The Lion Guard is an American animated children's television series developed by Ford Riley and based on Disney Animation's 1994 film The Lion King. The series was first broadcast with a television film titled The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar on Disney Channel on November 22, 2015, and began airing as a TV series on January 15, 2016, on Disney Junior. It is the second television series based on The Lion King following The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa (1995–1999). The first two seasons take place within the time-gap in the 1998 film The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. The majority of the third and final season takes place in parallel with the film's second act, with the final two episodes serving as an epilogue to the film.
The second season premiered on July 7, 2017, followed by the third on August 3, 2019, with the series finale airing on November 3 the same year.
Contents
Premise
The Lion Guard is a group that serves to protect the circle of life, traditionally led by the second born of the King and Queen. Simba and Nala's son Kion finds himself taking up the title last held and tainted by his evil great-uncle Scar.
Despite the tradition that the Lion Guard has always been made of lions, Kion appoints his friends Bunga the honey badger, Beshte the hippopotamus, Fuli the cheetah, and Ono the western cattle egret, and together, they set out to keep their homeland safe and protect it from animals who disrespect the Circle of Life. As leader of the Lion Guard, Kion is bestowed the Roar of the Elders, a powerful and devastating roar that can be corrupted when used in anger, and lost when used purposefully for evil.
At the start of Season 2, the Lion Guard's mission becomes harder when Kion's evil deceased great uncle Scar returns as a fiery spirit and plans to destroy the Pride Lands. Scar forms an army consisted of animals from the Outlands. This eventually leads to an all-out battle between the Pridelanders and the Outlanders.
By Season 3, the guards, now adolescents, successfully defeat Scar. Afterward, they leave the Pride Lands in Africa to locate the Tree of Life in Asia to cure Kion and Ono's battle injuries, Kion having received a venomous scar from Ushari the cobra and Ono losing his eyesight from the poisonous volcanic fumes while rescuing Bunga. Kion's team also gets a new member, a martial eagle named Anga who replaces Ono as the keenest of sight after Ono temporarily loses his eyesight, while the latter gains a new position as the smartest.
Once reaching the Tree of Life, the Lion Guard assists in defending the haven from intruders together with the Night Pride, the group and family who protects the Tree of Life. After Kion and Ono are healed and their enemies are defeated, hyenas Jasiri and Janja (the latter having reformed during the final confrontation with Scar) come looking for them and alert them that Zira and her pride are back.
The Lion Guard returns to the Pride Lands, only to find out that the conflict has already been settled. Zira's daughter, Vitani, has formed her own Lion Guard in their absence, causing an argument between them and Kion's Lion Guard. However, after seeing Vitani's confidence in becoming a leader even without the Roar, Kion allows Vitani's Lion Guard to succeed his Guard as defenders of the Pride Lands. Kion and his friends return to the Tree of Life where Kion marries the Night Pride's leader, Queen Rani, and is crowned king of the Tree of Life.
Characters
The Lion Guard
Kion (voiced by Max Charles, singing voice by Aaron Daniel Jacob in season 3 except for "Battle for the Pride Lands") is a lion who is Simba and Nala's second-born cub, Mufasa's grandson, Kiara's younger brother, the Prince of the Pride Lands and the leader of the Lion Guard as well as its fiercest member known for his rebellious and kind-hearted personality. He serves as the main protagonist of the series. He often exclaims "Hevi kabisa!" and he often loses his temper when he gets angry. His and the Lion Guard's catchphrase is "Till the Pride Lands end, Lion Guard defend!" By the end of the season 3 premiere "Battle for the Pride Lands", Kion gets a scar over his left eye due to being bit by the cobra Ushari before defeating his evil great-uncle Scar. Kion and the Lion Guard then journey to find the Tree of Life to heal him. Once reaching the Tree of Life, Kion meets the protectors of the tree, the Night Pride, who guides him during his recovery process. He and the Night Pride's leader Rani fall in love during his journey and they become the rulers of the tree of life in the series finale.
Bunga (voiced by Joshua Rush) is a honey badger who is the bravest member of the Lion Guard. He is Timon and Pumbaa's adoptive nephew and Kion's best friend. He often exclaims "Un-Bunga-lievable!" His battle cry is "Zuka Zama!" In season three he meets a honey badger named Binga, and they fall in love.
Fuli (voiced by Diamond White) is a cheetah who is the fastest member of the Lion Guard, the only female member (before Anga), Kion's friend and second-in-command. She is also the first female animal to ever serve in the Guard as mentioned in the season 2 special The Rise of Scar. Her battle cry is "Huwezi!" In season three, she develops romantic feelings for a cheetah named Azaad.
Beshte (voiced by Dusan Brown) is a hippopotamus who is the strongest member of the Lion Guard and Kion's friend. His friendliness extends to everyone, as he acts like a big brother to the younger members of his herd, a friend to animals of all different species, and a protector of the Pride Lands at large. He often exclaims "Poa!" His battle cry is "Twende Kiboko!"
Ono (voiced by Atticus Shaffer) is an egret who is Kion's friend. Ono was the keenest of sight of the Lion Guard until his eyes were damaged while saving Bunga in "Battle for the Pride Lands". Ono respectfully relinquishes his original role to Anga, though Kion keeps Ono as part of the Lion Guard by giving him the new role of the smartest member, due to Ono's vast knowledge of all kinds of animals, the environment and much more. He often exclaims "Hapana!" In Season 3, he also often mutters "Nawaza" whenever he tries to think, most commonly when he tries to remember to locations on the map to the Tree of Life. He is the youngest member of the Lion Guard.
The Lion King alumni
Characters from across The Lion King franchise return in this series:
Simba (voiced by Rob Lowe) is a lion who is Mufasa's son, Nala's mate, Scar's nephew and Kiara and Kion's father. He is the king of the Pride Lands and the leader of his pride. His father died when he was a young cub. Simba and Bunga share a history of having lived with Timon and Pumbaa, as pointed in the season 1 episode, "Bunga and the King". Lowe replaces Matthew Broderick, who previously voiced the character in the original film and sequel.
Nala (voiced by Gabrielle Union) is a lioness, who is Simba's mate and Kiara and Kion's mother. She is the queen of the Pride Lands. Union replaces Moira Kelly, who voiced Nala in the original film and sequel.
Kiara (voiced by Eden Riegel) is a lioness who is Simba and Nala's daughter, Mufasa's granddaughter, Kion's older sister, the princess of the Pride Lands and its future queen. Riegel also voiced young adult Kiara (replacing Neve Campbell, who voiced young adult Kiara in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride) in the series finale "Return to the Pride Lands". Riegel also replaces Michelle Horn, who voiced young Kiara in Simba's Pride.
Timon (voiced by Kevin Schon) is Simba and Pumbaa's wisecracking meerkat friend. Timon is Bunga's adoptive uncle. Schon, who previously voiced Timon in Timon & Pumbaa and other various media, replaces Nathan Lane, who voiced Timon in the original film and sequels.
Pumbaa (voiced by Ernie Sabella) is Simba and Timon's warmhearted warthog friend. Pumbaa is Bunga's other adoptive uncle. Sabella reprises his role from the original film and other prior appearances.
Rafiki (voiced by Khary Payton) is a wise old mandrill who serves as a Royal Mjuzi (a Pride Lands word for knowledge keeper and advisor) for the Royal Family of Pride Rock. Payton replaces Robert Guillaume, who voiced Rafiki in all prior appearances.
Zazu (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a red-billed hornbill who is Simba's majordomo and supplies news via the Morning Report of the Pride Lands. Bennett replaces Edward Hibbert, who, in turn, replaced Rowan Atkinson in the original film as the voice of Zazu in Simba's Pride. Bennett previously provided Zazu's singing voice in the 2003 special edition of The Lion King for the song "The Morning Report".
Supporting
Tiifu (voiced by Sarah Hyland in Return of the Roar, season 1 and The Rise of Scar and Bailey Gambertoglio in season 2) is a lion friend of Kiara and a member of Simba's Pride who is somewhat more sensible than her constant companion Zuri.
Zuri (voiced by Madison Pettis) is another lion friend of Kiara and a member of Simba's Pride who is somewhat vain and hates getting dirty.
Makini (voiced by Landry Bender) is a young mandrill who becomes Rafiki's apprentice. She is one of a few characters who know that Kion speaks to the spirit of Mufasa. In Season 3, she went along with the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life. Following Queen Janna's passing, Makini is made Rani's Royal Mjuzi.
Vitani's Lion Guard are a group of lionesses seen in the series finale led by Kovu's sister Vitani who is the Fiercest member of her guard who take the role of the Lion Guard during Kion and his Lion Guard's absence, due to their journey to the Tree of Life.
Shabaha (voiced by Fiona Riley) is the Bravest member of Vitani's Lion Guard, known for her level of insanity. Her fighting style is similar to Bunga, but whereas Bunga's bravery leaves him dimwitted, Shabaha's makes her slightly unhinged and often laughs maniacally in the midst of a challenge. Her catchphrase is "Bila hofu!"
Kasi (voiced by Savannah Smith) is the Fastest member of Vitani's Lion Guard, noted to have Fuli's level of serenity. Though without the advantage of Fuli's cheetah speed, Kasi has more constant stamina as she is a lion and agility in part due to her thin build. Her catchphrase is "Haraka, haraka!"
Imara (voiced by Rachel Crow) is the strongest member of Vitani's Lion Guard, given her tenacity. With a stocky build, she proves nearly as strong as Beshte. Her catchphrase is "Misuli!"
Tazama (voiced by Sophie Reynolds) is the Keenest of Sight in Vitani's Lion Guard, as well as a supportive team player. While not able to fly like Anga or Ono, Tazama is capable of seeing in darkness and has some level of Ono's tact. Her catchphrase is "Hiyo kali!"
Villains
Ushari (voiced by Christian Slater) is a short-tempered cobra who used to live in the Pride Lands and would get disturbed whenever the Lion Guard was near him. In the season 2 special The Rise of Scar, Ushari turns to villainy after being trampled by the Lion Guard one too many times and allies with Janja to resurrect Scar and take over the Pride Lands, which succeeds by the end of the special, as later on throughout season 2 and the beginning of season 3, Scar plots to reform his army to take revenge against Simba and Kion. By the end of "Battle for the Pride Lands", he bites Kion, resulting in a scar over Kion's left eye. Shortly after this, Ushari is knocked over by Bunga and falls to his death in the Outlands' volcano.
Reirei's pack are a family pack of jackals that live in the Outlands.
Reirei (voiced by Ana Gasteyer) is a clever, scheming and manipulative jackal who is the matriarch of the family.
Goigoi (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is a lazy and dimwitted jackal who is Reirei's mate.
Dogo (voiced by Jacob Guenther) is a jackal pup who is one of Reirei and Goigoi's sons; he has blue eyes, while the other pups have brown eyes.
Dogo's Siblings (voiced by Jacob Guenther, Khary Payton, and Alex Cartañá) are a group of young or adult jackals who are Reirei and Goigoi's sons and daughter and brothers and sister of Dogo.
Kijana (voiced by Amber Hood) is a jackal pup who is Reirei and Goigoi's daughter and Dogo's sister.
Makucha's Leap are a group of leopards who live in the Backlands. After hearing from Makini excitedly talking all about the Tree of Life and the rare animals, Makucha uses that info to sneakily follow the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life so that he, and later his two members, could feast on the rare animals. When they do arrive at the Tree of Life, Makucha and his allies are blown away by the Roar of the Elders.
Production
The series was announced by Disney on June 9, 2014, on the run-up to the first film's 20th anniversary. Disney Junior general manager Nancy Kanter stated: "It's kind of like The Lion King meets The Avengers". The series' announcement came after a meeting between Kanter and Disney chief executive Robert Iger. Iger suggested to Kanter that Disney Junior should consider producing content to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lion King in 2014. Disney had shown early footage to young test audiences, who were able to make suggestions, such as adjusting the look of the hyenas. Disney Consumer Products launched a line of toys to tie into the television series, as well at book titles based on the series such as Return of the Roar, Can't-Wait to be Queen, Bunga the Wise, Meet the New Guard, Fuli Finds Her Place, Join the Lion Guard!, and Kion's Animal Alphabet. A sneak peek of The Lion Guard was shown at the 2015 D23 Expo. On August 12, 2015, a sneak peek was shown, with new information that the television movie was scheduled to air in November 2015 to be titled The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar. On October 9, 2015, it was announced that Return of the Roar would premiere on November 22, 2015, on Disney Channel.
On coming up with the idea, the series' creator and executive producer Ford Riley noted that at the end of The Lion King the presentation of Simba and Nala's newborn cub is seen. In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, it is revealed that the cub in question is Kiara and that she will be the future queen. Riley was interested in the idea of a second-born cub and what his role would be if Kiara is destined to become queen. Additionally, he was inspired by his 8-year-old son, who would visit the park with friends and pretend to be a superhero team.
Riley confirmed the timeline of the series; in Simba's Pride there is a years-long time gap, The Lion Guard takes place during the years in-between Kiara's first meeting with Kovu as a cub and her first hunt as an adult. Riley also noted the inclusion of Swahili into the series, which is used for names of characters, locations, songs, and catchphrases.
Classic mythology is used as inspiration for the show. Riley stated "We want it to feel epic and so we're trying to draw from as many epics in classical literature and classical television in addition to (The Lion King) itself". Riley noted that protecting the Circle of Life is the main theme of the series; "The animals who respect it don't eat too much, allow for the grass to grow, and larger animals to eat smaller animals. Our bad guys come from those that don't respect the Circle of Life. They just want to eat and wreak havoc."
Broadcast
Like its American counterpart, Return of the Roar premiered on November 22, 2015, on Disney Channel in Canada, while the series premiered on January 17, 2016, on Disney Junior, two days after its American premiere. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Return of the Roar premiered on Disney Junior on February 8, 2016, while the series premiered on April 13, 2016. In Australia and New Zealand, the pilot debuted on February 6, 2016, and the series began airing on February 28, 2016, on Disney Junior. In Southeast Asia, the pilot premiered on March 20, 2016, on Disney Channel (April 11 on Disney Junior) and the series itself on April 17 on the Disney Junior block on Disney Channel.
Reception
Max Nicholson from IGN gave the pilot episode score of 7.7, describing the special as "a fun-filled, if younger-skewing, hour television". He praised the pilot for introducing more of the Lion King lore, and also the animation, music, and performance of the new voice actors. However, he found Janja and his clan lacked the appeal to make a compelling villain.
Ed Power of The Daily Telegraph scored the pilot two stars out of five, labeling it a "Soggy, sentimental throwback".
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series four out of five stars, stating "With its strong messages about courage, responsibility, and friendship, this series is a fun pick for kids, and parents who watch with their kids will enjoy seeing the original The Lion King gang -- including Timon, Pumbaa, and the eccentric Rafiki -- in cameos throughout the series".
Home media
Region 1 DVD releases
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
Region 2 DVD releases
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
Soundtrack
A second soundtrack release entitled The Lion Guard: Disney Junior Music was released digitally on September 1, 2017.
