's chin, mannerisms that can be appreciated in Simba and Nala's encounter during the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Fowler also talked about how they protect themselves by lying on their backs and using their claws to ward off attackers, and how they fight rivals by rising on their hind legs.[2] Screenwriter Irene Mecchi joined the directing team to help in the character development process as well as to define each character's personality. Story head Brenda Chapman, gave insight to the challenge of the characters and the story by stating "It was our job to make the main character likeable and sympathetic. It was also challenging to make the environment and characters interesting. In real life, lions basically sleep, eat and have no props."[2]
Simba (meaning lion in Swahili) is the title character of the franchise. He is the main protagonist of The Lion King, the musical, and several video games. He is a secondary character in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and the tritagonist of The Lion King 1½. Simba's father is Mufasa and his mother is Sarabi. He is the current King of the Pridelands and the alpha lion of his pride as well as the mate to Nala, and father to Kiara and Kopa.
He is based on the Shakespearean character Hamlet. He is played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a cub, and Matthew Broderick as an adult.
| Mufasa | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Roberts |
| Portrayed by | James Earl Jones (films, Kingdom Hearts II (Archive Footage), The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure, Animated Storybook: The Lion King) Samuel E. Wright (Original Broadway Cast) Cornell John (London) Alton Fitzgerald White (current musical) Keith David (House of Mouse) |
| Species | Lion |
Mufasa was a Great King of the Pride Lands and the father of Simba. His mate is Sarabi.
The animals of Mufasa's kingdom arrive at Pride Rock to greet and honor the birth of his newborn son and their next king, Simba. Mufasa's younger brother, Scar, is enraged that he has lost his place as Mufasa's immediate successor upon the birth of the prince. Mufasa teaches his son the delicate balance of all living things and takes him through the Pride Lands, but warns him not to go outside the lands' limits, especially the elephant graveyard. Simba disobeys his father and is nearly killed by Scar's three hyena henchmen, but they are saved by Mufasa in the last minute. That night, Mufasa sternly warns Simba of the thin line between bravery and arrogance, and warmly teaches Simba that the great kings of the past are always up in the stars, watching over him and ready to guide him. Out of jealousy, Scar plots to kill his older brother and Simba, so that he could rule the Pride Lands. Scar's plot is partially fulfilled when he kills Mufasa after Mufasa saves Simba from a wildebeest stampede initiated by the hyenas under Scar's signal. Simba goes into exile believing Mufasa's death was his fault and years later, he encounters the wise mandrill Rafiki, who shows him that Mufasa is still alive inside Simba. To convince him further, Rafiki summons Mufasa's spirit, who tells Simba that he is the one true king and must take his place in the circle of life. Upon seeing his father again, Simba regains the confidence to face Scar for the throne.
Mufasa's role in the sequel is generally minor, ranging from his spirit's appearance in the sky at the beginning of the film to his appearance in Simba's nightmare, witnessing the welcoming ceremony of his granddaughter Kiara, and insisting on Rafiki encouraging her union with the outlander Kovu to reconcile the hostile prides despite Rafiki initially commenting that Mufasa's head is in the clouds after so long 'up there' for coming up with such an outrageous plan. Mufasa appears at the end of the film, praising Simba for his decision to let the past go and allowing the banned lionesses join the pride. In the 2004 direct-to-video interquel The Lion King 1½, Mufasa is seen in three scenes: at the presentation of Simba, in the elephant graveyard on the way to save his son and Nala from the hyenas, and when his ghost is forming from the clouds above the grasslands at night.
Mufasa's role is somewhat expanded in the musical based on the first film. He sings "They Live in You" ("He Lives in You" with the lyrics slightly changed to refer to all of the Great Kings of the Past rather than just discussing Mufasa) to young Simba in the scene when the two of them are looking up at the stars and discussing the Great Kings of the Past. There is also an added scene in which Mufasa tells Zazu of his concerns about Simba's daring behavior. Zazu then reminds Mufasa of his early years as a rambunctious cub.
In the video game Kingdom Hearts II, Mufasa appears in Simba's flashback sequences and as a god-like figure in the sky as in the film.
In The Simpsons episode "Round Springfield", Mufasa appears alongside in the clouds with "Bleeding Gums" Murphy, James Earl Jones and Star Wars character Darth Vader (Darth Vader and Mufasa are both voiced by James Earl Jones).
| Nala | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Bob Bryan, Gilda Palinginis, Aaron Blaise (cub), Anthony de Rosa (adult)[3] |
| Voiced by | Niketa Calame (cub in film) Heather Hogan (baby in merchandise) Moira Kelly (adult in the films) Vanessa Marshall (adult, Kingdom Hearts II and The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) Heather Headley (adult in musical) Alexia Khadime (adult in London musical) Kajuana Shuford (cub in musical) |
| Species | Lion |
Nala is Simba's lioness childhood friend who later on becomes his Queen. She is the deuteragonist of the first film, a secondary character in the second film, and a minor character in the third film. Nala is officially introduced when Simba arrives and tells her that he knows of a "really cool place", not knowing that Scar is tricking him into visiting the dangerous elephant graveyard. After lying and saying that they are going to the waterhole, the cubs gain permission and are allowed to go provided that Zazu goes with them. Simba and Nala lose Zazu and travel to the graveyard where they are attacked by the three hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, who were instructed by Scar to kill Simba. The cubs are eventually rescued by Mufasa. Nala is not seen again until after the stampede when Scar then tells the pride of Mufasa and Simba's deaths; Nala is shown crying and hugging her mother's leg. A long time passes and an adult Nala, after hunting Pumbaa, meets up with Simba again. She is overjoyed to find him alive and explains that he needs to return to the Pride Lands and end Scar's tyrannical rule. The two fall in love, but Simba refuses to return, still guilty about supposedly killing his father, much to her disappointment. Later Rafiki informs Nala along with Timon and Pumbaa that Simba has returned to the Pride Lands; Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa then follow after him. The four meet again in the Pride Lands and head to Pride Rock to confront Scar. When Simba learns that Scar is responsible for his father's death and forces him to confess, Nala, the other lionesses, Timon, and Pumbaa fight the hyenas while Simba fights Scar. At the end of the film, Nala has become Simba's queen and has given birth to a cub. Rafiki lifts Simba and Nala's cub Kopa high above a crowd of animals below Pride Rock.
In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride Simba and Nala now have a daughter named Kiara. Nala appears in the first scene to challenge Simba's parenting decisions and then appears in all scenes where the rest of the pride are present. During the fight towards the end of the film she personally confronts Kovu's sister Vitani. In the end she, Simba, Kiara and Kovu all stand on Pride Rock and let out a great roar.
In The Lion King 1½ Nala is seen during the "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" sequence and in an extension of the scene in the original film where she explains to Timon and Pumbaa about Simba's whereabouts.
In Kingdom Hearts II, adult Nala is the first lion that the game's main protagonists (Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy) encounter. She is first seen running from two Heartless, causing Sora to leap forward and defend her. After the battle she briefly explains the situation in the Pride Lands, asking Sora, Donald and Goofy to meet her at Pride Rock where Scar reigns as king. Scar intended to have the protagonists hunted and killed but Nala stops Scar in time and escapes with the party to the jungle. They later encounter Simba, Timon and Pumbaa. The seven characters return to Pride Rock together to defeat Scar, Pete and the hyenas. During the second visit to the Pride Lands, Nala asks for Sora, Donald and Goofy's help in bringing back Simba's confidence in the face of Scar's "ghost", and also reveals herself to be pregnant. In the end credits, their cub has been born, and is presented to the animals by Rafiki.
In the musical based on the film, Nala's role is considerably expanded, with the events leading up to Nala leaving the Pride Lands under Scar's tyranny depicted in detail. Nala first appears in the musical as she is hunting with the other lionesses. Later, during the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", she sings extra lines that do not appear in the film version. In the scene "The Madness of King Scar", the lonely, mentally ill Scar decides to take Nala as his mate, despite the fact that she is angrily opposed to the idea. This leads to the song scene "Shadowland" where Nala's character sings the lead about her need to leave the Pride Lands and find help. Nala is an adventuring lioness.
Timon and Pumbaa are a meerkat and warthog duo whom they both served as friends and sidekicks of Simba. They are the supporting characters in the first film and the tritagonists of the second film. However, they are the main protagonists of the third film, The Lion King 1½ and their own spin-off TV series. The Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games and The Lion King 1½ video games also center around them.
| Scar/Taka | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The Lion King |
| Created by | Andreas Deja |
| Voiced by | Jeremy Irons (The Lion King and Fantasmic!,current voice) Jim Cummings (partial singing voice in The Lion King, full voice in The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) James Horan (Kingdom Hearts II) James Avery (Animated Storybook: The Lion King) |
| Information | |
| Species | Lion |
Scar is the main antagonist of The Lion King. His name before he got his scar was Taka. He is the younger brother of Mufasa and the uncle of Simba. Unlike most lions, his skin is darker. Scar is highly machiavellian, and is jealous of Simba's position as the next king of the Pride Lands, so he plots to kill his brother and nephew, in order to seize the throne. To carry out his plans, Scar recruits three spotted hyenas; Shenzi, Banzai and Ed — who gladly do his bidding in exchange for food. Mufasa foils their first attempt to kill Simba, so Scar calls up an entire army of hyenas and promises that when he is king the hyenas will "never go hungry again". With the help of the hyenas, Scar triggers a wildebeest stampede meant to kill both Simba and Mufasa. Mufasa manages to save his son, but as he tries to escape by climbing up the gorge, Scar throws Mufasa off the cliff back into the stampede to his death. Scar then convinces Simba that he caused the stampede (he had let out a loud yowl, while practicing roaring, seconds before the stampede began, and had not seen the hyenas chasing the herd into the gorge nor Scar throw his father to his death) and caused Mufasa's death. Scar advises Simba to run away then orders the hyenas to kill him, but they fail to do so. Scar then returns to Pride Rock and assumes the throne, letting the hyenas into the Pride Lands and leading the other lions to believe that both Mufasa and Simba died in the gorge. Scar's reign over Pride Rock is a disaster; droughts hit, food and water becomes scarce, and many animals die while others try to move on away from the Pride Lands, causing the kingdom to become a barren wasteland. He also grows increasingly paranoid about the loyalty of his subjects, becoming enraged upon the mere mention of the name "Mufasa". Years later, to Scar's surprise, Simba returns to challenge his uncle for the throne. After a verbal confrontation, Scar finally confesses to everyone that he actually killed Mufasa. A fierce battle erupts between Scar's hyenas and Simba's friends and family, while Simba fights Scar himself. Scar attempts to deflect Simba's anger towards the hyenas, not knowing that the hyenas can hear him, but Simba no longer trusts anything Scar says. After an intense duel, Simba manages to throw Scar over the cliff to the hyenas waiting below. The surviving hyenas, determined to get revenge on Scar for denouncing them as 'the enemy' on top of years of mistreatment, surround their fallen leader and maul him to death.
In the sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, it is revealed that Scar had a pride of lionesses that were loyal to him, whom Simba exiles to the Outlands after he became the new king. They are led by Zira who has three cubs, Nuka, Vitani and Kovu, the last of whom was selected to be Scar's heir. Scar only appears twice, the first time in Simba's nightmare, and the second as Kovu looks into a stream and sees Scar's reflection rather than his own. In The Lion King 1½, Scar makes a few brief, non-speaking appearances in the scenes for which he was present in the original film while his role of being the main antagonist is taken by the hyenas. He also makes very brief, non-speaking appearances in a couple of episodes of the animated TV series The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa. He is seen when Timon tries to revive Pumbaa's amnesia after being struck by lightning, and in the episode "Zazu's Off-by-One Day", in which he is among the objects falling out of Zazu's trash can when it is emptied.
In the Broadway musical, Scar's role is expanded upon with the song "The Madness of King Scar". In it, Scar begins doubting his reign, fearing that he might be losing the respect of the lionesses and that he needs a queen. He attempts to seduce Nala, who rebukes him by scratching his face.
When Hercules was posing for a portrait in the Disney animated film Hercules, he was wearing Scar's hide.
Besides appearing in various The Lion King video games, Scar also appears in Kingdom Hearts II as the primary villain of the Pride Lands world. Much like in the film, Scar murders Mufasa to become king, and under his reign the Pride Lands suffers a drought and food becomes scarce. Prior to Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy's arrival at the Pride Lands, Pete (in the form of a lion) offers Scar use of the Heartless to maintain his hold on the throne. Sora attempts to confront Scar in order to save the world, but Scar confronts the party and nearly attacks them, but is pinned down by Nala in order to allow Sora and friends some time to escape. Later, Sora locates Simba and brings him back to the Pride Lands so he can challenge his uncle for the throne. The confrontation between Scar and Simba that follows is almost identical to that in the original film, and Simba eventually defeats his uncle. Thinking Scar to be defeated, the protagonists are surprised when, as Pete explains, Scar returns to battle once again as a Heartless; however, Sora and his friends defeat Scar again. By the time Sora returns to the Pride Lands to see how Simba is faring, rumors of Scar's ghost haunting the Pride Lands have driven Simba into doubt. The "ghost" is revealed to be the interaction of Simba's lack of confidence and Scar's spirit. Multiple copies of Scar's "ghost" then combine to form a gigantic Heartless that is eventually defeated by Simba and Sora.
Scar appears in Epic Mickey as a stained-glass portrait in the Mad Doctor's laboratory along with Maleficent and Captain Hook. There are also two lion statues in the courtyard of Dark Beauty Castle that bear resemblance to Scar.
Scar appears as one of the Disney Villains the Evil Queen evokes to fight Mickey Mouse in the Disney's Hollywood Studios version of Fantasmic! Nighttime Show Spectacular. He additionally makes a brief, non-speaking appearance in House of Mouse. Scar appeared as one of The Walt Disney Company's lawyers in a Saturday Night Live Saturday TV Funhouse sketch called "The Disney Vault". After the two children try to escape the vault, the lawyers stop them and Scar bribes them to stay by showing them The Lion King 5 & 2/3: Simba fills in on The View, (the actual wording was "Simba sits in for Meredith"). Scar is also seen as the Nemean Lion in Hercules: when Hercules is posing for a painting on a pot, he is wearing Scar's skin on his back, a reference to Zazu's line in the original film that "He'd make a very handsome throw rug."
Animator Andreas Deja decided to do Scar after learning Jeremy Irons would be the voice actor,[4] and tried to incorporate the actor's facial expressions in the character by studying Irons' films and photographs.[5] Scar's face incorporated a slicked back mane and an elongated face to resemble Irons, and at the same time Deja declared to make Scar's face more vertical to be an antithesis of Shere Khan, the tiger villain of The Jungle Book. The body and corporal motions tried to place Scar as "someone who couldn't take on his brother physically", with a scrawnier body, a head lower than Mufasa's, and a sneakier walk.[6]
| Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Roberts |
| Voiced by | Banzai: Cheech Marin (films, KH II, Animated Storybook: The Lion King) Rob Paulsen (Timon and Pumbaa, The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) Shenzi: Whoopi Goldberg (films, Animated Storybook: The Lion King) Tress MacNeille (Timon and Pumbaa, Kingdom Hearts II and The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure) Ed: Jim Cummings |
| Species | Spotted hyenas |
Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are a trio of villainous spotted hyenas and the loyal followers and minions of Scar. They serve as the secondary antagonists of the first film, are mentioned once in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, and serve as the main antagonists of The Lion King 1½.
The hyenas do not appear but are mentioned in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride by Nuka, who says that the graveyard has become creepy since the hyenas ran off. They were originally going to be Zira's minions, but the idea was canceled, because of the fact that the hyenas killed Scar because of his treachery against them. They reappear in The Lion King 1½ with a fairly major role as the main antagonists. In their first appearance, they attack a meerkat colony when Timon, who is the sentry on duty of the colony, is daydreaming. They fail to catch any meerkats, but this incident drives Timon to leave the colony to find where he truly belongs. The hyenas make an appearance again during the film's climax at Pride Rock. Eventually, Timon and Pumbaa are cornered by the hyenas. Timon proposes to Shenzi as a desperate move to buy time for his mother and Uncle Max as they dig a tunnel, which she turns down abruptly. The hyenas then fall into the tunnel, which transports them to the ground just in time for them to confront Scar.
The three hyenas made occasional appearances in the TV series The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa, continuously bullying Timon and Pumbaa. It should also be pointed out that significant plot points involving the three hyenas and Timon and Pumbaa in this series (particularly, the episode, "Once Upon A Timon"), have since been reconnected by the events that took place in The Lion King 1½.
In Kingdom Hearts II, the hyenas appear in the Pride Lands world, and are also Scar's followers. They also appear at Walt Disney World, as members of the villains seen in Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
| Rafiki | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Roberts |
| Voiced by | Robert Guillaume (films and Kingdom Hearts II) Tsidii Le Loka (musical) Michael Donovan (current) |
| Species | Mandrill |
Rafiki is the old and wise mandrill shaman of the Pridelands. He tends to speak in third person when speaking of himself. Rafiki's character often serves as the visual narrator of the story of The Lion King. Robert Guillaume voices Rafiki in the three films.
He is shown to be a dear friend to Mufasa. This is reflected in his name, which is a play on the Arabic word "rafiki", meaning "my friend". He presents Simba to all the animals gathered at Pride Rock, and draws a stylized lion cub on the walls of his treehouse home to represent Simba's birth. When Simba runs away and his family believes him dead, Rafiki draws his paw across the Simba drawing, obscuring it in grief. Later, after picking up Simba's scent in the dust and pollen in the air, Rafiki determines that Simba is still alive and restores the drawing, adding the full mane of an adult lion as a sign to seek out this young deliverer from Scar's tyranny. Journeying to the area where Simba lives with Timon and Pumbaa, Rafiki observes Simba and recognizes, at least in principle, that he is suffering from a ponderous emotional burden. To treat it, he approaches the young lion and teaches him a few playful (and sometimes painful) lessons about learning from the past, not living in it. He also points out that the spirit and values of Simba's dead father, Mufasa, continue to live in Simba himself. When Simba decides to return to Pride Rock and fight Scar for the kingship, Rafiki accompanies him, demonstrating his kung fu skills in battle against the hyenas. At the end of the film, Rafiki raises Simba and Nala's new-born cub atop Pride Rock for everyone to see, echoing the beginning of the film.
In the sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Rafiki appears in the beginning again as the presenter of Simba and Nala's new-born cub Kiara. Later on in the film, despite protesting that Simba and Zira would forbid it, he is persuaded by Mufasa's spirit to get Zira's son Kovu and Kiara to fall in love. He tries to make them fall in love by telling them about "Upendi", which means love in Swahili. Later, when Simba exiles Kovu, he is seen sighing sadly of Kovu leaving. In the end, he acts as the host of Kiara and Kovu's wedding before quietly acknowledging to Mufasa's spirit that his plan to end the feud was correct all along. Rafiki appears briefly in the midquel The Lion King 1½, and is referred to by Timon as "The Strange Monkey". It is revealed that it was Rafiki who taught Timon the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata". Besides appearing in the scenes he appeared in the original film, Rafiki also appears in a scene where he chats with Timon's mother and in a scene where he makes Timon go back to join Simba against Scar, albeit saying nothing but "My work here is done" after Timon goes to find Pumbaa on his own.
In the musical, the character of Rafiki was modified. Because director Julie Taymor felt that the story lacked the presence of a strong female, Rafiki was changed into a female mandrill. Rafiki's role is expanded in the musical. She sings the song "Circle of Life" and her painting scene is extended. She also sings a song called "Rafiki Mourns", in which she mourns Mufasa's death. She also has a brief role in Nala's song "Shadowland", blessing Nala for her journey to find help. Instead of finding Simba's scent on dust, Rafiki hears Simba's song "Endless Night" on the wind. Rafiki meets Simba and shows him that his father lives on inside him through the song "He Lives in You". She is present during the battle, fighting a hyena using hand-to-hand combat. She then appears adorning Simba with the king's mantle and then presents his newborn cub at the end of the play.
Rafiki appears in a few episodes of the Timon and Pumbaa TV series and also has his own series of skits called "Rafiki Fables" in the same show. His only relative in the series is his nephew, Nefu. He appears as a minor non-playable character in the Pride Lands world of Kingdom Hearts II. Rafiki returned in the kids "Disney Cookbook", as him as the creator of "Rafiki's Coconut drink". He makes a few non-speaking cameos in Disney's House of Mouse.
"Rafiki" is Swahili for "friend", and is used as a term of address in Swahili-speaking countries.
| Zazu | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Roberts |
| Voiced by | Rowan Atkinson (original film and Animated Storybook: The Lion King) Edward Hibbert (sequels and Timon and Pumbaa TV Series) Jeff Bennett (singing voice in "The Morning Report") Jim Piddock (The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure and Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games) Hideyuki Umezu (Japanese) |
| Aliases | Mister Banana Beak |
| Species | Red-billed hornbill |
Zazu is a feisty Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill who acts as majordomo to Mufasa. He is first seen in the film during the opening sequence in which Simba is presented. He later confronts Scar and is almost eaten by him. When Simba has grown into a cub, Zazu is often ridiculed by him, being the target in Simba's pouncing lessons. He is ordered to watch over Simba and Nala by Sarabi when Simba claims they want to go to the waterhole when in fact, Simba had been lured by Scar to go to the elephant graveyard. After the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King", Simba and Nala successfully lose Zazu and go to the graveyard. Zazu later catches up with them, but they encounter the hyenas and the hornbill is put into the hyenas' "birdie boiler" geyser which rockets him up to the sky. Zazu flies quickly to get Mufasa and they race to the graveyard, just in time to save the cubs from the hyenas. During the wildebeest stampede engineered by the hyenas under Scar's signal to kill Mufasa and Simba, it is Zazu who alerts Mufasa about Simba. He later intends to go back for help, but is struck by Scar into a wall and rendered unconscious.
After Simba runs away, Zazu is hardly seen again. He briefly appears in a scene during Scar's kingship of the Pride Lands. Scar has imprisoned him in a ribcage and never listens to his advice, using him only for entertainment purposes, and even tells the hyenas that they are welcome to eat him. Later on, when Simba and his friends battle Scar and the hyenas, Zazu pleads with Timon to let him out of the ribcage he is imprisoned in, but Timon goes inside the ribcage instead as he is pursued by the hyenas. Pumbaa comes to the rescue and chases away the hyenas after Banzai accidentally insults him. Zazu is freed along with Timon. Later, Zazu is seen at Simba's ascension to the throne and during the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub. Zazu has brief appearances in the direct-to-video sequels.
In the Broadway musical, Zazu is a puppet controlled by an actor dressed in blue striped clothes and a bowler hat much like a stereotypical butler. Zazu's blue feathers have been replaced with white and the puppet is partially constructed from parachute silk with a slinky contained in the neck for ease in movement. Zazu, like in the Platinum Edition of the film, sings the song Morning Report before being pounced on by Simba. The musical version of the song is longer than its film counterpart. In certain English productions of the show, Zazu breaks the fourth wall at different points.
Along with Iago, the parrot from Aladdin, he appeared as one of the hosts of The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) at Walt Disney World in Florida. The attraction has since closed.
| Sarabi | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Roberts |
| Voiced by | Madge Sinclair (film) Gina Breedlove (musical) |
| Species | Lion |
Sarabi is the Dowager Queen of the Pride Lands; mother of Simba, mate of Mufasa and sister-in-law of Scar. She is the leader of the lioness hunting party, a group consisting of lionesses that reside on Pride Rock with the lion rulers and their children that hunts for the food consumed by the residents of Pride Rock. Sarabi is laid-back, but ferocious when she has to be, like her husband. Sarabi's position as queen ended after Scar took over the Pride Lands, Simba came and battled Scar, and after winning, Simba took over as the rightful king of Pride Rock and made Nala his queen, thus making her the current queen of the Pride Lands. Sarabi's voice actress, Madge Sinclair, died before the film's sequel, so Sarabi failed to appear in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and it is unknown what happened to her. In the musical, Sarabi was portrayed by Gina Breedlove.
| Sarafina | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jonathan Roberts |
| Voiced by | Zoe Leader (film) |
| Species | Lion |
Sarafina is the mother of Nala. Sarafina plays a minor role, appearing a few times throughout the film. She appears to be the friend of Sarabi. She is also been known as her sister. She only has one line of dialogue, "Hmmm, what do you think, Sarabi?" Her first appearance is the scene when Simba asks Nala if she'd like to go with him to the "waterhole." She only appears to be bathing Nala. Her second appearance is in the scene where the lionesses are mourning Mufasa's death and Simba's loss. Her toes are colored incorrectly, first showing them as a paler color than the rest of her coat, then showing them as the same color as her main coat. She appears in the fighting scene near the end.
Kiara is the wild, mischievous, daughter of Simba and Nala and little sister of Kopa, the granddaughter of Mufasa, Sarabi and Sarafina and the main protagonist of the second film. After evading her babysitters, Timon and Pumbaa, Kiara wanders into the Outlands where she meets Kovu, a cub from an exiled group of lions that were loyal to Scar. Together, they evade a group of hungry crocodiles, but their budding friendship is cut short by the arrival of their respective parents. After a brief argument, the parents take their cubs and leave as the cubs quietly say goodbye to one other. As a young adult, Kiara goes off to complete her first solo hunt. Despite his promising to let her hunt alone, the overprotective Simba sends Timon and Pumbaa once again to watch over her. When she discovers them, she angrily leaves the Pride Lands to hunt away from her father. Nuka and Vitani set fire to the area where she is hunting, and Kiara faints from the smoke. Kovu rescues her, and Simba reluctantly allows him to join their pride in return.
Kovu gives Kiara hunting lessons, and at the best time Kiara teaches him how to have fun. That night, they discuss the past with Scar, and Kovu later tries to leave after finding himself unable to tell her about Zira's plans. Rafiki interrupts and takes the two lions to a place called Upendi, which he says means love. After Simba is injured in an ambush by Zira, Kovu is exiled, and Kiara leaves her pride to find him. They are reunited and debate running away to form their own pride, but decide to heal the divide between their prides. Before they return, war breaks out between the two prides. Kovu and Kiara jump in the middle and help the two groups realize fighting is pointless, except for Zira. She tries to attack Simba, but Kiara knocks her away. Zira falls over a gorge, but refuses Kiara's help and forgiveness. Kiara is voiced by Michelle Horn (cub) and Neve Campbell (adult). Her singing voices are provided by Charity Sanoy (cub), and Liz Callaway (adult).
Kovu is the son of Zira , and the brother of Nuka and Vitani,[8] and the deuteragonist of the second film. It is stated that Scar chose Kovu to be his successor. Kovu means "scar" in Kiswahili. As a cub, Kovu lives a rough life in the barren Outlands. After he is abandoned by his older brother, Nuka (who was supposed to be watching, "babysitting" Kovu), he meets Kiara and teases her for being "daddy's little girl". As the two wander to a body of water they are attacked by crocodiles. The cubs evade the crocodiles and begin to play, but are interrupted by Zira and Simba. The two confront each other, before picking up their cubs and leaving. Later, Zira yells at Kovu for being friendly towards Kiara. When he says he thought they could be friends, Zira hatches a plan from the actions that took place between Kovu and Kiara. She plans to have Kovu infiltrate Simba's pride and kill Simba by using his friendship with Kiara. Zira trains and conditions Kovu until he is grown, then sends him out on his mission. Vitani and Nuka start a fire while Kiara is out on her first hunt so Kovu can "rescue" her. This enables him to join Simba's pride by using a law of the pride that requires all debts to be repaid.
He teases Kiara's inability to hunt, then agrees to teach her. She, in turn, helps him experience fun for the first time. That evening, Kovu expresses concern that he will become like Scar and tries to leave Kiara. Rafiki intervenes and takes them to a place called Upendi, which means "love" in Swahili. Having experienced life with Kiara, he is unable to attack Simba when the opportunity occurs. In the morning, a much changed Kovu resolves to confess his abandoned motives and defect to Kiara, but before he can do so, Simba takes him on a walk to tell him about Scar, and Zira and the Outlanders ambush them. Kovu attempts to aid Simba but is rendered unconscious by being kicked off of Simba by Vitani. Believing Kovu aided in the ambush, Simba refuses to hear his subsequent explanation and exiles him from the Pride Lands over Kiara's protests. In response, Kiara gets upset and runs into the main den. Noticing a bundle of loose rocks, she breaks through it and runs away from her pride and, after wandering around, finally finds and joins Kovu. He initially wants to run away with Kiara and start their own pride, but she convinces him to try to reunite their own divided prides. After the two stop the war, however, Zira lunges at Simba, but Kiara jumps in front of her father, and they roll down a cliff into a gorge, soon flooded after the dam breaks. Zira, having fallen into the flood, leaves Kiara only to stare until Simba comes to her aid. Kiara and Kovu, reunited, embrace in a hug. Simba tells Kovu that he was wrong about him not being one of them and allows Kovu to become Kiara's mate, promising him one day he will become king. He is voiced by Ryan O'Donohue (cub) and Jason Marsden (adult), and his singing is voiced by Gene Miller.
Zira is the main antagonist of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. She is the mother of Vitani, Nuka and Kovu. She is depicted to be Scar's follower, said to be his mate by some sources[9] and his widow in others.[10] Her name means "hate" in Swahili. As punishment for her unwavering loyalty to Scar (presumably), she is banished by Simba to the Outlands, a desert-like area filled with termite mounds. She leads a pride of lionesses who are also loyal to Scar. After Kovu befriends Kiara, she hatches a plan for Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride and kill Simba so that he can become the new King. Zira puts her plan into motion once Kovu has matured; however, he falls in love with Kiara and soon comes to respect Simba. Kovu rebels against his mother and refuses to follow through with her plans. Zira and the other outsiders then ambush Simba and Kovu while they are out walking. During the fight, Nuka is killed by collapsing logs. Zira mourns his death, and, in her rage, attacks Kovu, blaming him for Nuka's death and leaving Kovu with a scar above his eye. Kovu flees, and Zira rallies her lionesses to wage war on the Pride Lands. At the battle's climax, Simba and Zira are about to fight each other when Kiara and Kovu intervene and stop the battle before it can begin. They attempt to convince both the Pridelanders and Outsiders that there is no need for the two prides to fight and that they are the same. Vitani is the first to come to Kiara and Kovu's side. Zira threatens to kill Vitani if she refuses to fight, disgusting the rest of the outsiders, who subsequently abandon her in favor of Simba. In a last-ditch attempt at taking her revenge for Scar, Zira lunges at Simba. Kiara leaps in front of her father. Zira, unable to stop in time, knocks into Kiara, and the two are flung off of the edge of a nearby gorge. Kiara lands safely on a ledge, but Zira slides off and clings desperately to the edge. As the dam breaks and the river rushes into the gorge, Kiara holds out her paw in an attempt to rescue the struggling lioness. Zira swipes at Kiara, and, unable to pull herself up or hold on any longer, slips and falls into the river below, where she drowns. Despite having being defeated in the end, Zira's original goal to make Kovu become king is more likely to become true, as Kovu no longer finds in his heart to kill Simba and instead help him, which pleases Simba to let him become his successor. Zira was voiced by Suzanne Pleshette.
Vitani is the daughter of Zira, and she is the sister to Nuka and Kovu. She is also likely Scar's daughter, making her, like Nuka, Simba's younger cousin even though neither seem to acknowledge the kinship. She was the tertiary antagonist later reformed in the second film. Vitani was originally named Shetani, but since the word means "she-demon" in Kiswahili, her name was changed to "Vitani". "Vita" means "war" in Swahili, so it has been suggested that her name is a portmanteau meaning "demon of war". Coincidentally, her name also means "flax" in Swahili. Vitani is sent with Nuka to light a fire in the savannah so Kovu can save Simba's daughter Kiara and get close enough to Simba to assassinate him. This is part of Zira's plot for Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride. Later on Vitani discovers that Kovu no longer wishes to assassinate Simba and reports this to Zira. During the battle between the Outlanders and Pridelanders, Vitani is the first of the outsiders to realize that the fighting is pointless and the first to cross over to Simba's side. When Zira tells Vitani she will kill her for her defection, the other outsiders desert Zira and join Vitani. Vitani is voiced by Lacey Chabert as a cub and as an adult by Jennifer Lien.
Nuka is the son of Zira, who is the mate of Scar, and in turn Scar's son as well, making him Simba's younger cousin (though neither acknowledge the kinship). He is also the older brother of Vitani and Kovu. He has a straggly black mane and is infested with termites the first half of the movie, when he is a teenager. Nuka means "stink" in Swahili. He serves as the secondary antagonist of the second film. Nuka expresses resentment at Kovu's being Scar's heir and Zira's seeming greater affection for the younger lion. He constantly seeks Zira's approval and follows any command she gives. During the ambush on Simba, Nuka tries to kill Simba for her (and himself), but is killed by falling logs. In his near death, Zira mourns him and asks Scar to watch over him. Nuka is voiced by Andy Dick.
Ma appears in The Lion King 1½ as Timon's mother. Generally sympathetic and encouraging, she convinces Uncle Max to give Timon a job as a sentry. After Timon fails in his duty, endangering the meerkat group, he leaves. Ma searches for him, but is unable to find him. Many years later, he reunites with his mother at Pride Rock and she helps him aid Simba in battling Scar by digging a long tunnel underneath the hyenas to trap them. After Simba gains his rightful place as king of the Pride Lands, Timon takes them and the entire meerkat colony to his jungle paradise he and Pumbaa discovered and they live peacefully. She is voiced by Julie Kavner, who is famous for voicing Marge Simpson in The Simpsons.
Uncle Max is one of the protagonists of the third film and is a prominent member of the meerkat colony and relative of Ma and her son Timon. He is a pessimist by nature. At the beginning of the film he tell's Timon that a meerkat's role in life is to be "food for other animals! Feared by nothing and eaten by all!". Max reluctantly agrees to let Timon be the sentry for the colony, and is nearly eaten by the hyenas when they attack. Max appears again towards the end of the film, where he and Ma encounter Timon and Pumbaa at Pride Rock. He helps Timon get rid of the hyenas by digging a tunnel. He is voiced by Seinfeld and King of Queens alumnus Jerry Stiller.
The following are supporting characters in the Timon & Pumbaa TV series:
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