The Origin of my Lion King Obsession

In case you couldn't tell from my various posts when I mention The Lion King and get super into it and lose my train of thought, I am a major fan of Disney's The Lion King as well as it's sequel; The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.

So, I thought, why not share the story of how I even got super into it like I did with the world? (Not that I think anyone really cares; it's more for me than it is for anyone else to be completely honest) And here we are. I'm about to share with all of you a story not even my closest friends know; the story of how I got into The Lion King!

It all started about five years ago, back when I was in the seventh grade; a long time ago. I should mention that the 2010-2011 academic year had been one of the worst ones for me; I was doing good in most of my classes except for P.E and music (P.E was normal for me to be below average, but not music or anything else), not to mention, when you're stuck in a classroom with the same bunch of obnoxious brats (no offense to anyone who went to elementary school with me are currently reading this) for *then* eight years, you get pretty annoyed with being around them. So, basically, I started feeling kind of down and didn't want anything to do with school or my classmates.

During Christmas break, I was up late one night, and decided to watch a movie. Back then, we had a huge disk case filled with burned Disney movies on DVD, so I went through it and stumbled across The Lion King. Remembering the movie vaguely from my childhood (to be honest, at that point, I only remembered The Lion King 1 1/2 so I wasn't even 100% sure what was going to happen in the movie; it had been ages since I watched it), I decided to pop in into my DVD player and watch it and I immediately fell in love with it and just longed for that 'Hakuna Matata' lifestyle; I didn't want to have to worry about school or my health (I'm a type 1 diabetic in case you didn't know), or anything for that matter.

The following night, while browsing through our DVDs, I discovered the sequel to The Lion King; The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. Not even knowing there was a sequel at the time, I put it on and watched it.

Nobody, not even I know why or how, but something clicked in my head and I just fell in love with that movie immediately, even more so than I did with the original Lion King. I loved (and still love) pretty much everything about it; the characters, the story, all of it.

So then back in 2012 when they re-released the movie in theaters, I obviously went to watch it in 3D! And when they released the trilogy on Blu-Ray, I bought it with my 'Christmas money' (best 80$ I ever spent to be honest!).

For the longest time (from December 2010- April 2013), my whole life revolved around The Lion King trilogy. I knew all the dialogue by heart (I still do for Simba's Pride actually!), I knew the names of all the voice actors and who they played for all three movies, and I knew the lyrics to all the songs including the ones from the Broadway musical (actually, I still do know them all!).

Today, The Lion King isn't as involved in my life as it once was, seeing as I have countless other fandoms other than The Lion King, but it's still a major part of my life; actually, I think my obsession of The Lion King made a full-circle (of life) and is actually close to as involved in my life as it was back then. Also, I'm actually planning to get a Lion King tattoo in the near future once I have the cash saved up!

Something similar to this, but I'm not sure where I'm going to put it yet

Well, that's the story of how I became obsessed with The Lion King. I'm not sure when the next time I'll post anything on here is, but I'll try to make it sooner than later! Until next time guys!

- SerenaTheMoonPony

Update

Hey everyone,

I did plan to start posting on here a little more often again, but things got in the way and I haven't had the time/will to write posts.

I started university a little over a month ago, and ever since I've been emotionally unstable to be completely honest. Between the midlife crisis-esque feelings, and an utterly unbearable roommate, my patience and mental stability are running out real quick. (But hopefully the roommate issue is going to be resolved soon! But that's not the point of this post...)

Though one thing that always cheers me up is writing (including these posts), so that being said, I am going to try my best to post more regularly (whenever I can find the time, that is). Being in university is definitely giving me slightly less time to write for fun, (I mean, I still write for fun way more than I should as a university student, but I still have plenty of assignments to work on as well.) but I will try to find time to post more frequently if I can.

I really didn't have much else to say in this post, so that's all for now.

- SerenaTheMoonPony

Harley Quinn & the Joker = 'Relationship Goals'?! (or 'Why Harley and Joker aren't 'relationship goals' and which couple makes better 'relationship goals' in my opinion')

Hey everyone!

So, if you couldn't tell by the title of this post, I'm going to be discussing this nonsense that's been going around the internet for a little while now. 

So, ever since 'Suicide Squad', there's been a lot of talk about how Harley and Joker are 'relationship goals'. Look, the Joker is both physically and mentally abusive towards Harley in pretty much everything they're in be it the comics, the animated series or films. Do you really want your 'relationship goals' to be based off a abusive relationship? I know I wouldn't. 

If you ask me, I think everybody's 'relationship goals' should pretty much be Simba and Nala from The Lion King (or Morticia and Gomez from The Addams Family, or even Kovu and Kiara from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, but I'm not talking about them right now; my focus is on Simba and Nala). Now, you're probably asking: 

"Gee Serena, why do you say that they should be considered real 'relationship goals'?" Well, I'm going to tell you why: 

Let's start in the The Lion King. First off, when Simba and Nala are cornered by the hyenas at the Elephant Graveyard, notice how Simba has 'rescued' Nala a couple times from the hyenas. Then, when the two friends are once again reunited as adults, Simba is hesitant to return to the Pridelands, and he (in my opinion at least) acts a bit childish during their discussion, but it's extremely evident that she cares deeply for him, and realizes that they're both a little upset in that moment and leaves him to re-gather his thoughts. (again, just my opinion and personal interpretation of the whole thing) Also, when Simba returns to the Pridelands to confront Scar, Nala follows him and even tells him she'll help fight for their home. On top of that, even after Simba 'confessed' that it was his 'fault' that Mufasa was dead, Nala is still concerned for him when fire strikes the dry grass below the tip of Pride rock, and he's dangling at the edge. To me, that shows that Nala loves him regardless of his past sins (which weren't even his, plus he did say 'it was an accident' during that scene, plus I don't Nala would believe that Simba is a cold-hearted murderer who killed his own father). And if the rest of the movie isn't an indication of how much she cares for him (and he for her), than I don't know what is.

Now, if you look in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, you'll notice that Simba was a real douche throughout almost the entire film (again, all in my opinion, but I think some people will agree with me here), and Nala is there and puts up with all the crap Simba's doing during the movie. In example, at almost the very beginning, Simba is worrying about Kiara's safety, and Nala's there to remind him that he was exactly the same (if not worse) when he was a cub. To me, this proves that Nala isn't afraid to be honest with Simba and point out when he's being somewhat unreasonable. During most of the film, Simba acts very harshly towards Kovu, even more so when he starts spending more time with Kiara, and Nala tries to convince him to get to know the young lion instead. Also, near the end of the movie when Zira and Kiara go tumbling down the edge of a cliff, Simba goes after them in attempt to help them. At that moment, the dam holding back the water from the river breaks and Nala immediately warns Simba, another sign that she truly does care about Simba in my opinion. Plus, they've nuzzled each other multiple times in the movie (I've counted about 6 or 7 times, but I could be wrong!). 

It's obvious that Simba and Nala care for each other a lot and have a pretty healthy relationship. So, why make your 'relationship goals' an abusive relationship when you could aim for a relationship where you understand the need for personal time, where you are supportive of your partner and they're supportive towards you, and where you and your partner are able to keep each other in check when needed? 

- SerenaTheMoonPony 

My Thoughts on "Suicide Squad"

Hey everyone!

So, Saturday me and my friend finally went to see 'Suicide Squad', and I must say it was better than I expected. My main concern was Harley Quinn; I was scared they were going to just sex her up and not even bother to mention how awesome she really is.

*This is basically going to be me talking about what I liked and disliked about Harley's character, so if you were looking for a full movie review, this isn't the post for you.*

What I liked
I enjoyed the overall concept of the movie, as well as the characters. As far as Harley Quinn went, I liked that they didn't make her a complete ditz, and they actually used a bit of her good traits in the film such as the fact that she's trained in gymnastics and the fact that she was a psychologist before she became a villain.

What I disliked
Personally, I find they made Harley a little too ditzy for my liking, and they didn't really portray her as the strong woman she is (I mean, don't get me wrong, they made her a pretty strong and though woman, but not nearly as strong and independent as I would have liked) I didn't like the fact that they had her parading around with barely any clothes on; call me old-fashioned, but I prefer her when she's wearing the red and black spandex suit.


Overall opinion 
In the end, I did enjoy the movie, but I wish they would have made Harley's character a bit different, and I would have loved if they would have included Poison Ivy and maybe even Catwoman, but overall, it was funny, action-packed and quite entertaining.


- SerenaTheMoonPony

Ghostbusters!

Hey everyone!

So, a few days ago (Thursday, actually), my aunt treated me and my 15 year-old cousin to a movie. We went to see the new Ghostbusters movie.

Now, after hearing all the negative comments about the movie and all the controversy that I really didn't bother to look into, I told myself I was going to go see this movie with an open mind and make an opinion for myself after the movie. And honestly, I don't know why they made that much of a big deal over this movie in the negative way they did.

Yeah, I get it. The original Ghostbusters was a classic and there's no way anything could top it. While I may not have 'grown up' in the era when the original movie came out, it was still something I watched many times with my parents and in a way did 'grow up' with. And yes, I know the theme song is great (trust me, I know it by heart too!), but that's no reason to bash on Fall Out Boy's version. Like, if it's not your cup of tea, then don't listen to it, go find the original and play it all day then.

We are all aloud to like or dislike things, but there's no reason to bash on something just because you don't like it. I don't like Taylor Swift and you don't see me talking shit about her!

But in all honesty, I actually really did enjoy this remake. The plot was good, the cast was incredible; the original ghostbusters (other than Harold Ramis who passed away in 2014) even made cameo appearances! Not to mention there was a ton of references to the original film. I thought that was amazing how they put in all those hidden 'Easter eggs' for those of us who have seen and remember the original.

In my opinion, there really is no legitimate reason to be so hateful against this movie. Now, I'm not saying that everyone needs to start liking this film, far from it, but, these people need to realize that they're being just plain dumb if they're going to hate a film because it's a remake of an '80's classic, or because the ghostbusters are women. I mean really, these ladies were fantastic in my opinion; extremely hilarious, and they were well written if you ask me.

From left to right: Leslie Jones (as Patty Tolan), Melissa McCarthy (as Abby Yates), Kristen Wiig (as Erin Gilbert) and Kate McKinnon (as Jillian Holtzmann)

I would definitely watch it again. While they claimed it was a 'remake' of the original, I personally felt like it was more of a new take on a classic, almost as if they sort of re-imagined it while keeping in some stuff that the fans of the original film would understand.

I'll leave the trailer below for those of you who might not have seen it yet!

- SerenaTheMoonPony

My Thoughts on 'The Lion Guard'

Hey all!
So, as you can probably tell by the title of this post, I'm going to be talking about the Lion King spin-off, 'The Lion Guard'.

*Keep in mind, I didn't actually WATCH the show, this is all based on clips and research and what I already know about The Lion King trilogy*

So, for those of you who don't know, I'm a HUGE Lion King fan-girl! I am obsessed with it; I know the words of the movies by heart (especially The Lion King II: Simbra's Pride), I can tell you the names of the actors for pretty much each character in the films, and know all the songs by heart (even the ones from the Broadway musical!). So, when I heard that Disney was going to release a spin-off, I was pretty happy, until I saw the synopsis:

So, from what I understood, it's basically the story of Kion, Simba and Nala's second-born cub who is given charge of 'The Lion Guard'. He is tasked with assembling members, but when he picks a variety of animals in lieu of lions, Simba disbands the group because he think that Kion thinks it's all a game and he isn't taking it seriously. It's only when Kion and his group of friends save Kiara (Kion's older sister) from an antelope stampede caused by hyenas, Simba then accepts them as the new Lion Guard. Disney also said that this is technically a mid-quel to Simba's Pride (because Kiara is a cub in the show and she's only a cub at the beginning of the movie).

*sighes* Alright. First of all, I am what you could call a 'Disney fan-theorist' (I basically come up with fan theories on stuff Disney never answered in the movies), and well, I'm a firm believer in Kopa. Who is Kopa you ask? Do you remember the cub at the end of the first Lion King movie?

This is Kopa. He is Simba and Nala's first-born son. He was never seen or mentioned in the movies, but he was the main character in a series of books called "The Lion King: Six New Adventures". ('Nala's Dare' was a really good one to be honest!)

Disney even denies Kopa's existence. They claim that the cub at the end of the first movie is in fact gender-less and they call him 'fluffy'. Now, I personally believe (along with many other fans) that the cub is really Kopa and that there is a very large gap between the end of the first movie, and the beginning of the second one. The most popular theory is that Zira (the villain in Simba's Pride) killed Kopa to ensure that Kovu (her 'son') would become the next king of the pridelands.

This is Zira

This is Kovu (as a cub)

Kovu as an adult

Anyway, so this is where I get confused. Is Kion Disney's way of saving their ass about Kopa? Is Kion replacing Kopa? (For the record, if he was replacing Kopa, shouldn't he be older than Kiara?)

And that's another thing. Kiara. 

Kiara as a cub in Simba's Pride

Kiara as an adult in Simba's Pride

What the hell did they do to her?! She looked better in Simba's Pride in my opinion...

Oh Kiara. I thought she was so cute in Simba's Pride (a bit ditzy, but she still had a lot of strong points like her stubbornness, and her kind and caring nature). But one of the things I really liked about her was how she didn't care about being the next queen of the pridelands whatsoever. She could care less. But, in the Lion Guard, (from what I've seen at least) I feel as if Kiara is very out of character because of how much she cares about becoming queen. Plus the amount of sass coming from this 'new' Kiara is outrageous...knowing the character as well as I do, Kiara would NEVER be that sassy with anyone! 

On another note, I am not fond of the animation. I don't like how it looks. I really prefer the animation style in Simba's Pride or even the original Lion King to this.

Simba, Nala and Kion in The Lion Guard

Simba, Nala and Kiara in Simba's Pride

 Personally, I feel as if the color schemes are a bit off in The Lion Guard as compared to the films. 

Another thing I wanted to talk about was the voices. Oh great kings of the past, the voices! In the films, Simba is voiced by Matthew Broderick 

And Nala is voiced by Moira Kelly 

In The Lion Guard, they are voiced by Rob Lowe and Gabrielle Union. 

Now, I'm not saying they aren't talented actors, but they AREN'T SIMBA AND NALA! I'm sorry, but that's just like getting someone other than James Earl Jones to play Mufasa...oh wait...they did that too! (James Earl Jones plays Mufasa in 'Return of the Roar' and Gary Anthony Williams plays him in later episodes). Kiara's voice actress also changed. In Simba's Pride, young Kiara was played by Michelle Horn. In The Lion Guard, she is played by Eden Riegel. Again, not that these actor's aren't talented, but they aren't the characters that I (and many other fans) have grown up with and now love and cherish. The only original voice for a character up to date on The Lion Guard is Ernie Sabella who plays Pumbaa.

Although, it has been confirmed that Jason Marsden, Andy Dick and Lacey Chabert will be taking on their roles as Kovu, Nuka and Vitani in one of the episodes. (Though I find it odd that Jason Marsden would be voicing young Kovu when he was adult Kovu in Simba's Pride). 

Nuka and Vitani in Simba's Pride

As much as I dislike what Disney is doing with The Lion Guard, I will probably end up trying to find the episode with Kovu, Vitani and Nuka in it, just to see if they mess up their characters too. 

Anyway, that's all I have to say about The Lion Guard, so until next time guys! 

- SerenaTheMoonPony