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